The perfect Diabolical Hiest of all time!

[PITbull]

Hello all,
I am a USAirways employee and post quite frequently on the U Board.
Wanted to let you know that I was on the negotiating committee during the concessionary proposals.
As a Union sister, I wanted to post this message to give you a perspective from the other side and as someone who went through what you will have to endure.
Below is a thread I wrote recently on our board. Giving you all heads up. And, I am sorry that we at U set the new bar for the industry, as we had to deal with
Union busters on our property who were hired 9 months ago.
Below, is one of many threads that I will post:
PITbull wrote:
There is no well thought out plan for UA, because they waited to see if U would be successful. When they saw U prance right into bankruptcy and U got rid of alot of unsecured debt. Plus, unheard of concessions in anyones history, along with renegotiating lease agreements inside BK that they could not do outside BK. U was a shoe in for emerging out of bankruptcy in a few months. U told ALL their labor groups to buy into these deep concessions JUST TO AVOID BANKRUPTCY, and after pilots and F/A ratified, they went into bankruptcy. They couldn't wait to do it. Next thing you know Siegel is doing road shows and telling Labor how GREAT is is to be in bankruptcy and getting OUR fresh start . Jerry's is probably writing a manuel on how to stop the heart beat of Labor as we speak!
Hell, UA didn't even try sencerely to get that ATSB approval. They did even better. They went right into bankruptcy and now they have over their labor's heads the contant threat of abrogation. Ingenious! There is no way the Big 6 can do it any other way to compete; even if the econmy turned tomorrow on the upswing, these companies would still have to implement the plan. One by one, and who knows what other industry will follow suit just because they can.
It's all extortion, plain and simple Corporate legal extortion and they have a Republican congress who has never been a fan of labor to help them out, as well. If these airlines were really in as much trouble as their so called books reveal, every exec. would be trying to SAVE their own jobs by taking concessions that run deep and long term. NONE OF THEM HAVE DONE THAT TO DATE! It's all about getting the little guy to beg for mercy and operate corporations from the sacrifices made by the rank and filers of America.
WE now got Sec/Tres. Snow going after conversion ideas forDefined Pensions in America that will ultimately have a negative effect on the low-average salary earner retiree who invested 30 years + in a company. MOST WORKING AMERICANS DON'T MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO INVEST IN A 401K to actually retire on. Unless you have been Lucky for 30 years of investing, and hell the 401K concept just came out in the late 80s. If we get rid of Defined pensions in America, older folks won't be able to retire, which will make it much more difficult for the educated youth to fine employement when they graduate from universities.
NO, I am not buying this end of UA crap. If that was the case, all AA and CO, DL, NW, have to do is wait, and they'll get all of UA passengers. As you notice, they are not waiting. They know the plan and they know its working. We'll see them all in bankruptcy for their free ride to profitability.The only thing going down for UA is the wages and benefits of all their employees.
Again, just living out loud.

 

[PITbull]

(Posted on the U board as "U and UA:"Domino Effect" Commencing!

PITbull wrote:


I don't claim to know all the facts about UA. Just that one could easily argue against the "doom and gloom" scenerio being more purposely planned than a 9/11 misfortune or consequence. Now, look at U being considered the "darling" airline according to Forbes magazine. I only know that 9 months ago , all the airline analysts stated that U was in the worst position of the Majors and heading for the grave yard. As soon as they hired Siegel (little over 6 months after the merger collapsed) the wheels were turning. ALL the carriers experienced the acute situation after 9/11. ALL were effected.That was the purpose of the " Government Bail out" monies/grants. Delta has a major presence on the East Coast as well as Southwest. You know they were especially effected just like USAirways. Yes, we have a strong market and presence in DCA, but for the loss in revenue as a concequence of the DCA airport shutdown, after 9/11, U was compensated with grant money from the government, (a freebee, no less, as part of the bailout funding).Within months, U hired these guys (who we know are Union busters and have consulting firms outside of the U corporation, get hired by our Board. I was never opposed to sitting down with the co. and giving concessions to help our co. turn around. I never thought that the answer to U problem was to "gut" all the contracts and get Labor to basically abrogate their own agreements through threats, intimidation tactics, and FEAR. I knew, way back in August, just through my own experience, what this was all about, and what would come next with regard to the rest of the Industry. U employees set the new "bar" for the rest of the industry to follow as the "perfect plan".
The magazines are writing all about Siegel and his notorious team in a little over 9 months of them being on this property. They are considered "Kings" in this industry and we helped put them on the map; Forbes magazine no less.

