Employee Morale

[Dilligas]

The malcontent commentaries on this board only represent a small minority of the employees within the company. The vast majority (28,000) continue to endorse this management team. The public can be assured that US Airways' does not have a morale problem.

OH MY. The name calling has begun! Have you no ideas to share? Have YOU no leadership skills? Are you angry that your employees and customers now realize that the emperor(s) have no clothes? You make our case for us better than we could have hoped. The truth is emerging and you hate it.

A nerve has definitely been struck. What an interesting statement to make.

OK, here's my challenge... Hire an independent third party to poll... no control by management.

Every employee on the payroll on the day Dave Siegel took office receives a ballot.

Let's have a vote of confidence and a REAL gauge of morale taken.

Do you dare?

We're not "malcontents", FOTW, we built this franchise, you're just demolishing it. Management has destroyed this franchise so badly, some of our very best customers have organized a group to highlight the disdain they feel to this management.

Are your frequent flyer customers malcontents?

PS: FOTW, are you posting on the internet from the office on "company property"? What would you do to us if we did that? Just curious

 

[Dilligas]

Can anyone guess who said this:

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So we never started any conversation with the goal of “How are we going to save all the existing jobs at US Airways?â€￾

That wasn’t the choice. The choice was between 35,000 jobs and no jobs. And we said emphatically that we would rather choose 35,000. To their credit, union leaders also made that difficult but smart choice. So while our recovery is going to involve furloughs and job reductions, it is clearly designed to provide for the long-term success of the company. In my book, that is “labor friendly.â€￾

Being labor friendly also means trying to insure employees’ retirement income.

Think about this. If we had not found a solution to reduce our labor costs prior to filing for Chapter 11 protection, there was a real possibility that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation might have seized and terminated our pension plans.

For a pilot age 50, for example, with spouse and dependents, he or she could have seen their benefit drop from about $160,000 per year to $23,000 per year. Furthermore, post restructuring, our employees will own approximately 30 percent of the new company, and more than half of US Airways’ cash flow over the next 7 years will go toward funding employee pensions.

Solving that problem with our unions is what I call labor friendly.

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(Bold highlighted by this poster for emphasis.)

Hmmm, that 46,000 couldn't factor, had to protect the 35,000, oops the 35,000 is now 28,000 and falling. And those remaining and those that have been Expressed are very happy and morale has never been better.

May I ask the Captains in their 50's how they feel about their pensions?

 

[MarkMyWords]

The malcontent commentaries on this board only represent a small minority of the employees within the company. The vast majority (28,000) continue to endorse this management team. The public can be assured that US Airways' does not have a morale problem.

Fly -

While I may agree that the opinions on here don't reflect the feelings of "most" employees, to say there is no morale problem is flat out denial. Most employees feel left in the dark, not know when the next shoe will drop or what is coming next. Many fear their jobs will be eliminate by the outsourcing of flying and work.

Imagine you are a mechanic or utility and the company still has not said what will happen to the S check on the airbus. But you sit here every day and see no training, no gearing up of a mtc track, no employee recalls to do the work. This lack of information and committment on the part of the company causes anger and fear in that employee work group.

Imagine you are in Reservations and see the daily push to get customers to use the .com site. The fear of more work being farmed out to the cheaper .com employees.

Imagine you are a station agent in a small out station. As each new schedule change is loaded, you hope and pray that your station will remain mainline and that you will still have a mianline job. Since we continue to announce additional caribbean service, but are taking no new mainline airplanes, you know that those mainline flights are coming form somewhere and that more RJ/SJ's will be showing up soon.

Imagine you are an employee in PIT. With all the political posturing between the company and the county in the media. No one here knows if they will have a job or in what capacity. Will your office be relocated? Will the hangars close? Will the Res Center relocate? Will we all become MAA?

Imagine you are an MSP employee and never really sure if you will have a job this week or next. Projects put into work, only to be shelved again. Departments being realigned and re-staffed.

Imagine you are a Pilot or Flight Attendant saddled with an unfair sick policy. Your contract is blown through like a wet piece of toilet paper at the companies whim.

For you to say there is no morale problem is a slap in the face to each employee that puts a smile on their face every day to prove to the customer that we care. There is a morale problem here. it may not be to the extent that many on hear claim, but then again, you aren't living with their nightmare are you? Fear and anger are what make a morale problem!

