Work Rules...

[crushed]

The simple fact of the matter is that mechanics do pushback/receipt at six airports - BOS, LGA, PHL, DCA, CLT, and PIT.

Sorry Itrade....NOT TRUE!

Since the last concessions.....

In PHL Fleet Service parks EVERY aircraft and Mechs only push them when they are not working on other aircraft.

Seems the "simple fact" that you left out was ..well...the FACTS!!

 

[28yearsnojob]

Hes not coming for money are you people nuts . There coming for money,vacation ,sick time,overtime,uniforms,and your front teeth and if you
people give them 1 red dime your nuts.

 

[Twicebaked]

Bring down the "Berlin wall"- the fencing of transatlantic flights for flight attendants.

Amen brother!!!! This will save bundles. Initially the training might be a factor, but in the long run it will pay off. This doesn't need to be a division.

 

[fatherabraham]

Shirley,

Thanks for a good thread.

Mgt needs to be much better @ running this airline and controlling the non employee cost. Thus far they are lagging behind the competition. With our high debt load they need to surpass the competition with keen decision making (absent of renigging on employee contracts).

As for employee productivity. I believe each and every person should give no less than 100% effort. Each person needs to consider if a LCC employee is doing their job at a lower rate and if so how they can make up the difference in wage or productivity? Each person needs to determine if their work group is over staffed compared to LCC. Lastly, and this is the hard one....is your skill level easy to replace at a much lower wage but is being protected by union rules?

These are tough questions but I ask these to myself in every job I have had. I have never been so bold as to think that should my skill no longer be needed
( say thru technology advancement or outdated skill requirement) that the remaining folk should subsidize my salary. With the current revenue pie being so small and even smaller slice for employee cost we must change the way we do business along with Mgt.

 

[AP Tech]

Time for some people to take notice of who is doing the R & D these days no matter in which city. The key word is "when available", and taking note of the manpower on the gates these days mechanics are not available do do any more than turn wrenches. We are currently radio controlled and travel from gate to gate. Those who think mechanics do all the pushes are living in the past or do not venture past the gates of CCY.

 

[GeezLouis]

Cavalier states:

"I have three (3) skills under my belt with years of experience to back them up. I have never been unemployed and never will be, and therein lies our differences because I know my self worth, do you?

We have an inept management team in place. All unions gave unheard of concessions, making history. All other airlines showed a profit WITHOUT those advantages. Our management team breaks every concessionary contract we signed wanting even more, breaking the promises that enabled them to receive what they did from labor."

] Cavalier, if you are such a valuable commodity, why waste your "talent" with a company that you obviously hate and a management team you have no confidence in? Is there something binding you to this job? A man of your "talent" and "experience" ought to be able to get a job anywhere!

I just don't get you guys, who practically live on this BB and seem to thrive on negativity! Sure this is a difficult time for everyone at Airways, but why fault a guy trying to do something constructive and wants to see the company suceed? Do us all a favor and quit and take your DELETED! That would take guts!

 

[TransatlanticFlyGuy]

its not about that at all. its about being reasonable. its about people's jobs people's family and there lively hood. if you can't see that well that's your problem. listen in am not saying that what management is doing i right . but there are many things that this company has to do to change and turn around. we have been spoiled for a long time at airways. its not about bending over its about opening your eyes and seeing reality. pride will only get you so far my friend but in the long run it can take you to the unemployment line. pride does not pay the bills. and if there is a poor dilusional soul here its you . cause when you are at home waiting for that unemployment check lets see who is going to be poor. <_<

Right on Etops1....keep in mind that its the same morons on here who are constantly preaching negativity. You and I, and a majority of the U workforce want the company to be fruitfull and go forward. All of these naysayers need to start thinking with their heads and not with their emotions.

 

[TransatlanticFlyGuy]

Amen brother!!!! This will save bundles. Initially the training might be a factor, but in the long run it will pay off. This doesn't need to be a division.

