Glading's Delusions

[Maark767]

I totally agree on productivity. Especially for the flight attendants, who are the least productive at AA than any other big airline! Time to work more hours to get that big salary increase.

The others are "productive" because once again they got hosed in BK. We gave 33 % productivity in 2003. That not productive??? Company wants you to think the opposite.
It's pretty nice to have our lines built to 80hrs on average. I'll agree to a few more hours per month but I will vote no to 95 hrs.

 

[nbmcg01]

I totally agree on productivity. Especially for the flight attendants, who are the least productive at AA than any other big airline! Time to work more hours to get that big salary increase.

Productivity is a two way street. The Company should be held to a high level of accountability for the building of the most time and cost effective schedules. That also includes ensuring f/as are trained on all equipment, non productive "sits" are minimal instead of the norm and with higher flight hours requested some legs flown per day protection. I always wanted a work rule that read if you touch your base on the final day of a pairing you get off the plane and go home..lol

 

[Maark767]

Productivity is a two way street. The Company should be held to a high level of accountability for the building of the most time and cost effective schedules. That also includes ensuring f/as are trained on all equipment, non productive "sits" are minimal instead of the norm and with higher flight hours requested some legs flown per day protection. I always wanted a work rule that read if you touch your base on the final day of a pairing you get off the plane and go home..lol

I never understood why F/As are not qualified on all equipment. This goes back to the early 70's . Some F/As never got qualified on the 747. They only were qualified on 727 and DC-10.
AA must see some type of savings for trng. purposes. New hires aren't trained on all equipment either. Will we ever see new hires again???

 

[nbmcg01]

I never understood why F/As are not qualified on all equipment. This goes back to the early 70's . Some F/As never got qualified on the 747. They only were qualified on 727 and DC-10.
AA must see some type of savings for trng. purposes. New hires aren't trained on all equipment either. Will we ever see new hires again???

Maybe sooner than you think if AA is serious about the social networking memo. They could do some serious fact finding on the APFA Facebook site.

I would say that having f/as trained on all equipment should be an APFA counter for productivity. Equipment goes through a station, crew become illegal, can't grab anyone else because they are't "qualified".. Also, training is a cost of doing business and should be a business tax deduction (something that is forgotten when employee costs are discussed).

 

[Maark767]

Maybe sooner than you think if AA is serious about the social networking memo. They could do some serious fact finding on the APFA Facebook site.

I would say that having f/as trained on all equipment should be an APFA counter for productivity. Equipment goes through a station, crew become illegal, can't grab anyone else because they are't "qualified".. Also, training is a cost of doing business and should be a business tax deduction (something that is forgotten when employee costs are discussed).

Good points !!

 

[FWAAA]

I would say that having f/as trained on all equipment should be an APFA counter for productivity. Equipment goes through a station, crew become illegal, can't grab anyone else because they are't "qualified".. Also, training is a cost of doing business and should be a business tax deduction (something that is forgotten when employee costs are discussed).

Tax deductions haven't been "forgotten" at AA; they're irrelevant. AMR hasn't paid federal income taxes for a decade and is unlikely to pay them during this decade.

 

[jimntx]

I never understood why F/As are not qualified on all equipment. This goes back to the early 70's . Some F/As never got qualified on the 747. They only were qualified on 727 and DC-10.
AA must see some type of savings for trng. purposes. New hires aren't trained on all equipment either. Will we ever see new hires again???

Actually, Maark, the few that never got qualified on some equipment--we have a few at SLT that aren't even qualified on the 737 & 757--is not the problem. The problem lies with the thousands of f/as who have been allowed to drop quals on a/c they don't normally fly. To have a combined f/a corps everyone has to be qualified on everything. They would have to retrain all the International and super senior domestic f/as who have dropped their S80 quals. Until the day the last S80 leaves the fleet, this will continue to be a problem.

What I don't get is what the company gained from allowing people to drop quals in the first place. I can't imagine that there was that much cost reduction in recurrent training. How much time do you spend on any one trainer each year?

 

[FWAAA]

The detachment from reality continues at the APFA, this time an attorney for the APFA:

However, APFA attorney Rob Clayman took a different view during a media conference Wednesday. "What has to be looked at is not the current landscape, but what will the landscape look like after this round of negotiations," he said. "We're looking to elevate the flight attendants to a point where everyone else will follow suit."

