Us Employees Deserve Better

[Stick-n-Rudder]

This from the Aug. 7 2004 Planebusiness Banter



"US Airways: Employees Deserve Better

Let's get one thing straight. The financial situation at US Airways is not good. We all know this. Employees know this. You know this. I know this.

But last week, a huge commotion ensued, after it was reported that a "financial review" of the airline, completed by an analyst hired by the airline's own pilot union, stated that the airline was in such dire straits a return trip to bankruptcy was a given. Not only that, but this return trip would probably occur no later than the middle of September.

REMAINDER OF TEXT DELETED DUE TO COPYRIGHT ISSUES.

 

[El Gato]

PlaneBusiness banter is written by none other than Holly Hegeman, who holds a vested interest in seeing US Airways go under as it would benefit Southwest Airlines, the employer of her brother and several other family members. Ms. Hegeman has been a booster for WN for many years, and a consistant and constant detractor and critic of US. Small wonder then that she has been caught in the past boasting about her relationship to WN. As far as buttering up the US pilots? Well, she isn't beholden to give a damn if they lose their jobs. Any way to make the pilots get their collective backs up and vote no is a way towards helping herself to reap the rewards of a dead US Airways, a monstrously expanding Southwest, and all the accolades they will give for "a job well done".

If you believe that tripe she just tried to sell you, I have a bridge in Pittsburgh that I could sell you as well.

 

[Dea Certe]

As a long-time follower of Holly, I think she just calls it as she sees it. Southwest's success has little to do with US Airways at this point in time. We never have competed with them, we just ran to "high ground" any time they entered one (or any) of our markets.


Dea

 

[El Gato]

As a long-time follower of Holly, I think she just calls it as she sees it. Southwest's success has little to do with US Airways at this point in time. We never have competed with them, we just ran to "high ground" any time they entered one (or any) of our markets.
Dea

[post="173348"][/post]​

You are right about US cutting and running away, Dea, but Holly has been caught in the past mincing truths in her columns to stick a skewer in US Airways at every turn. She is not calling it as she see's it; she is calling it as she hears it from her cronies at WN.

 

[SkyLiner]

As a long-time follower of Holly, I think she just calls it as she sees it. Southwest's success has little to do with US Airways at this point in time. We never have competed with them, we just ran to "high ground" any time they entered one (or any) of our markets.
Dea

[post="173348"][/post]​

Dea,
I havent seen you post in awhile, I hope you're keeping your chin up during this tough time. I know how dedicated you are and how much you love your job. It's hard to go to work and smile. You can be five minutes late out of the gate and still you overhear a passenger "whisper" "Well I know why they're going out of buisness!" Been there. A lot of us have been where you are, and you and all of your coworkers are in our thoughts. All the best.

PS, I used to be TransWorldOne

 

[av8orwife]

I read the original post and article before it was edited by the moderater. I found it to be very interesting. It did seem as the author tried to verify if the ALPA analyst was truly an outsider doing his job or just another puppet.

I had been to plane business in the past, and I do agree she is not a fan of U. BUT sometimes, U has not always made the best decisions, and deserved her rath.

I am sure there is some truth that the man ALPA hired is probably not well known and it could be true that he is being paid a "fee" by U if the Union agrees to the Company's terms. I mean this whole thing is starting to play out as one big soap opera.


First you have a management team who has a track record of lies and half truths. Then you have the ALPA in-fighting of how we go about a plan and the power struggle within. Somehow it just feels like a lose-lose.

Truly, the Company's goal is to stay in business (enhance shareholder value). The employees goal is to earn the highest wages possible, yet still see the company prosper. It's a balancing act. I am not a big fan of unions, as it makes this act more dificult to maintain becasue it adds US and THEM to the mix.

So now the dance really isn't to see how both sides can see the Company prosper, it's about EGO. It's about all the past lies and half truths. It's about poker. Who is really telling the truth who is bluffing. Are things really as bad as the Company says (most likely) But hasn't the Union given and given and have any real changes been made?? (not many changes) So at what point does giving more really change anything?? I think that is where ALPA is (aside from all the politics within that group). Will giving any more really make a difference?? Have any real changes taken place with the past give-backs???? What assurance will the Union have that by giving more will result in any change? So the Company says yes, but will it really??

