The Plan Or The Phantiscy

[funguy2]

Funguy,

Im sure everything that's being discussed on this board Dave has already thought of. From getting more out of the pilots to getting rid of the cleaners altogether. Integrating ramp and utility would be next to impossible because of the seniority problems it would create so the obvious solution to that problem would be to sacrifice the cleaners and pay a ramper almost $2.00 more an hour to do the same job.


nycbusdriver I was refering to management in ramp services having their A&P not the cleaners.

I understand that the issues are not new. And thus far, any new solutions don't seem to have been found. And maybe the BOD is discussing Plan A or Plan B... They should be discussing Plans to increase the fleet... And to decrease it... And to change the fare structure... and to change the hub structure. They are running a company with a broken business model. They should be discussing every avenue to fixing that business model.

My point is, that inside conversations at US Airways seem to end up on this board constantly, and repeatedly based on one individual, Chip. These are conversations that should not be here. And, often, they do not materialize because the individual who puts them here, does so before the company decides to go forward with it. Thus we all go through this huge what-if scenario, which Chip declares is absolutely true, even though the company has not decided on anything.

Do you see Southwest employees posting the contentts of Jim Parker and Colleen Barrett's private meetings? No, you do not. Maybe at Southwest, they don't have private meetings, I really don't know. I would guess, however, that folks at Southwest understand that what is private is private.

Even IF this 60-airplane order is true, whose job is it to inform the world of what US Airways is doing? Is it the job of a pilot or of CCY management?

I am sorry to sound rude, but the only thing a pilot should announce is when you are flying past Epcot Center or Niagara Falls. A pilot's job is not to announce new corporate strategies. Period.

While I understand that US Airways management is horrible at communicating with employees, this board routinely gives insider US Airways information to competitors. All based on one person. If Chip wants to improve employee communications at US Airways, perhaps he should argue this point to the BOD, instead of posting every detail of every plan they consider to reshape US Airways.

 

[delldude]

funguy-i tend to think this stuff of supposed 'private' material ending up here is in fact "leaked" on purpose.otherwise i think the SEC would confiscate hard drive info regarding certain posters or these so called "leaks'.
i think the company has a reliable "leak"....wouldn't you?

 

[tug_slug]

While I understand that US Airways management is horrible at communicating with employees, this board routinely gives insider US Airways information to competitors

Funguy

You think management has a problem communicating with the employees back east how do you think we feel here on the west coast? :angry:

 

[funguy2]

funguy-i tend to think this stuff of supposed 'private' material ending up here is in fact "leaked" on purpose.otherwise i think the SEC would confiscate hard drive info regarding certain posters or these so called "leaks'.
i think the company has a reliable "leak"....wouldn't you?

Yes, i understand that Chip may be a tool through which somebody sends false information. However, my posts tend to be long enough without me spelling out all of my Chip theories.



The best advice I ever heard about the airline business: Believe it when you see it. Thats when I'll believe any of this 60 airplane growth nonsence (and UCT too).

I would agree... a reliable leak indeed.

Tugslug: I really have no idea how US Airways communicates with its employees... except to say it must be poorly given all of the rumors, debate, and misinformation on this chatboard. US Airways is far and away the winner in this category. There is not nearly as much garbage on the board for even larger airlines... That indicates to me that management is not giving any type of consistent information... Because any type of consistent information would put an end to this garbage.

 

[SpinDoc]

I think change is the idea here. If you eliminated the "utility" classification, rolled those employees to the ramp, and combined the job functions, I don't see where the harm is, except some may have to work harder than they do now. If you are talking about flying an additional 60 aircraft, and flying them more trips and hours per day, you are not going to lose any employees doing that, you would probably actually have to recall people. As I said before, I cannot see the math of adding all that flying without having some more bodies around, albeit not with the same employee to aircraft ratio we have now.

Granted seniority integrations are always ugly (see AA-TWA as the latest example), but I would have to think that for a more secure future, no W-2 cut, no furloughs, everyone could see that all of our paychecks (former paycheck in my case) say "US Airways" and put aside the petty interdepartmental bickering, which is just as bad as the Piedmont-PSA-Allegheny crap that still goes on.

Then again, maybe I am being overly optimistic.

N628AU:

You are suggesting that unions actually work together to increase efficiency and help to lower CASM. That's quite interesting because the main function of each respective union is to increase membership and by combining positions to achieve cross functionality, at least one of the unions would lose membership. That is quite a progressive thought, but not one that the unions would readily agree to. I'm sorry, but any suggestion that makes sense (like yours) could never be implemented because unions can't make money unless they increase membership, pure and simple.
The only way to resolve the situation is for the company to continue the threat of oursourcing because it really makes the rank and file think long and hard about just what the objective of their union leadership really is.

 

[tug_slug]

The plan is expected to be announced in January and in my opinion, all of the unions could receive a proposal such as: Management desires consensual contract changes that include aaa, bbb, ccc, and ddd.

