What Next

[usflyman]

there certainly is life after Usairways. I posted this several months ago, but i retired from a telecommunications career after 28yrs, and was hired by Usairways, when after 5 yrs i was furloughed. Iam back with Usairways now, because i love the airline industry, but was furloughed for a year. After a month of severence, i had found three jobs, and was hired by all three, and turned two of them down, to take the best of the three. My point is, you have skills that are marketable, and if you choose to leave you can and will find a job.. The attraction of the airline industry is hard to give up, but there is life after Usairways.. i'm proof of that

 

[USA320Pilot]

What next? Plan B? Hummmm....

What I find interesting is that I started a thread titled “I have an ideaâ€￾ (click here for review) and took the positions of “The concession stand is closedâ€￾. In response some of the most ardent naysayers and those who support the “just say noâ€￾ approach said:

Dilligas: “Seek professional help.â€￾

700UW: “Once again you have no idea or clue.â€￾

700UW: “Once again you fail to address anyone except your own selfish concerns, I think it is time to call the Chief Pilot, I believe you are a danger to the flying passengers and have finally lost it.â€￾

TheLarkAscending: “My goodness, someone needs to up their medication and, at a minimum, at least a twice daily dosage of intensive therapy; yet that didn't seem to help Woody Allen, did it?â€￾

Coachrowsey: “The capt. is really over the deep end. Hope he is not flying soon.â€￾

Usfliboi: “My friend , as you have shown constantly in the past, YOU HAVE NO CLUE!â€￾

USA320Pilot comments: I find it interesting that when I say things like “The concession stand is closedâ€￾ or “Burn it down to the groundâ€￾ the people listed above make the comments listed above. I recognize these are only part of their posts, but this seems a little unusual and role reversal. As Phoenix said, “If your opponents have a fanatic or zealot in their midst it can be useful to surreptitiously assist said fanatic in obtaining a prominent platform from which to launch his message (For the purpose of course to paint the whole group of associates as “fanaticsâ€￾).â€￾

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

What next? Plan B? Hummmm....

What I find interesting is that I started a thread titled “I have an idea†(click here for review) and took the positions of “The concession stand is closedâ€. In response some of the most ardent naysayers and those who support the “just say no†approach said:

USA320Pilot comments: I find it interesting that when I say things like “The concession stand is closed†or “Burn it down to the ground†the people listed above make the comments listed above. I recognize these are only part of their posts, but this seems a little unusual and role reversal. As Phoenix said, “If your opponents have a fanatic or zealot in their midst it can be useful to surreptitiously assist said fanatic in obtaining a prominent platform from which to launch his message (For the purpose of course to paint the whole group of associates as “fanaticsâ€).â€

You really need explanation? Look at what I put in bold in your quote above and compare it to your post below and tell us that isn't a classic role reversal

I have an idea.

Instead of bantering back and forth about the company and the industry, let’s all put our heads in the sand. Then let’s have a slow down or take job actions in protest to management’s plan to transform the airline the a LCC/hybrid carrier with a competitive cost structure.

Screw the fact that the LCC’s price their product and make money, which cause US Airways to lose money. Furthermore, Internet pricing is nonsense and nobody is going to buy a product at a lower price because that will not permit labor to keep its current pay and benefits. Moreover, I do not care about fuel prices because it’s over blown anyway.

I say no concessions and the ALPA “hardliners†should not have offered another 12.5% paycut. No other union is participating in “Transformation Plan†discussions so let’s burn the place to the ground now.

Let’s have thousands of employees get laid off in the hubs and compete for jobs. We can then see if those who believe they are so marketable in today’s economy can get a job or lose their home. Furthermore, when somebody gets sick or ill, especially for an older work force, they will not have medical insurance that pays 80% of their bills, thus they can suffer more pain.

28,000 people, the “wholly owned†employees, and some of the affiliate carriers will see job loss and then these people can get unemployment and food stamps. Awesome, let’s apply now!!!!

Screw this place and the “naysayers†are right. Let’s force management to shut the doors.

The “concession stand is closed†and let’s burn the airline down to the ground.

Let’s have another Eastern Air Lines today!!!!!!!! Burn it down now!!!!!!!

Its obvious no one took you seriously, what's new, and thats why you got the responses you got. Besides what are you reading all these posts for anyway? You always tell us you don't read them.

 

[delldude]

it may be quite a trip into life after U...but i must and will tell you i will survive....after some 15 years in heavy industry in the pgh area....i died and came back...it wasn't pretty but i did survive.
say what you wish,but i am fully prepared to once again go forward and do what i have to.
one big plus this time is i actually anticipated these likelyhoods and did what i must to set myself up to deal with these eventualities.i'm sure some have not....so be it i was there also.....but not this time.i wish all the best....i'm ready 'till the final day.

YEE-HAW

 

[StewGuy86]

I assure you it was the CLT Blockholders, holier than thou, southern mentalitiy that voted for this assinine contract to begin with. And once again, our Southern bro's will sell us all out to AmericaWest contracts.

Though currently on a voluntary furlough, I'm a CLT-based blockholder (and a Southerner). Could you do me a favor and please clarify your remarks so that I may understand what actions make me "holier than thou" and exactly what constitutes the "southern mentality?" I await your non-southern, non-CLT light to illuminate my darkness.

