PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THIS RATHER LONG POSTING. My only intention is to try to convey how this CWA agent and I am sure many others feel based in the past, the present and the possible future. This will be my one and only post. As an agent with almost 3 decades of service to USairways, I have always tried to judge the company by their management, how they treated their employees, and whether their WORD translated into equivilent action.
As an employee group, NO other group has been taken advantage of, disrespected, reduced in numbers, and been blatantly mistreated as the Agent group. Some may say that we were screwed over by management while we were non union and prior to organizing, thru our own fault, by not having a Union. Well, some agents didnt vote for a union then because they believed management when they said things would change and that we as a group would be treated fairly without the need for a 3rd party outsider, IE a Union, involved. The company through their actions, predictably, totally renegged on that promise and continued to treat the agent group like an unplanned baby in a bad marriage. They have taken advantage of EVERY instance and possible situation to demoralize and divide the Agent group. Sadly they have been sucessful to a point. From the Days of Randy Malin up to the present, the company''s goal has been to snow the public into believing that USairways puts Customer service as a number one priority,somehow while trying to eliminate as many Customer Service agents as they could, while planning to outsource the rest. Since the days of People Express''s incursion into US territory I have believed that it was just a matter of time before the bubble popped and industry wages, benefits and work rules would somewhere equalize so that USairways would be able to compete. During these years that have since passed, certain employee groups have negotiated contracts that have kept them at the levels of compensation competetive with the major carriers in the country. In all Honesty, USairways has NEVER been a United, American or a Delta. At best USairways has been a scrappy large regional carrier with a mismatched fleet, poor management, and a total lack of foresight. The old expression of saving for a rainy day apparently was never a lesson learned by any of USairway''s management over the last 14 or so years. All of the large profits that were made in the good years, were PI**ed away by management who must have been delusional in thinking that the lean days would never return. Well guess what? The lean days are HERE and this company''s balance sheet looks like that of some PI** poor south American county. The leaders of the company could not have been expected to forsee 9/11, but whatever the cause of an industry downturn, it was sure to come, as sure as winter follows fall. You dont need an MBA to know that. This is a cyclical industry.But then those at the top dont really have to account for what they do, right or wrong. Their expertise, or in our case their total ineptness and incompetence, is still rewarded with hugh salaries, stock options, obscene bonuses and of course their golden parachutes.
I could go on and on. Management''s song and dance routines are as tiresome as the recurring four year flow of lies and verbal con jobs that our politicians spew forth trying to convince their constituents that THEY are the ones to once and for all finally change things for the better if we only give them the chance and trust them to run the country. You can package them as Wolfs in Sheeps clothing, or as car rental company heads that are now airline experts. Thing have not changed.
I do owe an important lesson to the observation of the financial irresponsibility of USairways management. I learned years ago that I better plan to be self sufficient, and in short order, because it was obvious that the company was being mismanaged into one of two places. The first being....straight into the ground and out of business. The second being where it is today; a company crying the blues and reducing the workers ranks, pay and benefits to the point where it is no longer worth putting up with the hours, working conditions and low compensation level that the company is willing to offer. Several of the employee groups stand to have their furloughed employees recalled, initially to a lower paying position and then ultimately ( if the company actually accomplishes the amazing turn around that they are touting) to a position that is at a tolerable level of renumeration. The agent group, if the current contract changes are ratified, will be totally demolished. A LARGE portion of the agents will be outsourced, and an equally LARGE number of agents that are left will be working at low wage and benefit rates that in the past have been only paid by small commuter carriers. Some members of the other employee groups have stated that at least the company will be maintaining a minimum number of mainline jets in the company''s fleet. That in itself ONLY guarantees that a certain number mainline pilots and flight attentdants will be needed to operate these mainline jet flights. Through the changes in the purposed CWA contract, the company will have enormous flexibility to fly these Mainline Jets with Mainline pilots and mainline flight attendants earning MAINLINE PAY AND BEN EFITS.. IN AND OUT of cities that are staffed with EXPRESS Agents at EXPRESS PAY AND BENEFIT RATES. On top of that, with the seasonal option of flying jets into EXPRESS agent staffed cities for months at a time, not ONE mainline agent would be returned to MAINLINE work with MAINLINE PAY AND BENEFITS. The inequities of how the CWA represented workers will be adversly affected by the company proposed contract changes are so obvious that its almost rediculous.
