Please Dont Destroy This Airline

[usair_begins_with_u]

PORTION DELETED

This is not the time to bicker about wages and vaction.. YOUR COMPANY IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES!! F-A-S-T!!!

For GOD sakes roll up your sleves, tighten the belt, put on your work clothes and go to work and make a difference. Some of joke how unemployment would be better, its not. I have been there.. its aweful and degrading, and it makes you feel worthless..

Look at the stock price, investors are beginning to bail. If LABOR makes a quick bold decisive PROACTIVE move to get costs down, the big money people will react and keep US afloat with loans... if the big money people think USair is going to be the next eastern they will bail on you guys...

YOU MUST ACT SOON...

 

[Harry Callahan]

Be advised the employees can not destroy the airline. The airline is being destroyed by the decisions made each day by a management team who thinks only of themselves & not the employees.

 

[Doc]

WOW this topic should get going.... I still don't get it if we didn't buy RJ's we would have showed a profit why is everybody freaking out......

 

[CS AGENT]

The employees destroy this company???

Wolfe used almost 2 billion to buy back tanking stock ( bankrupted treasury )
Had no plan B while waiting for UAL merger while our competition eat us alive
Then the three stooges left with 35 million dollars.

Along comes Seigal and puts the company in bankruptsy, cancels the stock equity
which I understand the employee groups held almost 35% of in the 401k fund, and destroyed what was left of many employees retirement ( remember in 1992 when Schofield froze the pension of non-union labor and gave us a 401k plan to replace it with? )

Seigel got two rounds of concessions of 1.2 billion a year for 8 years ( 9.6 billion )
from the employees, plus the pilots pension, did nothing to improve the airline,
nothing to improve revenue, and FAILED to use the tools labor groups gave him,
then left with 4.5 million from our company. Then Cohen bailed with 2 million.

What is an employee worth that has faithfully worked for a company for 20-40 years, works nights and weekends, works all holidays, and does it in a professional manner to serve the public, regardless of what management throws at him.

The only thing left for us to work for is a livable wage since we have no retirement.

The only reason this company is still here today to still fight for survival is because of the dedicated employees and ENOUGH is ENOUGH. If management and the board can't run this airline with what the employees and creditors have allready given them, than let the company die here and now.

The line is drawn in the sand. CWA has had enough.

 

[700UW]

Ramp makes $19 an hour and it is the second highest job in injury rates only second to farming,

 

[N924PS]

Hi Piney,

It's up to Captain Lakefield now. LOA 91 has passed by 74%.

Let "The Plan" unfold. And quickly.

 

[bobcat]

The employees are rolling up their sleeves, tightening their belts, going to work and making a difference and have been doing so for many many years. Despite being bashed by management over and over again the US employees do their jobs and do them well daily.

A lot of people just don't see why this time is going to be any different than the other times except we now have two people running the joint with no airline experience. What makes you think that this new management team is going to do anything different than the last.

 

[ktflyhome]

Piney, you said in your previous post that it makes no differences what SW contracts are or any other airline for that matter, it is like rearranging chair decks on the Titanic. Then you preceed to compare U F/A's with Mesa and Transtate, a previous Agent with U who is not making $7.plus and rampers with UPS or truck drivers. Which is it???

I get tired of this same ole same ole.I could really give 2 hoots about any other airline and what they make and do or don't do. I am USAirways.

I have taken a 38% pay cut. Need I say more. :angry:

 

[700UW]

Bob,

Let us get you out there and unload and load an A321 from LAX-CLT-LAX and then tell me how you feel.

 

[N924PS]

Bob,

Let us get you out there and unload and load an A321 from LAX-CLT-LAX and then tell me how you feel.

700UW:

The point is there are 20 year olds that are willing to do your job for minimum wage.

There is no bottom until U becomes profitable again.

That won't happen until Revenue exceeds Costs. Something U has only been able to do only 2 years out of the last 16.

 

[tadjr]

we have a former US res agent on here who now makes $7.65/hr doing the same task elsewhere.

Ramp help in the $24.00/hr range is unsustainable.

Come on now Bob, I enjoy reading your posts, but the exaggerations and half stories are starting to look like something from CCY.

The $7.65 an hour is STARTING PAY AT HP, not top out at HP or US or TOPOUT anywhere for that matter. Most people starting out are going to be on the low end of the scale. Most people here are topped out or close to it, so once again (like Siegel) we're comparing apples to oranges, newhire to topouts which only makes the rest of the discussion "look" tainted to those who know the difference in the scales.

Also, rampers and agents DO NOT EVEN TOPOUT at close to $24 an hour. If you were doing it to EMPHASIZE the non poverty wages, you did it, but throwing unfounded numbers around makes it look like you're grasping at straws and brings the rest of the points you're trying to make into question from those who know that the numbers you are providing are incorrect.

To make the point more believeable either bring your numbers into line with what they are or avoid them altogether. That way the rest of the story wont appear so tainted.

I know that for many people the job market is going to be hard out there and I get your point, but exaggerations are just that no matter which side of the debate you are on.

 

[bobcat]

PineyBob

Don't forget most Res. Agents at US also started out making $7.50 hr or less. I'm sure the majority accepted the position and dealt with that pay rate knowing that if they stuck it out and put in the years of HARD work they would be rewarded with a much more appropriate and livable pay rate. I can guarantee if the topped out rate had been $13.00 an hr, Res. would have been a revolving door. No one has worked for this company for 15, 25 or 30 years thinking that for their loyalty and hard work, they would be repaid by being continually raped by management. That includes pay, pension, stock, 401k, health benefits, sick time, vacation, etc.

As far as the Ramp is concerned, when the workers were hired and they accepted the job they probably felt as though the pay was acceptable for the injury risk factor. The risk is still there, why should they accept anything less. Most jobs with any kind of an injury risk factor pays higher wages.

Besides losing some benefits, did you ever think that the reason a lot of people don't find another job and quit is because the process is just a big old pain in the butt and it's human nature to avoid changes. Not because they can't find another job because it's a pain especially while your still working. It's easier to keep working every day and go about your normal routine and then if you do lose your job then make the effort to find another and at least there will be unemployment benefits while doing so. So, as long as things stay as they are it's just plain easier to just stay in the groove. IF and when concessions kick in I'm sure that some will find other options and leave this god forsaken company.

Everyone is entitled to do what they think is best for themselves and families. Not what is best for the company, you or anyone else.

 

[Ch. 12]

Ramp makes $19 an hour and it is the second highest job in injury rates only second to farming,

Can I just ask what good this analogy is? I used to do farm work as well as ramp work and can say that I made far less on the farm ($4.50-5.00 and hour) and the work was tremendously more difficult. Granted, the open air is much better than a stale belly anytime but to compare injury rates to pay rates is irrelevant. Perhaps rampers should start at or below $4.50-5?

 

[hp_fa]

Piney Bob:

I usually enjoy your insight, but I need to call you on your comment about morally bankrupt unions. Do you have any factual basis for that statment in connection to AFA, ALPA or CWA?

 

[Harry Callahan]

I saw ramp rates quoted at $24.00, 700UW corrected it to $19.00. With absolutle NO DISRESPECT to Rampers it is essentially basic manual labor. You don't need a PhD. I can tell that $19/hr low skill jobs are far and few between.

Whatever labor rates you use the point remains. If US closes, MOST in Res, ramp & support types will end up starting at bottom of scale almost wherever they go.

Just to let you know there are rampers as you call us with masters & phds. As far as unskilled labor, come along & take all the tests required each year to keep our jobs. You really have no clue.......