 

[ITRADE]

That, sir, was the finest retort that I have seen on this board in a very, very long time.

Outstanding.

 

[cavalier]

Though currently on a voluntary furlough, I'm a CLT-based blockholder (and a Southerner). Could you do me a favor and please clarify your remarks so that I may understand what actions make me "holier than thou" and exactly what constitutes the "southern mentality?" I await your non-southern, non-CLT light to illuminate my darkness.

I would say...K has her T in the ringer......

 

[ktflyhome]

Though currently on a voluntary furlough, I'm a CLT-based blockholder (and a Southerner). Could you do me a favor and please clarify your remarks so that I may understand what actions make me "holier than thou" and exactly what constitutes the "southern mentality?" I await your non-southern, non-CLT light to illuminate my darkness.

StewGuy86: I am not going to get into a pissing match with you. It means just what I posted. You are a blockholder, obviously you have been around awhile and need I remind you that CLT always votes YES for the contracts. I am sure you have been enlightened by that. <_<

 

[ktflyhome]

I would say...K has her T in the ringer......

Ouch....that hurt.

 

[mweiss]

StewGuy86: I am not going to get into a pissing match with you.

Except that you did. <_<
Might as well finish the job...
:jerry:

 

[Bear96]

Except that you did. <_<
Might as well finish the job...
:jerry:

Of course, mweiss, it's not like you can resist responding to every post either... h34r:

 

[ktflyhome]

Of course, mweiss, it's not like you can resist responding to every post either... h34r:

Here, here, Bear!.

Mweiss....I said what I said and that is it. You're acting like a few others who want to keep the #### stirring. <_<

 

[EyeInTheSky]

You know the whole Mason-Dixon line thing is getting really, really, old. I admit I've been known to make a few "I hate that for you" and "Love your hair; hate your guts" fun-in-jest remarks. But, really, what constitutes a Southerner these days? I mean I am hearing Brooklyn accents in CLT these days. The damn Yankees are invading like locust.

 

[StewGuy86]

StewGuy86: I am not going to get into a pissing match with you. It means just what I posted. You are a blockholder, obviously you have been around awhile and need I remind you that CLT always votes YES for the contracts. I am sure you have been enlightened by that.

You never explained what your idea of the southern mentality is or how I am/we are holier than thou. You're just throwing out invectives at a particular group of people and a whole base of F/As for no reason other than you're pissed off about your working conditions. And I can't blame you for that. My problem is that you're blaming the CLT crew base for it. Trust me, we've heard it all down here for years on end now, along with the insults. Not only does that have no effect on the way we think or do our jobs (or vote on contracts), it has become an old and incredibly tiresome song.

The contracts to which you refer were passed by a MAJORITY of US Airways F/As who chose to vote. For several years now, until recently, CLT has been the smallest of the 3 "big" bases, the other two being PIT and PHL. So, obviously, someone besides just the "Chaaah-lut" girls voted for those contracts. CLT alone can't be held responsible for causing a concessionary contract to pass, even if every single F/A here had voted yes on every single contract, which they did not. Even though I don't know where you're based (although I have a pretty good idea), I assure you there were a good number of F/As in your crew base that voted for the contracts, too. Using your line of reasoning, since it's true that a majority of CLT-based F/As voted for the last couple of contracts AND that a majority of US Airways F/As (no matter where they were based) did the same, can we then assume that US Airways F/As as a whole are victims of this mysterious southern mentality, are holier than thou and ready to sell out their brothers and sisters to America West wages?

We could sit around and argue all day about whether or not the concessionary contracts that got voted in were a mistake. While I tend to be able to see both sides of the argument, I obviously lean heavily toward my labor group when it comes to issues of US vs. THEM with the company. That is especially true with the inept management at US Airways these last several years. But do I agree with everything AFA pushes? Absolutely not. Do I think AFA tends to protect senior F/As at the expense of more junior ones (i.e. reserves)? Yes, I do. But can you honestly say that you'd be better off today if a bankruptcy judge had dictated your work rules to you? I think not.

 

[StewGuy86]

Now, back to the thread topic!

I never had a Plan B, per se, but decided to put one into place after things began to spiral out of control in the year following 9-11. I could see that the airline industry was changing rapidly....and not for the better from an employee standpoint. I knew the chances were good that my F/A job would never go back to having the appeal it once did, at least not for me personally. Well, life is too short to be miserable at work, so I decided to do something about it. I wanted to be the one to make the decision of how, when or even IF I'd leave the airline and to control my own job situation, as opposed to US Airways possibly closing their doors and FORCING the issue on me against my will. Luckily, the company offered another round of voluntary furloughs about the same time I'd gotten alternate employment lined up, so I took the chance and left. I felt like I was jumping off a cliff blindfolded. It was, and still is some days, a frightening thing. Change isn't easy. Even though I wouldn't trade my years as a F/A for anything, because it was one of the most enlightening and incredible experiences of my life, I'm here to tell you that there is life after US Airways.

I also realize many people feel they have no viable alternative to their airline job and that there is no Plan B for them. Each individual has to make their own decisions about such things and what works for one won't necessarily work for the other. I just truly hope this airline survives and prospers and that all its employees get to keep the careers they love. Best of luck to all!!