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/1070...E&cm_ite=NA

 

[Bob Owens]

The detachment from reality continues at the APFA, this time an attorney for the APFA:



http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/1070...E&cm_ite=NA

Detachment from reality? Isnt that what unions have done for most of the last 75 Years? Whatever top pay is go above it, hope the people behind you do the same thing, called leapfrogging, basically its just an attempt to keep their members at status quo, at pace with inflation.

Is it realistic to expect continuous productivity improvements while offering nothing but continuous cuts in real pay?

The airlines took advantage of 9-11, biased laws and weak union leadership to slash wages across the industry, somebody has to make the first step toward getting some of what was lost back.

By the way, we lost two more young mechanics this month at JFK. I think our average age now is 48.

 

[Hopeful]

Detachment from reality? Isnt that what unions have done for most of the last 75 Years? Whatever top pay is go above it, hope

By the way, we lost two more young mechanics this month at JFK. I think our average age now is 48.

Excellent, more of us older guys who are just getting slower and slower....bad knees, bad backs....Sorry we just can't give them 100% anymore.

 

[boston]

Glading keeps one thing consistent, keep sacrificing the junior and the former TWA flight attendants.



TheStreet.com

This "the street.com" quote was taken out of contex and not explaned.. AA is costing APFA F/A's" out" $$$ more than UAL<CAL,DAL and USAirwqys, What was explaned to me was if AA would like to give us everything,vaca,sick,and $$ back and in order todo this the staffing level would have to come down, then we (apfa) may intertain that. However AA owns the stafing levels and so far they aren't interesed in changing them in premium markets, all INT 737 are bid with 4 f/as, APFA insn't advicating reduction in staffing but , possibly calling a spade a spade , or their bluff.

Call your base chair regading this

 

[Maark767]

Actually, Maark, the few that never got qualified on some equipment--we have a few at SLT that aren't even qualified on the 737 & 757--is not the problem. The problem lies with the thousands of f/as who have been allowed to drop quals on a/c they don't normally fly. To have a combined f/a corps everyone has to be qualified on everything. They would have to retrain all the International and super senior domestic f/as who have dropped their S80 quals. Until the day the last S80 leaves the fleet, this will continue to be a problem.

What I don't get is what the company gained from allowing people to drop quals in the first place. I can't imagine that there was that much cost reduction in recurrent training. How much time do you spend on any one trainer each year?

Jim,
I'm coming up on 20 yrs of flying and I only remember one time AA had a proffer to drop an A/C qual and that was the S-80. Once you are qualified on a specific A/C type , you are stuck with that qual even if it's not flown at your base. At one time I worked in training which at that time a portion of EPTs were completed at base.

 

[nbmcg01]

Jim,
I'm coming up on 20 yrs of flying and I only remember one time AA had a proffer to drop an A/C qual and that was the S-80. Once you are qualified on a specific A/C type , you are stuck with that qual even if it's not flown at your base. At one time I worked in training which at that time a portion of EPTs were completed at base.

If I can get a degree from Harvard on line then there is really no excuse for AA not to have everyone trained on all equipment. You just add the door and equipment checks to the EPT.

 

[Hopeful]

If I can get a degree from Harvard on line then there is really no excuse for AA not to have everyone trained on all equipment. You just add the door and equipment checks to the EPT.

As a mechanic, I am qualified on every fleet, even though we do not see the 737at JFK. But in the event of a diversion, we could handle it.

 

[Veritas]

This "the street.com" quote was taken out of contex and not explaned.. AA is costing APFA F/A's" out" $$$ more than UAL<CAL,DAL and USAirwqys, What was explaned to me was if AA would like to give us everything,vaca,sick,and $$ back and in order todo this the staffing level would have to come down, then we (apfa) may intertain that. However AA owns the stafing levels and so far they aren't interesed in changing them in premium markets, all INT 737 are bid with 4 f/as, APFA insn't advicating reduction in staffing but , possibly calling a spade a spade , or their bluff.

Call your base chair regading this

Glading and the union are engaged in damage control and none too effective at that.

The company and the FAA may control minimum aircraft staffing levels, but the CBA limits the number of hours that flight attendants can be scheduled to fly (bid lines not including trades).

The current contract caps the monthly scheduling to no more than 77 hours domestic and 82 hours international. Management wants to increase that number to 92 1/2 hours in four years with 25 percent of the pure lines built to 95 hours (source). That will reduce the headcount.

It would appear that the union agreed to increase to the maximum monthly scheduling by an amount that will result in a headcount reduction of 802. The company wanted more.

If your payroll number starts with 59 you should be worried. Very worried.