Revenue "dis-synergies" Mergers can be ugly

[Kev3188]

The only cure is good contracts. New leaders under bad deals won't be able to motivate us any more than the bad ones we have. We aren't kids willing to listen to anyone's fairy tales any more. No deals, no wheels.

EFFECTIVE leaders- starting from the floor up- can absolutely motivate people, and lay the groundwork needed for when it's contract time again.

I agree with 100% that the days when empty rhetoric and underdelivering were tolerated are long gone.Should've never been here in the first place, but...

 

[OldGuy@AA]

The only cure is good contracts. New leaders under bad deals won't be able to motivate us any more than the bad ones we have. We aren't kids willing to listen to anyone's fairy tales any more. No deals, no wheels.

Let's face it. The TWU is not capable of negotiating a good contract. They gave away free medical in 89 after AA made RECORD profits. It all went down from there. And by the way, 2001 doesn't count when you give everything away less than 18 months later. You can't get good contracts as a mechanic when you work for a company that hates their hourly employees and have a union that hates mechanics. Case in point......... Why are mechanics the only employees at AA that don't get 100% sick pay? Why are AMTs the only TWU work group that lost longevity pay? Why are AA AMTs the lowest paid in the industry while, even after pay cuts, fleet and stores are among the highest paid? Good riddance TWU and God help fleet and stores when we are gone. Who is going to bear the brunt of cuts for the TWU then?

 

[cf6mech]

The only cure is good contracts. New leaders under bad deals won't be able to motivate us any more than the bad ones we have. We aren't kids willing to listen to anyone's fairy tales any more. No deals, no wheels.

I stand corrected,......your right!

 

[KILOFINAL]

Excellent point. A merger with US Airways will not result in higher wages.

And yet, there are all these people who believe that US, who has long lead the industry in terms of low pay, is suddenly going to wake up and start paying more?

Sorry, don't buy that.

As for the revenue issue... We are in a recession, and a merger isn't going to stop that. Companies are reducing headcount, part timers are seeing hours reduced to avoid the 30 hour definition as full time due to Obamacare, people are already spending less due to the reinstatement of the social security tax rates, and it's hard to imagine that taxes won't be going up in general at the state and local levels to fund all of the unfunded public pension obligations or whatever spending stops flowing out of DC and to the states.

All of that leads to less and less growth activity by business, and less disposable income for consumers. Bad signs for any airline.

A merger won't fix any of that. It eliminates a brand. That's it.

I suspect US joining oneworld would have the same revenue impact as a merger, and with far less disruption.

 

[silverbird007]

Wow what a difference, people actually talking about airline issues without personal attacks! What a difference!

 

[Bob Owens]

Let's face it. The TWU is not capable of negotiating a good contract. They gave away free medical in 89 after AA made RECORD profits. It all went down from there. And by the way, 2001 doesn't count when you give everything away less than 18 months later. You can't get good contracts as a mechanic when you work for a company that hates their hourly employees and have a union that hates mechanics. Case in point......... Why are mechanics the only employees at AA that don't get 100% sick pay? Why are AMTs the only TWU work group that lost longevity pay? Why are AA AMTs the lowest paid in the industry while, even after pay cuts, fleet and stores are among the highest paid? Good riddance TWU and God help fleet and stores when we are gone. Who is going to bear the brunt of cuts for the TWU then?

You left out that we get less vacation and the TWU fought against more stringent duty time limits as well. Most Unions fight for more pay and less time at work, the TWU does the opposite!!! They fight to lower pay, take away vacation and even fight the FAA when the FAA says that we need at least one day off a week!!! It seems that Jim Little, Bobby Gless and Don Videtich dont want us to have any time off, then they can brag about how AA mechanics work more hours than any other mechanics, and do it for less!!