- Aug 20, 2002
- 2,070
- 270
LETTER TO DAVE SIEGEL FROM AFA MEC PRESIDENT PERRY HAYES
November 19, 2003
Mr. David N. Siegel
President and CEO
US Airways
2345 Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22227
Re: Your Letter to Employees Dated November 18, 2003
Dear Dave:
First and foremost, I must advise you that as a labor leader at
this airline, I believe your letter will fall on deaf ears. The
employees of this Company have collectively already given back
too much. And some of your analysis of what needs to be done
honestly makes no sense at all.
You mention that we have a better product than Southwest. Who
cares? Do the customers who flock to Southwest do so because of
the product Southwest offers? No, Dave. They do so because of
price. Southwest offers a simple product, i.e., transportation
from point A to point B. Novel idea, but no one on this
management team seems to want to try that concept. If you want
to compete with Southwest, then become more like them. Quit
trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
You say we cannot compete with the low-cost carriers on one
critical factor and that factor is cost. Nice play on words,
however, we don't operate like the low-cost carriers. We have a
hub and spoke system that is more inefficient and costly to
operate. It appears management would like to continue to operate
this airline in an inefficient manner and get the employees to
absorb that "cost". Not likely to occur Dave. And when you
mention productivity, let's be honest. Who schedules the
airline? Who creates the idle time sitting in airports for both
crews and aircraft? Management does Dave - not labor. It appears
you would like our airline to be the Macy's of the industry, but
you want the employees to be the Wal-Mart greeters in terms of
what they make. Oh, don't get me wrong, you expect the employees
to provide all the services of Macy's to the customers but at
clearance prices for their labor.
You say we will choose our future. Does that mean that the
employees of the airline can stand up to management and the
Board and demand that the current team of inefficient and
apparently inept management be replaced? That would be the first
step in choosing our future. We need a team that understands
that you can't compete with something you aren't and aren't
willing to become. Your plan again seems to be focused on
driving down cost and increasing productivity, but there does
not appear to be any real change proposed in how this airline
operates. The employees have been led to slaughter on two
previous occasions and it is unlikely they are willing to head
down that path again. The employees need a management team with
vision and the insight to change this airline. Since you have
been here I have not seen such vision. You were praised for
getting us out of bankruptcy so quickly. Big deal. Not that
impressive when you see that the airline is still doing things
pretty much the way it always has and still trying to blame
labor cost and productivity for all our problems.
You actually have the audacity to tell the employees of this
airline that "everything must be on the table." Sorry Dave. We
already gave. And the management team in place not only accepts
what was negotiated, but continues to violate our labor
agreement and interpret what was negotiated in a manner that was
never discussed. We have seen this happen with the sick policy
that was negotiated last year as well as with the implementation
of the new reserve system. AFA agrees to one thing and the
Company takes that and implements a few creative ideas of its
own. Putting things on the table with this management team means
opening yourself up to lies and deceit.
A management team that looks to one thing, over and over, as the
primary means of survival, cannot control the future of this
airline. You apparently believe that labor must again be willing
to give more. I believe we need a new management team with
vision and some new ideas because your old ideas aren't going
anywhere.
Sincerely,
Perry L. Hayes
MEC President
November 19, 2003
Mr. David N. Siegel
President and CEO
US Airways
2345 Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22227
Re: Your Letter to Employees Dated November 18, 2003
Dear Dave:
First and foremost, I must advise you that as a labor leader at
this airline, I believe your letter will fall on deaf ears. The
employees of this Company have collectively already given back
too much. And some of your analysis of what needs to be done
honestly makes no sense at all.
You mention that we have a better product than Southwest. Who
cares? Do the customers who flock to Southwest do so because of
the product Southwest offers? No, Dave. They do so because of
price. Southwest offers a simple product, i.e., transportation
from point A to point B. Novel idea, but no one on this
management team seems to want to try that concept. If you want
to compete with Southwest, then become more like them. Quit
trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
You say we cannot compete with the low-cost carriers on one
critical factor and that factor is cost. Nice play on words,
however, we don't operate like the low-cost carriers. We have a
hub and spoke system that is more inefficient and costly to
operate. It appears management would like to continue to operate
this airline in an inefficient manner and get the employees to
absorb that "cost". Not likely to occur Dave. And when you
mention productivity, let's be honest. Who schedules the
airline? Who creates the idle time sitting in airports for both
crews and aircraft? Management does Dave - not labor. It appears
you would like our airline to be the Macy's of the industry, but
you want the employees to be the Wal-Mart greeters in terms of
what they make. Oh, don't get me wrong, you expect the employees
to provide all the services of Macy's to the customers but at
clearance prices for their labor.
You say we will choose our future. Does that mean that the
employees of the airline can stand up to management and the
Board and demand that the current team of inefficient and
apparently inept management be replaced? That would be the first
step in choosing our future. We need a team that understands
that you can't compete with something you aren't and aren't
willing to become. Your plan again seems to be focused on
driving down cost and increasing productivity, but there does
not appear to be any real change proposed in how this airline
operates. The employees have been led to slaughter on two
previous occasions and it is unlikely they are willing to head
down that path again. The employees need a management team with
vision and the insight to change this airline. Since you have
been here I have not seen such vision. You were praised for
getting us out of bankruptcy so quickly. Big deal. Not that
impressive when you see that the airline is still doing things
pretty much the way it always has and still trying to blame
labor cost and productivity for all our problems.
You actually have the audacity to tell the employees of this
airline that "everything must be on the table." Sorry Dave. We
already gave. And the management team in place not only accepts
what was negotiated, but continues to violate our labor
agreement and interpret what was negotiated in a manner that was
never discussed. We have seen this happen with the sick policy
that was negotiated last year as well as with the implementation
of the new reserve system. AFA agrees to one thing and the
Company takes that and implements a few creative ideas of its
own. Putting things on the table with this management team means
opening yourself up to lies and deceit.
A management team that looks to one thing, over and over, as the
primary means of survival, cannot control the future of this
airline. You apparently believe that labor must again be willing
to give more. I believe we need a new management team with
vision and some new ideas because your old ideas aren't going
anywhere.
Sincerely,
Perry L. Hayes
MEC President
