Us Airways Machinists Blast Ceo

[AP Tech]

Hey fliboy.....looking at my weekly check along with my co workers who have been shown the door, I think the IAM has given enough to this so called managment team. Just don't know what else there is to give, I like to think I have a bit more sense than to vote myself out of a job. I am very tired of hearing about living to fight another day, vote yes for severance, vote yes to save 28000 jobs! If I am not mistaken employees heard this speech when there were 45000 of us on the property. Now we number about 28000 and dropping. What is the speech going to consist of when there are 14000 left on the property.

I understand you, 320 and a few others are scared to death of losing your job with USAir, but I will give you a hint....when you are history you will not be missed. To USAir you are nothing but a number!!!

Time for some people to open their eyes!! And before you can say it....NO, I am not going to quit and give Dave the satisfaction.

 

[ktflyhome]

The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the Blood of Patriots and Tyrants..........Thomas Jefferson.

 

[bobcat]

AP TECH,

You are right on! We are nothing but "numbers" which management is aiming to cut and soon.

Any concessions this time will be in vain. If more concessions are approved there will be many regrets. I don't know about any other work group but, in Res. I hear the regrets, over the last rounds, daily. Every pay day there is whining and crying about the medical deductions, crying over the 25% reduced pay for taking vacation time and unpaid sick time which was cut by over 58%. The ones that voted "yes" to the last two rounds are the ones that whine and cry the most and regret their decisions.

We need to think long and hard this time and look at the big picture and the ramifications of more concessions. There will be many regrets if we cave in again and for the next months are making less money, paying more for health care, working harder and longer, having to come to work sick, having less vacation and having to work overtime to make up for that vacation and still get the proverbial "pinkslip" or US ceases operations.

If you think moral is bad now what do you think it will be like when the pay cuts, new work rules and less benefits kicks in with no other major changes? It won't be pretty. There will be many regrets and bitterness.

 

[Mike W]

AP Tech,
I was cleaning out my video cabinet yesterday,preparing for my move due to my displacement, when I came upon a tape title: US Airways, a Carrier at a Crossroads or something to that effect. I believe it was a presentation by the Wolf/Gangwal regime. How many times due we have to see this act? The faces change, the method of reaching out and touching us becomes more sophisticated,but the song remains the same!

 

[sfb]

Count me as one (outside the company and the unions) who can sympathize with the IAM's position here. They gave up concessions during bankruptcy with the understanding that the upcoming heavy checks on the Airbus narrowbody fleet would be done in-house, just as all heavy maintenance had been done in-house for 50+ years at US Air(ways) and its predecessors. And then within several months, the company sends that work outside, in what seems (to me at least!) to be a clear violation of that understanding. And moreover, the company recently rejected the IAM's bid to maintain the baggage system at PIT, even though it was reported to be the lowest bid, in what can only be viewed as a punitive measure to cut IAM-represented jobs.

If someone had broken your trust in the past (or was still in the process of breaking it), would you be more or less likely to give him or her something? This is exactly where the IAM finds itself in relation to US Airways management. It's clear that the legal costs associated with the Airbus outsourcing have likely outpaced any savings the company could have achieved from sending the planes to Alabama in the short term. And the IAM knows that if the company wins on outsourcing, virtually all of the heavy checks at the company will be outsourced as the Boeing fleet is retired in the next several years.

But by the same token, the company still needs to get its costs down AND restructure to better deal with market realities. A big question is whether management will take the necessary tangible steps to rebuild trust with the mechanics and other organized employee groups, or whether they only understand how to use the stick instead of the carrot. Dave Siegel's decision to forego his severance package and reduce his salary is a nice gesture, but it seems that more tangible steps (like sacking Jerry Glass, for example) will be necessary.

 

[usfliboi]

The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the Blood of Patriots and Tyrants..........Thomas Jefferson.

Dont be so hard on yourself!

 

[usfliboi]

Heres a suggestion. Once Iam agrees to cuts, and it will , leave in disgust and outrage. Make a point to the higher ups. You refuse to take more cuts. In fact those who refuse to take any further cuts, why dont you all ban to gether and walk out of work..... today? Do it when theres a lot of work to be done, make a point say it loudly! I mean you make nothing now but pennies and will make less soon. I admire you for your stance and good luck finding a new job making more money , better benefits, and less stress. Ill hold the door for those who want to do this, its the least i can do for you brave, moral, upstanding souls.

 

[700UW]

Once Iam agrees to cuts, and it will.

Can you not understand the IAM will not take cuts or concessions, the IAM stance has not changed, but like another poster asked, why you you obsessed with the IAM and our hardline?

 

[diogenes]

The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the Blood of Patriots and Tyrants..........Thomas Jefferson.

I like how you think, lady!

The elite will tell you, It's just a job, it's just money, no need to get carried away.

I have to figure the royal governor told Washington, Hancock, Adams and Revere that, too.

But the tea still wound up in the harbor!

"If not now, when? If not us, who?"

