Us Airways Holding Flight Attendants Prisoners

[Colby]

Once Again let me say that According to Bruce Ashby Sr.VP-Alliances &President Us Airways Express...

"Manufacturer expects to have its new EMB-170 certified for service in the United States by late November. We expect to get our first aircraft in early December, with revenue service beginning in Early February 2004. We'll be taking about two airplanes per month for a few years, up to a planned total of 85 airplanes.

Mid Atlantic is staffed with about 70 people these days, headquarteded in PIT. Flight Attendant hiring is expected to begin in a few weeks"


I have emailed a couple more questions to Mr Ashby in regards to Flight Attendant hiring. I would like to that I was pleasantly surprised to get a response at all... My initial email was to Dave Siegel. I was so tired of reading what everone was ASSUMING would happen....SO>>> I emailed for an answer from our CEO.... I will let you know if/when I get on answer on the questions.

OH....This email is dated OCT 6th.

 

[T-bone]

.


I have emailed a couple more questions to Mr Ashby in regards to Flight Attendant hiring. I would like to that I was pleasantly surprised to get a response at all... My initial email was to Dave Siegel. I was so tired of reading what everone was ASSUMING would happen....SO>>> I emailed for an answer from our CEO.... I will let you know if/when I get on answer on the questions.

So after every thing we hae learned about these thieves you would accept their answer as truth???????????

 

[T-bone]

If I had the same seniority at any other major airline, give or take one or two, I would be flying right now. Silly us for thinking US Airways was a major airline or on its way to becoming one. Its turning back into Allegheny Airlines and its on its way to having the same workforce, just years older.

Another interesting and insightful thread. It occured the other day while I took a moment to survey my companion's that I was in the surrealistic world of the twilight zone or at least I was having a dream of when I was first hired and it was 18 years ago or so. The names were the same only the faces we're changed to protect the guilty. In this bizzare dream there were no new faces. But he familiar ones had somehow drasticaly aged. How Piculiar!!!!!

 

[PITbull]

Colby,

If it has to do with MAA, you won't hear from Siegel. He forwards all that to Bruce. "It's-not-my-yob, mon" type thing...


The AFA PIT President has asked Bruce Ashby to send someone to the Local Pit meeting to discuss MAA. Bruce's reply...."Just have the f/as write down their questions, and I will respond to them by e-mail."

I guess its just too much to ask to know a little bit about this new LCC before you decide to accept a job there.....

So much for "enthusiasm" regarding this new carrier from this new President of MAA.

Light years,

There WERE approx. 10,400 f/as. Presently, we sit here at U with approx 5,217.

Since this management took the position that there is no further reduction in force and will NOT offer any more Vol. furloughs, THE AFA MEC WILL WATCH THE ATTRITION RATE EVERY SINGLE DAMN MONTH! And we will see the slots open and demand U recall to fill those slots, since they are alledging there is no further reduction in force. Here comes the next battle...brace yoursleves.

 

[airlineorphan]

PITbull :wub: ,

As always, right on the money.

If this company had anything to brag about you know they'd be telling us about how MAA/MDA's droppings don't stink! They'd be telling us about how these jobs will be manna from heavan, ambrosia from the gods themselves. :eye:

But since they have nothing to say, one can pretty much assume that these jobs are not pennies from heavan, but are really Wooden Nickels from Hell and that they will stink up everything that comes in contact with them. Phew!

In solidarity,
Airlineorphan

 

[PITbull]

Airline orphan,

I edited the post and added something. Please read again.

 

[Colby]

Okay so you guys tell me....Who shall I listen to?? Management ( who's answers coinside with what has been said by union and supervisors)

OR, A bunch of Pd off employees that like to vent !! GEE... What is a Girl to do ????? :huh: :huh:

 

[Teflon]

David Siegel, David Bronner, Jerry Glass, Chris Chiames and Doug McKeen have done nothing but lie since the day they walked in the door. Nothing about these so called Airline Executives have been labor friendly, they sit around Crystal Palace daily to think of new ways to assault labor while lining their wallets.

Look at Ashby when the company ordered the CRJ-705(900) with 76 seats, Ashby unleashed a media assault that our pilots won't let any of the express carriers fly them because it has 76 seats, when less then two weeks prior the company and ALPA signed concessions that contained language that no express carrier can fly an airplane with no more then 70 seats.

Chris Chiames said this in a posting on the board months ago:

"US Airways, Inc Posted on: Jan 5 2003, 04:39 PM

Replies: 136
Views: 8,172 PITguy, I apologize for the delay. I haven't been online and just saw your note.

We are not going to outsource heavy maintenance in PIT or elsewhere. We never even proposed it. (Unlike UA which has proposed the outsourcing of heavy maintenance.)

We will pay all furlough pay as provided for in the contract.

We have no further plans to lay off more mechanics beyond what is published. With the new commitment to operate 279 a/c, we will need just about all the mechanics on the property to perform the maintenance we have scheduled, since our fleet plan anticipated retiring some planes that we will now be flying.

Finally, we are not trying to vendor maintenance with either Boeing or Airbus.

Chris Chiames

I believe these so called executive statements speak for themselves on the creditability issue.

 

[PITbull]

Colby,

You're joking right?


ASk Bruce about the Medical coverage and how much the f/as contribution will be?
It's a "hair rasier", so I won't tell you. I'll let management answer cause you can trust what they say.


Ask him about the reserve system and how line holders will bid trips? Ask him the questions that will directly effect your working life.

How can the union have said anything about MAA, when they know NOTHING about it, and still have to disucss the flow through with management????????


Yea, listen to the co......There words are always "solid" and they always stick to their promises.

 

[PITbull]

Sorry, Bob,

Don't agree with your thinking. Misrepresentation, deception, is putting it kindly.