 

[PITbull]

flyonthewall,


Your are so full of ####, your eyes must be filling up with brown stuff.

Your statement above just proves to everyone including the state of PA how out of touch you are with Labor. You have surrounded yourself with the wrong folks in mangement. You may think you are traveling down a road of a "successful reoganization", BUT: "IT AIN'T OVER TILL ITS OVER", MY main man.

Hope your watchin Channel 2 tonight in PIT.

 

[PITbull]

Mark,

Thank you for your insight on our issues. You of all in management know our suffering. Even though on many issues we disagree, you are on THE INSIDE of us and know that the our human/employee spirit is dwindling away to oblivion.


Dilligas,

Those remarks you quote above are "Dave's". First of all we started with 46,000 jobs and we are now left with 27,000 and still spiraling down.

The fregg'in guy doesn't even know how many emplyees HE eliminated OR how many are on the property. He wrote to the AFA PIT president and thinks there are 35,000 in his e-mail. CLUE-LESS!

 

[Light Years]

So are the malconents the "current" employees only or does it include the other 39% that arent working?
This board exists because people CARE, they are depressed, confused, angry, and worried. Go back to the forums menu. Have you seen how many posts dinky little US Airways' board gets as compared to the other airlines? As a point of interest check out the more successful carriers boards and see how many posts from "malcontents" there are.
Heres a challenge from those of us who are furloughed. Tell us if we should even BOTHER.
Do you have any interest whatsover in getting the flight attendants jobs back or are you only interested in replacing us with underpaid, inexperienced, and poorly trained minimum wage outside workers?
Do you care about the pilots pension and are you making any effort to replace it? Are you dropping the outsourcing threat as it will bring the company to its demise? Is there a plan that involves the people of US Airways or will it just be a franchise operated by outside parties like fast food restaurants?
Do you spend any time with the 28,000 employees? I think youll find they are anything but "malcontents". They are hard working, proud individuals who have had thier spirit beaten down but not thier pride.

 

[PITbull]

Folks,

Flyonthewall who watches these boards and me like a "hawk" has just PM me.

He does not need to do a survey on employee morale. He knows damn well morale is bad, and frankly, doesn't give "two hoots".

The idea of his post is to try to convince the passengers, that "not to worry" things are paradise here and morale is grand!

 

[Art at ISP]

As much as I have tried to remain on the sidelines here, I am going to add my 2 cents worth.

I am not an employee, but I am friends with many of the fine people who work for US Airways and Express. As I spend a significant amount of time in the company and care of the employees of this airline, I feel that I am an "interested party" to what goes on here. I don't claim to know it all, and I don't begin to claim to be an expert on this matter, so know that before I begin.

1. US Airways employees are by far the best in the industry, despite what is happening to them. It is RARE that their frustration and anger at the current state of affairs filters down to the customer level. It does happen, but is by far the exception rather than the rule. I happen to agree that morale in general is very bad, but I am thankful that most of you are not letting it show on the line.

2. I completely and wholeheartedly agree that what management is doing to the employees is a travesty. They need to realize that the employees are the reason (and in many cases the ONLY reason) that so many of us US1's and other customers remain loyal and continue to fly (notwithstanding BBB's moronic definition of loyal). Case in point, most of you know I went over a month without having a single flight through PHL operate anywhere close to schedule. Were it not for the employees, many more passengers would be gone for good. To take more from and harrass the employees is shortsighted and will wind up being much more costly than anticipated. I believe it was said elsewhere that in order to have a happy customer you need to have a happy employee. Now I am not a fan of unions, but in this case, I am firmly behind PIT and her allies in working to make sure that she and her colleagues receive FAIR treatment and a livable wage, and support similar efforts from the other work groups.

3. This may be a dream, but the employee groups have GOT to stop bickering among themselves and present a united front to management. I have seen some of this nonsense and fingerpointing behind the scenes, and I can only shake my head in wonder. GIVE IT UP ALREADY--your fellow employee is not the problem!! Find a way to work TOGETHER.