I have been waiting for so long for the fence to be brought down. I am back on domestic flying here in PHL as a reserve. It would be so nice to be called from daily scheduling with a choice of a 2 day with a short BTV layover or a 3 day with a long MUC layover. Hmmmm, what to choose?
I really dont think much "service" training would need to be done, just make sure all FAs in PHL,CLT,PIT are A330 qualified. Most of the seniors gals and guys on the "division" can easily hold these trips anyway regardless of a fence.

 

[etops1]

I agree with Cav.

QUOTE DELETED BY MODERATOR

you know what pit guy . now you are getting personal . and i do not apreciate that. i have a child and he does call me daddy and everytime he sais it its with a smile. you know why . because his daddy is doing everything he can to provide a life for his kid. so that everything my son needs i can provide to him. so if any one is spineless is its you dude. all i want is to see this company succeed what so wrong about that? its no sense talking to you guys because you will never change. i respect your opinions. thats what makes this country a great one . everyone can express what they want. it doesen't mean we all have to agree. but in the end i am sure we can all sit down together and have a beer.

 

[GeezLouis]

POST DELETED BY MODERATOR

I don't work for Airways, so your comments do not apply to me! I do know ******* militant mentality when I see it! You did not answer my question. If you don't want to take anymore concessions and hate Seigel/Airways as much as you say, why don't you quit? You've already said you have three skillsets and experience, so why stay with a sinking ship (as you imply). If more of you continuously negative employees would walk the plank, maybe the ship would have a better chance of staying afloat! Life is short, why be miserable? Ball's in your court slick!

 

[BillLumbergh]

We're getting waaay to personal on this thread.

No furter personal (ad hominem for the linguistically unchallenged) attacks.

 

[diogenes]

Don't call me Shirley--

What I was suggesting with NW's policy was to eliminate that confusing 25% matrix, and simplify things across the board. I know that Fleet and CSA are in different unions at U (they're both IAM at NW, though covered under separate books), but this might be a way to acheive productivity enhancements while avoiding the "Mainline Express" plague.

Actually, the 25% isn't difficult.

It's jusy easier, and more fun, for employees to pay for management sloth.

 

[diogenes]

Three words -

Receive and Dispatch.

Assume that's the case, and assume a $10 differential between the mech and a subsitute.

Takes about 5 minutes to push a flight.

Say 1200 flights a day are affected.

1200 x 5 = 6000 minutes, or 100 hours daily.

100 hours x $10 = $1000 daily, or $365,000 annually.

Or,

100 manhours a day is roughly 13 mechanics (8 hour shifts)

At the last company dog and pony show, the company said a mech runs about 80,000 annually, pay and bennies.

13 x 80,000=$1,040,000.

No, I don't think that will save us - management spills that kind of $$ in the slush fund.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

OK, so in the the 24 hours or so since I started this thread, we've come up with (aside from a bunch of sniping and name calling):

More cross untilization of station staff (already permitted in small stations but not used by the company.)

The old pushback issue.

More efficient crew scheduling and reserve system. (I wish I had some clue as to how duty rigs work and how the are, according to the company, less productive and result in more down time than bidding systems at other carriers.)

Not bad ideas, but I wish that we had more infomation (yeah, I know it's in "the Plan") on what other work rule issues will help us lower CASMs. Note to the CCY lurkers...all of us would like to see "the Plan"

I don't know how our sick call rates comapre to other carriers, but one way to lower it might be a better system of incentives. (Something better than an NRSA F/C upgrade for one year of perfect attendence) DOes CO still draw names for a new car every quarter?

 

[oldiebutgoody]

Incentives are a great idea. Some kind of POSITIVE means of getting the job done rather than the current idea that "the floggings will continue until morale improves". This sort of thing would require LEADERSHIP, something sadly lacking at present. I know it's hard to believe now, but USAIR developed largely because of it's EFFICIENT work rules in the past (at least in comparison to the other airlines' work rules at the time, for example aircrews working 85-90 hrs/month in comparison to AMR's 75 hrs). Most of those ancient airlines have ceased to exist, and ALL the airlines which are going to survive are going to have to evolve. I believe that it doesn't mean that the jobs have to get terrible, but some of the arcane and dated rules MUST be modified for UAIR to compete. Something positive like the ideas of incentives for efficiency would go a LONG WAY towards improving management-labor relations.