Chip in light of what just happend to flight attendants do you honestly believe their going to trust management enough to want to talk about work rule concessions?

This airline is going down and its going down faster than you ever could have imagined.

I wouldnt be surprised that if one day in the very near future we go to work and and they've got chains on the doors and some hired goons escorting us to our lockers only for the purpose of allowing us to collect our personable belongings.

Its over Chip... give it up.... move on.

Regards,

Tug

 

[N628AU]

SpinDoc,

In this case, it is the same union, the IAM, albeit two different Districts, 141 and 141M. Buffenbarger would keep, or actually add to, it's membership.

 

[delldude]

I think change is the idea here. If you eliminated the "utility" classification, rolled those employees to the ramp, and combined the job functions, I don't see where the harm is, except some may have to work harder than they do now. If you are talking about flying an additional 60 aircraft, and flying them more trips and hours per day, you are not going to lose any employees doing that, you would probably actually have to recall people. As I said before, I cannot see the math of adding all that flying without having some more bodies around, albeit not with the same employee to aircraft ratio we have now.

Granted seniority integrations are always ugly (see AA-TWA as the latest example), but I would have to think that for a more secure future, no W-2 cut, no furloughs, everyone could see that all of our paychecks (former paycheck in my case) say "US Airways" and put aside the petty interdepartmental bickering, which is just as bad as the Piedmont-PSA-Allegheny crap that still goes on.

Then again, maybe I am being overly optimistic.

N628AU:

You are suggesting that unions actually work together to increase efficiency and help to lower CASM. That's quite interesting because the main function of each respective union is to increase membership and by combining positions to achieve cross functionality, at least one of the unions would lose membership. That is quite a progressive thought, but not one that the unions would readily agree to. I'm sorry, but any suggestion that makes sense (like yours) could never be implemented because unions can't make money unless they increase membership, pure and simple.
The only way to resolve the situation is for the company to continue the threat of oursourcing because it really makes the rank and file think long and hard about just what the objective of their union leadership really is.

for some strange reason here...this sounds quite similar to the federal government............yaa..yaaa... :blink:

 

[diogenes]

US Airways could increase ground personnel productivity with employee job classification cross utilization or combination. There is no reason why the Fleet Service and Utility functions could not be combined to help create more ASMs with the same headcount.

Respectfully,

Chip

Dude, I would seriously hate for there to be one seat left in the lifeboat, and you and I are standing on the Titanic!

Two inconvenient facts.

1. Management ALREADY has cross-utilization rights. In ALL class II cities, management may, at their discretion, cross-utilize fleet and customer services. Now, you floated this trial ballon a few months ago, the gist of which was, the nasty ol' unions are so inflexible with their work rules. I scored a telling potshot at said balloon, by pointing out that management DOES NOT CHOOSE TO CROSS-UTILIZE in any class II operation I'm aware of, and certainly not in ANY NC, SC or VA operation. Man, give your arm a rest - that dead horse ain't gonna get no deader! Reference any ramp/ute integration, what makes you think these geniuses are going to handle it any better than the fleet/customer service cross- utes? And lastly on this point: If ANYONE will name a class II operation that routinely cross-utilizes fleet/CWA, I will call that station myself, verify it, and post it. Here. In big, bold letters.

2. It really does not matter what union or title you hang on people. If you want the plane turned in a hurry (the name of the game, a la WN) cleaning and loading must be accomplished simultaneously. Hence, you need bag mashers AND cleaners. If you want to stretch out the ground time, I'll be glad to come up and clean, sans utilities. By the by, fleet DOES clean the RON's in my station, with nary a violation of the fleet or mech contracts.

Facts sure do screw up a good theory, don't they?

 

[SpinDoc]

SpinDoc,

In this case, it is the same union, the IAM, albeit two different Districts, 141 and 141M. Buffenbarger would keep, or actually add to, it's membership.

N628AU:

My bad. The more I read about scheduling and cross utilization in our company, the more I am convinced that utilization is not a union problem per se. It is becoming clear that management needs to analyze our employee utilization and actually present a plan to the union leadership before it can be determined whether cross utilization is even possible in many areas of the company.
The problems within our company are many and they begin with managers who are "yes men". They are afraid to look outside the box because they are afraid their ideas will not be recognized. Senior management is saying we have to lower our CASM, yet the people under them are either too scared to present new ideas, or they are not organized enough to present the ideas in a manner that might be accepted. It takes people who occasionally break from the herd to come up with ideas that work. At this critical juncture, ideas need to be floated and decisions need to be made. A plan has to be formed before management can ask the unions for assistance. My question is this. Where is the plan, an actual plan that is different from the rest of the legacy carriers that will give the union leadership a starting point with their membership? This sums up my frustration with senior management. The are all too scared to make decisions.