 

[Teflon]

Bob, your information is wrong, the minute the airplane flew its first flight the S-check was scheduled in the max-merlin system, we all knew from day one that the airplane's S-check was due October 13, 2003, like the judge told US Airways in court "This problem did not pop up yesterday you knew for five years when it was due!"

Bob, when Chris Chiames said ""Finally, we are not trying to vendor maintenance with either Boeing or Airbus."

It meant they were not trying to vendor out our Boeing or Airbus work as either aircraft maker does not offer their own overhaul services.

Plain and simple they lied, they stole they cheat and now they will end up losing in court and/or arbitration.

A lie is a lie, you are splitting hairs.

 

[cavalier]

First off before you call Chris Chiames a liar I'd like you to consider the words he wrote and the fact that he is the only one who has the testosterone to get on here and actually use his name.

So let's parse the document posted shall we:

"We are not going to outsource heavy maintenance in PIT or elsewhere. We never even proposed it. (Unlike UA which has proposed the outsourcing of heavy maintenance.)"

And to date they have never proposed it! they just went ahead and implemented it. Went to court and now we'll see won't we.

We will pay all furlough pay as provided for in the contract.

"We have no further plans to lay off more mechanics beyond what is published. With the new commitment to operate 279 a/c, we will need just about all the mechanics on the property to perform the maintenance we have scheduled, since our fleet plan anticipated retiring some planes that we will now be flying. "

Therefore since the S-Checks weren't scheduled at the time, and staffing levels constant they have no mechs to perform the work, ergo outsourcing. remember this letter was pre Iraq and any "Force Majeur" issuses or the 5% giveback. So in Mgmt's mind all bets were off once the boms started dropping.

"Finally, we are not trying to vendor maintenance with either Boeing or Airbus."

No lie here! They are using a company out of Mobile AL to do the work. Seems like splitting hairs, but there is no lie. If you ask the wrong question don't expect the right answer.

Chris Chiames

Remember this man is Senior VP of Corporate Communications and choses his words wisely. It is his livlihood and he is good at it. I see no lies in his statement whatsoever. Is it carefully worded to imply promises that he has no authority to make? YES it is! But a liar? NOPE!

INTENT is the word that will rule INTENT

Not a liar, but definitely a deceiver with malicious INTENT

Words games are just that games, and they will lose this game

Sure Bob, he has enough gonads to be a eloquent deceiver, I agree.

 

[cybercat]

Can someone please enlighten me as to what "bidding a line" means? From the context, it sounds like a schedule of trips. Am I correct?

 

[airlineorphan]

Can someone please enlighten me as to what "bidding a line" means? From the context, it sounds like a schedule of trips. Am I correct?

Dear Cybercat,

Yes, you are correct.

Flight attendants bid for either reserve or block lines. Which depends upon seniority.

If you are junior, than you are bidding on reserve lines, which really means you are bidding on a variety or arrangements of days off. you don't know what trips you will be awarded or assigned by future (tomorrow) or daily (today) scheduling. All you know is what days you have off.

If you are more senior, you instead bid for a set of trips. This gives you a greater measure of control over your life. You know what days you are actually working and on duty and you may also rearrange your schedule to some extent (again, the range of this extent improves with higher seniority).

A reserve is on call at all times she/he is not on an off day. In fact, if scheduling can get you to answer your phone on an "OFF" day they can even assign you a trip and make you work on an "OFF" day. Which is a reason most reserves don't answer their phones on their OFF days. (Some off duty days are deemed "INV" or Invioble days and scheduling is not allowed to assign anyone who is on an INV day).

During the time when reserves are on-call, they are on call 24 hours/day (Domestic reserve on-call days begin at 1500 and carry on for as many as 6 consecutive 24 hour periods, Transatlantic Division reserves start at 1700, but a standard of 3-day trips makes their scheduling system a bit different).

Scheduling could call at any time of day or night with a quick call (meaning you have 90 minutes to report for duty). Many of us have been awakened at 3:30am for a quick call to cover early morning Shuttle Standby or some other b*ttcrack of dawn duty. It makes organizing ones life pretty tricky sometimes.

For those of us who are junior, it is hard to imagine what life as a reserve must have been like in the days before cell phones and pagers! Sitting at home by the phone for 6 days and ordering in takeout for meals.... Sheesh!

I hope this clarifies somewhat. Nice avatar.

-Airlineorphan

 

[Dea Certe]

Airlineorphan,

Reserve back in the old days was pretty rotten. When I started at PSA (the old one) we had a one-hour report time. We weren't allowed beepers and cell phones hadn't been invented! Most people had two phones; one for scheduling, the other for real life. Call-waiting hadn't been invented yet either. Our duty days started at 05:00 and you sat reserve until assigned a trip or were released. You rarely got released and then only after considerable begging. There wasn't an OPR or secondary blocks.

Many of us lived in apartments near the airport with roommates. We would drag our phones down the pool area with these extra-long cords. There was always a panic when a phone would ring as we all made a dive on our phone! Nothing worse than getting a call while you were all slathered up in cocoa butter (can't believe we did that) with greasy, wet hair and told to report in one hour. Thank God we had to wear those silly hats back then. And thank God we parked on the tarmac right next to the crew room.

Trips were assigned by who had the lowest time. Seniority had nothing to do with it. Our guarantee was 65 hours, on a 28 day bid period. I don't think I ever got over 50 hours, unless I picked up a trip on my days off. I got hopelessly addicted to soap operas during that time.

With this new system, are you called in order of the lowest time? Does the OPR get the quick calls? Does everyone get about the same amount of time? Have you heard about the Pref Bidding system and how it will affect the reserves?

Dea