Removing USAToday in TUL

[Connected1]

I''m sure that Eric is going to chime in on this soon...

Buck, I think you''ve gotten a hold of some false information here. I just checked, and we are still able to access USA Today without an internet password. Perhaps things are different in TUL, but I can''t understand why that might be.

FYI, we don''t pay for the USA Today news service. We do pay EDS something like $12/mo. for every employee that has an internet password in a similar fashion that you might pay AOL for an internet connection. The internet password gets you access to internet sites that are outside of the scope of the "blessed" sites that are OK for any employee to access, such as weather.com and usatoday.com.

 

[Buck]

The company removed USAToday from the Intranet this week. Employees were told that the company the company was having to pay for receiving this news service. A supervisor said that it was coming through a provider. Most likely EDS. Why would the company be charged for a news service that all internet users get for free?

 

[Buck]

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On 3/28/2003 10:07:19 AM Connected1 wrote:

I''m sure that Eric is going to chime in on this soon...

Buck, I think you''ve gotten a hold of some false information here. I just checked, and we are still able to access USA Today without an internet password. Perhaps things are different in TUL, but I can''t understand why that might be.

FYI, we don''t pay for the USA Today news service. We do pay EDS something like $12/mo. for every employee that has an internet password in a similar fashion that you might pay AOL for an internet connection. The internet password gets you access to internet sites that are outside of the scope of the "blessed" sites that are OK for any employee to access, such as weather.com and usatoday.com.

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Prior to the change, we were able to get USAToday, but we had to continually close the password screen. Now that ability is also gone. Why are only select employees allowed access to the internet? This is exactly why the union worker does not trust management. It is a behind the back deals that are unknown to the average employee. At $12 dollars a month for every employee I am sure that the company would go broke. However what I do not understand is why AA uses EDS at all. Why do they not pay for one subscription to the internet and then distribute it form their own system?

 

[KCFlyer]

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On 3/28/2003 11:00:53 AM Buck wrote:

However what I do not understand is why AA uses EDS at all. Why do they not pay for one subscription to the internet and then distribute it form their own system?

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Copyright laws for one thing. I don''t know if your system allows you to read YESTERDAY''s copy of USA Today, but for most everyone else, you have to subscribe to do it. But...USA Today is .50 cents a day on the newsstands. Easier on the eyes to read it that way too.

 

[Oliver Stone''s Apprentice]

I've been fighting the firewall issue for over three years now, Buck. I don't like the $12 charge either, but that's what the cost per user came out to be when the annual cost of maintaining the firewall hardware/software/bandwidth was divided by the number of users... Finance's argument is that giving everyone access will drive that cost up, and I can't argue that. They also believe that it will lower productivity, since people will be surfing the web rather than being in their work location. I dispute that, since most people get back to work when break is over, and you just deal with those who don't.

But how do you figure this is a "behind the back deal"??? Some employees have a need for access, some don't. I get to justify it for my employees every year during budget prep, and less than half of them get access. My programmers have it because they need access to resources out on the web. My analysts don't need that access.

I don't have an AOA badge because I don't have a business need to be walking on the ramp unescorted. You don't have a badge which lets you into SOC or HDQ. Neither of us have an access card which lets us into Triad. That's just the way it is at any company.

 

[Buck]

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On 3/28/2003 11:30:52 AM eolesen wrote:

I''ve been fighting the firewall issue for over three years now, Buck. I don''t like the $12 charge either, but that''s what the cost per user came out to be when the annual cost of maintaining the firewall hardware/software/bandwidth was divided by the number of users... Finance''s argument is that giving everyone access will drive that cost up, and I can''t argue that. They also believe that it will lower productivity, since people will be surfing the web rather than being in their work location. I dispute that, since most people get back to work when break is over, and you just deal with those who don''t.

But how do you figure this is a "behind the back deal"??? Some employees have a need for access, some don''t. I get to justify it for my employees every year during budget prep, and less than half of them get access. My programmers have it because they need access to resources out on the web. My analysts don''t need that access.

I don''t have an AOA badge because I don''t have a business need to be walking on the ramp unescorted. You don''t have a badge which lets you into SOC or HDQ. Neither of us have an access card which lets us into Triad. That''s just the way it is at any company.