I wrote out as far back as late August of the "domino effect", this will now create. These labor concessions to the industry (using the same plan) is worth billions and billions of dollars to the airlines who have unions.
As an airline, losing money now, in order to get out of lease agreements that are usually long-term along with getting out of vender contracts through a bankruptcy, or threaten bankruptcy coupled with the "greatest trump card" liquidation, would then allow any airline the "once in a lifetime" opportunity to make billions of dollars in the future. This manuvering and scheming plan would, in the future, allow stock holders, corporate execs. to make millions of dollars. Why wouldn't a Republican Congress go for that. Get the airline employees to pay for the security measures through cost saving concessions. This way they won't get these pressures from the Majors to involve the gov. with this expense. The flying public believes that they won't be touched by this either. Corporations are keeping you all for last. Once they reduce capacity, passengers will have to pay for higher price tickets along with paying for the eminities. For exp. food on planes will be at a cost. U is looking into this now and getting a committee for input, along with talking with food venders. Meanwhile back at the ranch, the "rank and file" employees will suffer great personal financial loss to themselves and families for many years. It's all relative. When all the airlines get their "fresh start", passengers will be paying higher price tickets as a consequence to reducing capacity. Only folks still riding on the "gravy train" is Corporate Executives!

You have to ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. Why would UA wait so long to implement a plan? Is it it possible that these corporate execs were watching how U was going to pull it off? They watched and waited. When they saw it working...all hell broke loose for UA. Same plan same time same station.They see the potential for big profits by using Labor concessions, bankruptcy, and
letting the defined pension liabilities fall underfunded to get rid of them. Anything that benefits an employee for their 30 year contribution of blood, sweat and tears working for the same co. You know today its a miracle to work for a co. for 30 years. Takes much loyalty and dedication. Now, for many, the reward is..."0"... to much less than anticipated.

2. Notice American and NW, CO, now looking to hire bankruptcy attorneys? Same plan, same time, same station.

3. Notice McCain trying to revamp the RLA? The worry now is that when ALL THESE CONTRACTS FROM ALL THESE CARRIERS BECOME AMENDABLE AT THE SAME TIME 6-8 years, they could cripple the industry by job actions.

4.Ask yourself this, why in hell would U spend all this time with an alliance with UA (if this management is so ingeneous) which they say is worth $200 million extra in revenues per year, and is part of their "emergence plan", if UA has such great potential to go off a cliff and disappear?

UA is not just asking for some givebacks from Labor they are going after everything they have ever dreamed of in those contracts...yea, they will lose mnoney all right. Damn straight they will. When Chip speaks of the UA situation as so severe, he's expressing, "misery loves company" kind of deal.

No one cares about Labor surviving and supporting their families? A respectable life is only for the "rich and famous". There is no balance.

You have the public advocating for corporations, government advocating for corporations, wall street advocating for corporations, and now even Unions advocating for corporations....WHO THE HELL IS FOR LABOR????

UA is no different than U or American or DL and CO, NW who will all follow this suit. Its a great plan, and if they have to BURN CASH in order to justify going into BK and even threatening Liquidation as the ultimate, which you know causes revenue decline, they don't care. THEY WILL DO IT! And if you think the co. will not go after the passengers for concessions...they will definitely cross that line.

It's already begun.



P.s. I have been all over these posts talking about it and it falls to deaf ears. People are so focused on what they think is the obvious. That is exactly what they want you to believe.

 

[GGpillow]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 2/9/2003 12:29:54 AM PITbull wrote:

(


P.s. I have been all over these posts talking about it and it falls to deaf ears. People are so focused on what they think is the obvious. That is exactly what they want you to believe.



----------------
[/blockquote]


Deaf ears??? I don't think that's the problem. It seems more likely that you aren't saying anything that folks who are in this industry don't already know. I mean, nothing you said here is new. Do you have a point???

 

[PITbull]

Then you are wiser than the U employees, cause we all didn't know. We thought the Industry was in trouble to a point and that U was in the worst position.

Not true.

We thought most of this mess was because of a soft economy; more than a diabolical plan.

Not true.

The epiphany was in round #2 concessions within two months of all labor groups ratification agreements from round #1.

Glad to hear your aware. We will see how strong the Labor groups of AA are. I wish you all much perseverance, resistence, and collective strength and solidarity. We at U were not collectively together as labor groups, and we got crushed.

That's the point...