Do you just say no. call the Company's bluff and let the cards fall where they may. Do you just say...I've had enough and whatever you decide to do is fine. File BK again. and let the judge decide.

But the judge is only the creditors friend. He cares not for the Company nor for the employees....Is it worth it??

Perhaps both sides, Union and Management are just tired. They both have just had enough. Management has made some extreemly bad decisions over and over and over again, and can no longer convince any one things will change. And the unions have given and seen no change. So why bother????

Change. How do you create change??? Leadership. We have no Leader. No one who really has a vision. Without vision and a purpose, we will lose to infighting, gread and ego.

Rather sad after most of us have been with this Company for over 20 years....

I still hope for the best, there are 28,000 people who have built a life from working for this Company, both management and Union alike. And to think it could be lost do to EGO, Greed, and lack of Leadership.

 

[sfb]

Holly has been caught in the past mincing truths in her columns to stick a skewer in US Airways at every turn.

[post="173352"][/post]​

Can you cite specific examples where she twisted the truth or spoke unfairly of US Airways? Now, note that I did not say "unflatteringly," since to be honest, US management has left much to be desired over the past couple of decades. I went back through the archives of her daily columns and she was bullish on the UAL-U merger way back when it was revealed.

The oldest trick in debating is to impugn the integrity of someone with an opposing viewpoint when you cannot contradict the validity of what he or she has to say. And the fact is that Southwest will do well regardless of how egregiously mismanaged US Airways is. Make no mistake, WN has gone after US Airways' markets over the last ten years -- but this is largely because US' high-fare markets were the lowest-hanging fruit for them to pluck.

All that said, it is entirely valid to question the "Glanzer Report" given how short it is on real content. If the company is really the one footing the bill, you have to ask what specifically is driving the conclusions he reached in his report.

 

[El Gato]

sfb, Holly was dishing out crap about US from day one that PBB was put up. She had it in for everyone here, not just management, but the unions as well. She made little attempt to hide where her loyalties laid, especially when it came to matters concerning WN. I do not have the access to PBB anymore, so pulling up old articles from her is out of the question(Why do you think we are all on here? Because Holly took PBB to a pay service, and booted everyone off the boards). But I am saying from recollection and memory, going back to 1999, that she had nothing but venom for US. As for her comments during the proposed merger, keep in mind that per the merger plan, US was supposed to dissapear, and be absorbed into UA. Not exactly the sort of thing she would be inclined to give a thumbs down to.

 

[funguy2]

I don't think there is venom. I think she has watched how poorly US Airways has been managed, and she's probably as frustrated as anyone else with the fact that US Airways seems so full of potential, and yet hasn't been able to get itselft together.

It isn't that hard to sway her opinion, as it is generally dictated by profits and strategic direction...

Holly used to speak very highly of Frontier, and its strategy of undercutting UAL. Now, she speaks poorly of Frontier, and its strategy of undercutting UAL. The only change at Frontier is that UAL went bankrupt and lowered fares. Also, Frontier made a poor strategic decision with its failed LAX strategy.

Holly used to speak rather poorly of America West. A few quarters of profits, and few decent strategic decisions later, she gives awards to the CEO.

If US Airways had a distinct strategic vision, and a clear plan to implement it, I bet Holly would be one of US Airways' biggest cheer leaders.

Furthermore, in this case, she is saying that employees deserve a better shake from their union leadership and the company. I find that kind of hard to disagree with.

 

[Stick-n-Rudder]

"REMAINDER OF TEXT DELETED DUE TO COPYRIGHT ISSUES.

This post has been edited by BillLumbergh: Today, 08:13 PM "


Mr. Bill Lumbergh,

Please explain the "copyright issues"? As this quote is from a "news" source.

Thank you.

 

[vc10]

Put up or shut up. Provide examples of Holly's bias against US Airways or stop making unsubstantiated allegations. Who do you think you are, a Swift Boat Veteran For The Truth?

