USA320Pilot said:
USA320Pilot: I recently had a discussion with the LGA Station Manager who had openings for 8 part time customer service positions that had a starting pay of about $8 per hour. Guess how many people interviewed for these positions?
Over 400.
When LUV had a job fair in BWI a few years back, they got something like 8,000 apps for 40 positions. I'll bet many of those folks are still there.
OTOH, I've watched the turnover at some of the more, well, wretched express stations in the system, and you do get what you pay for.
Indeed, those 400 folks won't be able to get trained and up to speed in time to save the airline from a self-help walkout if an S1113 motion is granted, so it's all kind of moot. With the FAs, you have the training costs. Heck, with the CSAs you have a training cost--maybe not in certification, but it's easy to tell the stations where an affiliate or contract holder handles US and where the real folks are. This is an intangible that US cannot afford to underestimate--the small group of folks who still buy the "BOHICA" fares and who buy 100 trips a year of any kind generally do so for a number of reason, but a large part is the US frontline folks. In the past 5 years, I've had some kind of VFF elite status with US, UA, AA, CO, DL, and BA. With the exception of BA (who treats me ok simply because I give them the kind of fare action that would make B. Ben pitch wood), the folks in the trenches at US are the only thing that keeps me flying US at all, since I no longer have any other real incentive to do so.
It's important to note that US does not have an upside like LUV, for instance--the stock is not worth the paper it is printed on and there are no profits to share. If you start a job at $8 bucks an hour, and have a million bucks in equity in 20 years it's an entirely different thing than starting a job for an airline that has not really made money regularly in 15 years and has no signs of "getting it."
Finally, and I think it's worth noting--I'm willing to wager that US could dig up 4,000 guys with the ATP and a few thousand hours of turbine PIC time who are more than willing to work for $50k, as Busdrvr points out. Are you willing to work for $50k?
If you pay 8 bucks an hour with no possible upside, you will get what you pay for. If that happens, it's a massive failure on management's part, since it's quite clear that the only airlines making money also happen to be the ones with the (relatively) happiest employees.