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If an employee is using their granted access for other than company business,then they are in violation of the Rules of Conduct. If you were to attempt to access the Ramp without a badge, you would be in violation of the Rules of Conduct. These little "perks" that come with management positions need to go, especially if they cost money.

 

[Oliver Stone''s Apprentice]

Don't get me wrong, Buck. I'm not complaining about what unions get that management doesn't, but just highlighting the double standard that exists when trying to compare what one group gets that another group doesn't.

And I couldn't agree with you more about management needing to slim down more. Jetwire announced the VP Corporate Planning is leaving to go work for AT&T, and won't be replaced.

We just held a going away for one of our engineers who is leaving voluntarily, and we have a programmer who is retiring on Monday. Another manager in our department had three resignations this week. That's 5 people in one week out of a department with about 100 people.

None of them are being replaced, but their workload will still be around for others to carry.

C'est la vie...



Back to your original complaint -- access to USAToday.Com without a password. I just checked, and it is still showing on the list of sites you should be able to access without a proxy password.

To see the list for yourself, try http://inet-support.sabre.com/cgi-bin/AA/show_allow_url.pl

 

[Oliver Stone''s Apprentice]

If you want to enforce Rule 29 down to the letter versus the intent, then each and every personal phone call made is a violation, as is the use of Sabre to find out which flights to non-rev on, and the use of company provided PC''s to read the USA Today website.

Fortunately, intent is used to determine if someone violates most of the rules of conduct, e.g. running a side business from your desk, or taking home software to load on your PC. We''ve fired people for both of those.

 

[Buck]

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On 3/28/2003 2:52:50 PM eolesen wrote:

If you want to enforce Rule 29 down to the letter versus the intent, then each and every personal phone call made is a violation, as is the use of Sabre to find out which flights to non-rev on, and the use of company provided PC''s to read the USA Today website.

Fortunately, intent is used to determine if someone violates most of the rules of conduct, e.g. running a side business from your desk, or taking home software to load on your PC. We''ve fired people for both of those.

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Yes the rules are enforced by intent, except for those surrounding diversity. The fact is that management has it''s perks. You Eric, complain about the negotiated benefits of unionized employees, but when I complain about management perks you jump to defend costs, by stating that it is needed. The intent of granted access to the internet is for business use, even for your subordinates. I believe that those who manage the airline need to remember that it is about moving the customer in airplanes. I believe many have forgotten what this company is for. If the unionized employees must become lean, then so must the mangement team.

 

[Buck]

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On 3/28/2003 3:32:19 PM eolesen wrote:

Don''t get me wrong, Buck. I''m not complaining about what unions get that management doesn''t, but just highlighting the double standard that exists when trying to compare what one group gets that another group doesn''t.

And I couldn''t agree with you more about management needing to slim down more. Jetwire announced the VP Corporate Planning is leaving to go work for AT&T, and won''t be replaced.

We just held a going away for one of our engineers who is leaving voluntarily, and we have a programmer who is retiring on Monday. Another manager in our department had three resignations this week. That''s 5 people in one week out of a department with about 100 people.

None of them are being replaced, but their workload will still be around for others to carry.

C''est la vie...



Back to your original complaint -- access to USAToday.Com without a password. I just checked, and it is still showing on the list of sites you should be able to access without a proxy password.

To see the list for yourself, try http://inet-support.sabre.com/cgi-bin/AA/show_allow_url.pl


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What double standard are you referring to?

Your link is dead!

 

[Bob Owens]

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On 3/28/2003 11:30:52 AM eolesen wrote:

But how do you figure this is a "behind the back deal"??? Some employees have a need for access, some don''t. I get to justify it for my employees every year during budget prep, and less than half of them get access. My programmers have it because they need access to resources out on the web. My analysts don''t need that access.

I don''t have an AOA badge because I don''t have a business need to be walking on the ramp unescorted. You don''t have a badge which lets you into SOC or HDQ. Neither of us have an access card which lets us into Triad. That''s just the way it is at any company.

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You also can post here on company time.

 

[BDLDFW]

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You also can post here on company time.
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I''m sure that can be said of a lot of posters.

 

[Buck]

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On 3/28/2003 9:46:49 PM BDLDFW wrote:

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You also can post here on company time.
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I''m sure that can be said of a lot of posters.

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Not the unionized workers at TULE! In fact just recently Supervisors and some Managers have had their access canceled. But in general mechanics have never had the "benefit".