The whole thing about her brother and Southwest is laughable.

sfb, Holly was dishing out crap about US from day one that PBB was put up. [snip!]

[post="173396"][/post]​

 

[sfb]

Stick-n-Rudder-

Even "news sources" are subject to copyright. You can quote small portions (sentences, paragraphs) when properly attributed, but wholesale copying is generally not permitted. Especially in the case of Holly Hegeman's newsletter, which is subscription-only.

El Gato-

The fact is that US Airways has been poorly-managed since Day One of the Plane Business site. And I have to say that she gives credit and blame where they are due -- or at least I felt she did when PB was still a free site. I remember some of the US-WN debates on the boards, but if memory serves she did not participate in them.

As funguy2 said, the way to get into her good graces is by posting profits and having a good strategy. The economy was BOOMING in 2000. Delta's operating profit in 2000 was $1.637 BILLION. US Airways posted an operating loss of $53 million (the net loss was worse) that year. In 1999, Delta made $1.318 billion from running the airline; US Airways managed barely one-tenth of that. US Airways was already losing money in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 1999, again, while the rest of the industry (except TWA) was posting healthy profits.

Look, US Airways strategy had been broken for many years. They had high fares in the absence of competition and either sustained losses to drive out weaker competitors where possible, or abandoned markets in which they could no longer compete. Eventually you run out of markets to run from. Metrojet was a half-a$$ed response to WN -- it had higher costs without a compelling reason to choose it over Southwest. And there was a failure to recognize that Metrojet would fail to drive WN from the East Coast. The time to restructure US Airways was ten years ago.

And that's why Holly has been so critical over the years. US was a high-cost regional with no identifiable long-term business plan. Scope problems hobbled the company's ability to compete with RJ's deployed by DL, CO, and NW in many of its historically strong markets, and the company's response to declining yields has been to limit capacity on many routes -- rather than changing the way the airline was run.

 

[DOA@Airport]

Please explain the "copyright issues"? As this quote is from a "news" source.

[post="173416"][/post]​

© Copyright 2004, PlaneBusiness, LLC. All rights reserved. This material is for personal use only. Republication and redissemination, including posting to news groups, and dissemination via e-mail is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of PlaneBusiness, LLC.

Does that help?

 

[Dea Certe]

Skyliner,

Thank you for your kind words. I'm doing my best, showing up and trying to make it work. I have to say US Airways has some of the most loyal, kind customers out there. Most of our FF's are very thoughtful and go out of their way to tell us they hope we survive.

More interesting is that they know it's Management, not the employees, that's the problem. What really tears me up is when one of our US1's will ask if they should "burn their miles" because they read negative stuff in the press from our management.

It's like here I am, being as pleasant and attentive as I can be, trying to provide the best service available with what I have to work with and WHAM! Slammed in the kneecaps by the same people who claim they are "trying" to save my job!

You're right, I do love my job. I like trying to make flying a pleasant experience in today's environment. It's harder now than it's ever been before for customers and employees alike. Fine print, long lines, little latitude to correct a problem and fingers pointed in all directions.

I will be very sad to see US Airways sent to the Big Cornfield in the Sky, should that be the case. But I take a lot of comfort in knowing I've, like most my fellow employees, have done my best and given all I can.

I hope all furloughed employees will be called back soon at every airline. I hope our chosen professions will once again have the respect we've earned. On my last day, whether it's by choice or "fate" I will be able to hold my head high with pride. I did my job well.

(Now, here's where I could go on a bloody rant about MBA's and morons, but being the lady I was raised to be, I won't)

Dea

PS: Congrats on the DOL ruling. I know justice will prevail!

 

[El Gato]

Put up or shut up. Provide examples of Holly's bias against US Airways or stop making unsubstantiated allegations. Who do you think you are, a Swift Boat Veteran For The Truth?

The whole thing about her brother and Southwest is laughable.

[post="173442"][/post]​

vc10....are you picking a fight? And for you to say that the whole thing about her brother being a captain is laughable....are you so blinded that you don't think that she is biased for that reason(amongst others)?