UA to furlough FAs

[WorldTraveler]

looks like UA's cost $2B cost-cutting efforts are reaching 685 FAs.

Jan 16 (Reuters) - United Continental will furlough about 685 flight attendants, as the U.S. airline company looks to prune its expenses as part of a $2 billion annual cost-cutting plan announced last year.

United said it failed to attract enough takers for its voluntary furloughs and a job share-partnership program, leading it to undertake involuntary furloughs.

...

"What it comes down to is simply the promise of United's merger not being realized," said Greg Davidowitch, AFA President at United.

Chicago-based United has struggled to consolidate its operations nearly three years after the merger of UAL Corp and Continental Airlines for $3.17 billion. It has been working to win back customers after it faced severe service-related and operational problems last year.

 

[jimntx]

Pay attention AA and LCC employees.  If we don't work hard to make this merger work, this could happen to us as well.

 

[WorldTraveler]

I am not sure that it is because UA employees aren't working to make the merger work but that UA mgmt made some poor decisions and assumptions regarding the merger.

 

[swamt]

Good point Jim.  Does anyone know or heard if this might hit other groups at UAL?  Or will it only be tied to the F/A's due to not enough of them volunteered?   Jim is correct,  AA and US have already veered off course from original plans to get this merger accepted.   The cancelations due to overlaps haven't even started yet.   I'm shocked that UAL is not using the excuse to blame Southwest for it, as they tried to do last time they had lay-offs...

 

[jimntx]

I don't know about the other groups at UA, but airline mergers always result in more employees than the merged company needs.  I see no reason why that would not affect other work groups at UA unless one side of the marriage had no employees in that group--i.e., all members of the work group are outsourced contractors.

 

[xUT]

Funny, AFA represents sCO and sUA.
Yet sCO is hiring and sUA is laying off.
Same with the IBT as the represent sCO and sUA.
Yet sCO is hiring and sUA is laying off.
 
As long as there is not a joint CBA, sCO works under their contract and sUA work under their contract.
 
It's been over 3 years.
:wacko:

 

[eolesen]

Contrary to WT's claim that this shows the company's merger plans are not working, what this comes down to is that the s-UA operation is overstaffed thanks to the AFA's workrules, and understaffed according to s-CO's workrules.

This is s a case of union stupidity. The AFA is (ab)using these 685 employees as human shields for no good reason.

AFA standing by and allowing furloughs while s-CO is hiring is almost a DFR lawsuit waiting to happen, and also sets the stage for another representation election.

AFA barely beat out the IAM last time around. This certainly can't be winning hearts and minds within the UA ranks.

Now, I'm sure Josh and 700UW will be here any minute for their normal pissing match, and john john will make some innane comment about how good the CWA-AFA are...

The facts as they're lining up, though, do support the case that both UAL and the IAM have been working to come up with a solution which would let the s-UA furloughees transfer over to s-CO, and AFA is refusing to play along.

 

[xUT]

IMHO, United Airlines is in name only.
From what my ex-coworkers tell me is it is sCO all the way.
(Think ex-Lorenzo team)
The airbus purchase that was cancelled was for sUA (IIRC).
Not a conspiracy theorist, but it appears to me that sUA will bear the brunt of 'right sizing'
 
Fortunately for me (being retired from sUA - semi retired from employment ), the NRSA process is pretty amicable with a mix of FCFS and seniority.
 
IBT employees are in the same situation with sCO hiring and sUA laying off.
 
Don't know what the 'bridge agreement' with sCO & sUA AFA FA's is. Anyone have a link?
 
I know the IFPTE was ejected 2011.
 
UA MOC is mostly a shell, from what I hear.
 
Good Luck and Best Wishes to my ex-sUA folks, had a great time working with you!
 
B) xUT

 

[700UW]

They only canceled 6 A319s and 6 A320s, they are still getting Airbus planes.

 

[xUT]

They only canceled 6 A319s and 6 A320s, they are still getting Airbus planes.

They who?
sUA or sCO?

 

[WorldTraveler]

The reason the UA merger is not working is because labor rarely works well together in airline mergers... the UA merger is proving the point exactly. UA knew that risk going into the merger but decided to go for it regardless.

in contrast, DL only had to integrate the pilots who had a joint contract when the merger was announced. The other groups went thru their integration votes with PMDL's labor status prevailing in nearly every other.

No other megamerger is moving forward as DL's did.... and it is precisely because UA mgmt felt they could overcome the labor obstacles in order to match the DL-NW merger that UA is in the position it is in. WN has had its labor discord as well.

As much as some people don't want to hear it, DL's non-union status proves most valuable in mergers - which is why DL has done mergers better than anyone else.

We have seen the same thing with the US/HP merger and the FAs are proving to be the most problematic group at UA. Labor discord is part of the nature of airline mergers and it is indeed UA mgmt's belief that they could overcome it - or move forward regardless of it in order to match DL - that UA is in the position they are in.

UA is overstaffed because they cannot grow because of the cost structure they have with the individual labor groups.

 

[T5towbar]

They only canceled 6 A319s and 6 A320s, they are still getting Airbus planes.

A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft. (25 to 50)
Since the narrowbody order was long age, my guess that it was transferred over to the Airbus widebody orders.

Once the sCO order of 787's are done, sUA has another order of 25 to 50 more.

 

[ContUNITEus]

When this happens, I always like to go back into the past to dig up and highlight all the bullshit and lies that you all, so easily, fell for.
 
http://ir.unitedcontinentalholdings.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83680&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1477955&highlight
 
[SIZE=9pt]Employees will benefit from improved long-term career opportunities and enhanced job stability by being part of a larger, financially stronger and more geographically diverse carrier that is better able to compete successfully in the global marketplace. The companies believe the effect of the merger on front-line employees will be minimal, with reductions coming principally from retirements, attrition and voluntary programs. The company will provide employees with performance-based incentive compensation programs focused on achieving common goals. The combined company will be focused on creating cooperative labor relations, including negotiating contracts with collective bargainin[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]g units that are fair to the company and fair to the employee. [/SIZE]
 

 

[SKY HIGH]

http://unitedafa.org/news/details.aspx?id=8414
 
 

Jobs, Not Jabs - Get the Facts, Holly
AFA RESPONSES TO HOLLY:

 





January 20, 2014
Ms. Hegeman:
Your recent editorial on United management's intention to involuntary furlough Flight Attendants is so far off base, it calls into question your ability and integrity as an analyst.  Your opinion also clearly has no foundation whatsoever as journalism. . You did not seek the facts, but you printed slander.

 

[700UW]

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/united-offers-jobs-furloughed-flight-attendants-21627613
 
United Offers Jobs to Furloughed Flight Attendants
 

 
United Airlines said it has found a way to keep 688 flight attendants who are set to be furloughed on April 1.
The airline said Wednesday that it will offer them jobs in its Continental unit. The two airlines merged in 2010 and both fly under the United name, but they still have separate flight crews.