deltawatch
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- Aug 20, 2002
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INT Reservations Sales Res reps say, "No sale, Mr. Baldanza"...
By Becky Gerald, CWA Local 3640 President
INT Reservations Sales Reps who went into the employee breakroom last Thursday said it looked like a tea-party: fifteen or so managers and supervisors were milling around, and muffins, donuts, and coffee were laid out for the guest of honor, Ben Baldanza, Sr. VP for Marketing.
Mr. Baldanza was one of the executives dispatched from Crystal City to the various airports and work locations last week to put the correct spin on Dave Siegel's Webcast.
As reps poured into the breakroom the discussion was respectful, but the reps were very skeptical. Mr. Baldanza met a room full of well-informed and fed-up employees who were having none of Dave Siegel's new business plan for concessions.
Mr. Baldanza gamely presented the Crystal City view of things: "The company's doing poorly, not because of poor management, but because of high employee costs." He gave an example that went something like this, "It's like if there was a big boulder balancing on top of the hill, and now it's falling our way and rolling faster and faster down the hill right at us - we've got to act fast or we're crushed."
The reps guessed that Mr. Baldanza must have thought they would understand the corporate financial status better if he expressed it in RoadRunner Cartoon terms.
The reps responded with pointed questions and statements, at times getting a little emotional as they pointed out the sacrifices employees have already made, the lack of an effective business strategy, and the big cost advantage US Airways has over Southwest because of US Airways' lower salaries - thanks to our concessions.
There was no indication they had any confidence management was on the right track, or that they were willing to take any further cuts in their standard of living. "Do you know how much a gallon of gas costs these days?" was one question asked.
Another question that was repeated several times during the meeting: "What have you done with the $1.5 billion in concessions employees gave you already - nothing!"
The discussion continued like that for some time, with the agents clearly getting the best of it and Mr. Baldanza doing his duty, but looking like he didn't really have his heart in it. He's a salesman and he knew this was a no-sale.
In the end everyone gave a respectful, "Thanks for coming," and the reps went back to the phones and Mr. Baldanza went back to Crystal City. At this point the gap between the employees and the executives is very wide, and the more the execs explain their business plan the wider it gets.
By Becky Gerald, CWA Local 3640 President
INT Reservations Sales Reps who went into the employee breakroom last Thursday said it looked like a tea-party: fifteen or so managers and supervisors were milling around, and muffins, donuts, and coffee were laid out for the guest of honor, Ben Baldanza, Sr. VP for Marketing.
Mr. Baldanza was one of the executives dispatched from Crystal City to the various airports and work locations last week to put the correct spin on Dave Siegel's Webcast.
As reps poured into the breakroom the discussion was respectful, but the reps were very skeptical. Mr. Baldanza met a room full of well-informed and fed-up employees who were having none of Dave Siegel's new business plan for concessions.
Mr. Baldanza gamely presented the Crystal City view of things: "The company's doing poorly, not because of poor management, but because of high employee costs." He gave an example that went something like this, "It's like if there was a big boulder balancing on top of the hill, and now it's falling our way and rolling faster and faster down the hill right at us - we've got to act fast or we're crushed."
The reps guessed that Mr. Baldanza must have thought they would understand the corporate financial status better if he expressed it in RoadRunner Cartoon terms.
The reps responded with pointed questions and statements, at times getting a little emotional as they pointed out the sacrifices employees have already made, the lack of an effective business strategy, and the big cost advantage US Airways has over Southwest because of US Airways' lower salaries - thanks to our concessions.
There was no indication they had any confidence management was on the right track, or that they were willing to take any further cuts in their standard of living. "Do you know how much a gallon of gas costs these days?" was one question asked.
Another question that was repeated several times during the meeting: "What have you done with the $1.5 billion in concessions employees gave you already - nothing!"
The discussion continued like that for some time, with the agents clearly getting the best of it and Mr. Baldanza doing his duty, but looking like he didn't really have his heart in it. He's a salesman and he knew this was a no-sale.
In the end everyone gave a respectful, "Thanks for coming," and the reps went back to the phones and Mr. Baldanza went back to Crystal City. At this point the gap between the employees and the executives is very wide, and the more the execs explain their business plan the wider it gets.