4. Here's the toughest one--management has to pull their heads out of the sand and realize that the system is broken, and they have to have the desire to fix it. The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging that you have one. Either they know and don't care, or they are totally lost here--I am not going to guess which one, because either way the end result is the same.

Since my Month of Disconnects as I will call it, I have had nothing but fantastic experiences with my friends here at US, as recently as this afternoon on the Shuttle. The potential is here. It can be done.

On my end, I have written to management with the above sentiments on a number of occasions, and have encouraged my fellow travelers to do the same. I also have a friend in Consumer Affairs, with whom I speak regularly, and 99% of the time it is to talk about what's going on, and to praise deserving crew members and agents.

You guys and gals are the best. I thank you for what you do, and hope you have the opportunity to keep at it for as long as YOU want to.

My best wishes and thanks to you all.

 

[PITbull]

Art,

We thank you more than we could ever express for your continued support of us and our airline, not giving up on us, and always giving us the opportunity and privilege to continue to serve you safely and comfortably.

I sir, "salute" you.

warm regards always,

 

[Dilligas]

--management has to pull their heads out of the sand and realize that the system is broken, and they have to have the desire to fix it. The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging that you have one. Either they know and don't care, or they are totally lost here--

Art,

Thank you for the perspective from a passenger / customer point of view. Your loyalty is a testament to the good folks you've dealt with who really CARE and try to make your experience a positive one.

Your analysis of the current situation is fair and reasonable... I've read before of some of your flying nightmares and how we have let you down. It amazes me we still have your business. Thanks for sticking with us.

Happy Flying!

 

[TheLarkAscending]

The malcontent commentaries on this board only represent a small minority of the employees within the company. The vast majority (28,000) continue to endorse this management team. The public can be assured that US Airways' does not have a morale problem.

Flyonthewall:

You're making purely delusional statements regarding the malcontent commentaries being only representative of a small minority of employees.

The vast majority never endorsed the current management team nor their labor friendly tactics.

Publicly stating to your employees and customers (which you so obviously hold in very low regard) that there is no morale problem is bewildering.

Even a casual outside observer of the events at US can assess this situation and come to blatant logical conclusions. Factoring all of the bankruptcy variables, downsizing circumstances, concessionary contracts and the subsequent results, it would be a major accomplishment if there weren't a morale problem, regardless of the industry!

Your post insulted the intelligence of US employees, US customers and any interested party that may have been a potential customer. :down:

 

[OldGuyinPA]

flying with eyes closed and thru the brick wall...

You have no idea of reality my friend....my 28 years on the front line knows better...

We're in worse shape... than even you could imagine.

I thank David, Ben and Alan for that.

Best of luck ...the future is dim and getting dimmer...

:eye: :eye: :eye:

 

[Twicebaked]

The malcontent commentaries on this board only represent a small minority of the employees within the company. The vast majority (28,000) continue to endorse this management team. The public can be assured that US Airways' does not have a morale problem.

I am sorry to say that this is completely false. If YOU are management no one is going to show you discontent to your face for fear of having their head on the chopping block. As far as pleasantness out online, yes, we LOOK happy for the sake of the passengers and our own mental health. It comes a point when you just have to accept the demonic in your life. So, management cannot and will not see the "rock bottom" of morale that is out there.
So, to correct you "fly" the vast majority does NOT embrase this management.
Sorry, but that is the fact. The polls are showing that.
It is a small majority, but I am sure if you took a poll on every employee NOT in management, the outcome would be the same.

 

[Dilligas]

"There is no morale problem at US Airways. It is a lie. Only malcontents and infidels speak against our supreme leader. He is respected by all the 46,000 employees. We lay off no one. Just yesterday we hire 10,000 more. We give stock and it now go up 50 times what it was"

"More board games is the answer. Our customers should sit down, read our board game reviews, take a board game class, and not worry about what is none of their business"

"These people are not worthy, they are even calling themselves Cockroaches."

"Only malcontents and weaklings need health insurance. Good employees do not get sick. What do they need pay for? Loyal people work for free "

"What is this Jet Blue? There is no Jet Blue aircraft in New York City or anywhere else? It is a lie"

"Southwest is not on the east coast. They fly Dallas to Fort Worth only. We have destroyed Southwest."

"Dave, he the man"

 

[LavMan]

LMFAO!