 

[usfliboi]

700 ! Obsession? I joined these boards earlier than you and have less post. I could asked why are obsessed about being right 100% of the time? Because your not. See post earlier ill support you in any call you make. Take a stand my friend. stand up fight . You hate this team and what its done. Dont take another time from um the bad bad boys. Leave um hanging. Walk out and go to you new higher paying job with better benefits,That will show um. Dont take another penny in cuts. Walk out today. We all will hold the door and picket with you on the way out my brother .

 

[mweiss]

Please tell me, what has the IAM done that is so wrong? ...refuse to open up their contract...?

Yup. That one. Or is your position that US Airways will survive to continue to pay your current wages?

 

[oldiebutgoody]

First off

You don't need to be friends to do business. IAM and US management need to sit down and find a way to conduct business that will allow the maximum number of people to benefit whether they be customer, worker or management!

The brinksmanship of BOTH parties is self destructive and serves no one. Establishing fault or blame also serves no one.

Finally, I agree with Piney. Also, it's really easy for guys like mweiss and others to jump in and fan the flames when they don't even have a dog in this fight (is that enough cliches?) :unsure:

 

[Mike W]

Bob,
Maybe the biggest obstacle to any dialogue between this management and the various labor groups is our complete mistrust of those at the top. They are not even willing to honor agreements they negotiated only a year before. What good does it do to talk to someone when it's their way or the highway. BTW,for those who think it is only the IAM who is unwilling to negotiate further concessions, my friends in customer service told me that they've been advised by their CWA reps that the CWA is not interested in discussing additional concessions. That does not mean that the IAM will not discuss productivity improvements.
Does anyone else wonder why the operational changes that Seigel said would save us 2 cents per seat mile haven't already been implimented? Why wouldn't ypu take advantage of every opportunity to save money if things are as dire as they say they are.Or, is there another agenda?

 

[funguy2]

Count me as one (outside the company and the unions) who can sympathize with the IAM's position here. They gave up concessions during bankruptcy with the understanding that the upcoming heavy checks on the Airbus narrowbody fleet would be done in-house, just as all heavy maintenance had been done in-house for 50+ years at US Air(ways) and its predecessors. And then within several months, the company sends that work outside, in what seems (to me at least!) to be a clear violation of that understanding. And moreover, the company recently rejected the IAM's bid to maintain the baggage system at PIT, even though it was reported to be the lowest bid, in what can only be viewed as a punitive measure to cut IAM-represented jobs.

If someone had broken your trust in the past (or was still in the process of breaking it), would you be more or less likely to give him or her something? This is exactly where the IAM finds itself in relation to US Airways management. It's clear that the legal costs associated with the Airbus outsourcing have likely outpaced any savings the company could have achieved from sending the planes to Alabama in the short term. And the IAM knows that if the company wins on outsourcing, virtually all of the heavy checks at the company will be outsourced as the Boeing fleet is retired in the next several years.

But by the same token, the company still needs to get its costs down AND restructure to better deal with market realities. A big question is whether management will take the necessary tangible steps to rebuild trust with the mechanics and other organized employee groups, or whether they only understand how to use the stick instead of the carrot. Dave Siegel's decision to forego his severance package and reduce his salary is a nice gesture, but it seems that more tangible steps (like sacking Jerry Glass, for example) will be necessary.

sfb: I agree. I am also not a US Airways employee nor a member of any union. The IAM has been put in a lose-lose situation...

If they agree to more cuts, their members lose W-2 wages, benefits, potentially even employment. They lose all of this and win no assurance that a turnaround plan is in place. IAM Loses.

If they don't agree to more cuts, they are viewed as a "problem" to be fixed. All the while, they are viewed as not helping the company and increasing the pace of financial deteriorization of the company. The ultimate reward for this is likely to be lost jobs as work is shifted to contractors and/or ultimate asset sales or liquidation. IAM Loses.

Maybe, somebody should look for a win-win situation... Such as picking up contract work for other airlines, better productivity, or some other innovative cost-reducing measure.

Heres a suggestion. Once Iam agrees to cuts, and it will , leave in disgust and outrage. Make a point to the higher ups. You refuse to take more cuts. In fact those who refuse to take any further cuts, why dont you all ban to gether and walk out of work..... today? Do it when theres a lot of work to be done, make a point say it loudly! I mean you make nothing now but pennies and will make less soon. I admire you for your stance and good luck finding a new job making more money , better benefits, and less stress. Ill hold the door for those who want to do this, its the least i can do for you brave, moral, upstanding souls.

usfliboi: Are you suggesting an illegal work stoppage? One which would clearly put the company out of business in short order? That does not seem in ANYBODY's best interests. I believe your suggestion is clearly prohibited by the RLA which governs airline labor relations, and usually requires negotiations, an impasse, and a 30-day cooling off period before any work-stoppage.

If such an event were to be even loosely organized by the IAM, I would think the shareholders would be able to sue the IAM and its members for millions of dollars.

 

[CLT-Douglas]

I don't think the management will give up so easily if there is a no vote. I am sure they will use all sorts of loops holes and tricks, to get the outcome they want anyway.