I have heard it stated by our resident Pilot spokesman and others that if one doesnt want to go along with the affirmative vote that the company needs to survive that they should just simply quit. I disagree. I have been a dues paying union member and have the right to exercise my choice with my vote.After working for this company for three decades and taking into careful consideration the past treatment of the agent group, I will vote NO without reservation. Is there anything to say that if the CWA members vote these contract changes down, the company could not negotiate further to attempt to reach a more equitable agreement??? Do any of the CWA represented employees actually believe that is this is voted down that the company will fold up its tent, takes it ball and go home????
The speed at which ALL of the concessionary negotiations have been handled has been unprecedented. I honestly dont believe a matter of possibly a week or so, in which a more palatable contract for CWA members could be reached, will cause the shutdown and liquidation of the airline.
I am not calling the companys bluff, because i actually dont believe i have anything to lose. As I stated previously, I have been preparing for this scenario for a long time. But even if i hadnt, the pay and benefits that the company is offering to what would be a large portion of a decimated customer service agent group, is no where near acceptable for what is required to perform this job. Other posters on this site ( many being passengers and airline outsiders) try to make a comparison of Airline customer service agents to.....telemarketers and call center employees. I dont actually believe that those employees have ever had to carry a 300 pound passenger down the stairs of an aircraft in the middle of a thunderstorm or in 10 degreee weather. I dont think they are forced to work mandatory double shifts, many times back to back due to being short staffed as a result of short sighted managment decisions to cut right to the bone based on a smooth operation. God forbid we should have bad weather or air traffic delays. And foremost...I have never personally dealt with a call center employee or telemarketer face to face. Its much tougher dealing with a customer, passenger, face to face than as a voice on the other end of a phone or headset. No matter what the cause of a delay or cancellation, it is the AGENT that must face the customer and smile and then do the best to resolve a bad situation over which the agent had no control. It very well may have been a flight crew or mechanic working to rule , or another employee goups CHAOS, but it never matters. It is the agent standing in front of the customer taking the hit.I only want it emphasized that no matter who or what is the cause of the customers problem, the agent has to resolve it. I am not faulting any employee group for doing what they deem their right and necessary to achieve their contract goals. I ask that we receive the same tolerance to vote what we feel is best for our CWA members group.
I wish the best for all employees, especially my fellow CWA members, but I feel the only way to get the company to deal with us as fairly as it should, is for me to vote NO.
I ask that you vote what you believe is right, bearing in mind what you have read above. Thank you.
As an employee group, NO other group has been taken advantage of, disrespected, reduced in numbers, and been blatantly mistreated as the Agent group. Some may say that we were screwed over by management while we were non union and prior to organizing, thru our own fault, by not having a Union. Well, some agents didnt vote for a union then because they believed management when they said things would change and that we as a group would be treated fairly without the need for a 3rd party outsider, IE a Union, involved. The company through their actions, predictably, totally renegged on that promise and continued to treat the agent group like an unplanned baby in a bad marriage. They have taken advantage of EVERY instance and possible situation to demoralize and divide the Agent group. Sadly they have been sucessful to a point. From the Days of Randy Malin up to the present, the company''s goal has been to snow the public into believing that USairways puts Customer service as a number one priority,somehow while trying to eliminate as many Customer Service agents as they could, while planning to outsource the rest. Since the days of People Express''s incursion into US territory I have believed that it was just a matter of time before the bubble popped and industry wages, benefits and work rules would somewhere equalize so that USairways would be able to compete. During these years that have since passed, certain employee groups have negotiated contracts that have kept them at the levels of compensation competetive with the major carriers in the country. In all Honesty, USairways has NEVER been a United, American or a Delta. At best USairways has been a scrappy large regional carrier with a mismatched fleet, poor management, and a total lack of foresight. The old expression of saving for a rainy day apparently was never a lesson learned by any of USairway''s management over the last 14 or so years. All of the large profits that were made in the good years, were PI**ed away by management who must have been delusional in thinking that the lean days would never return. Well guess what? The lean days are HERE and this company''s balance sheet looks like that of some PI** poor south American county. The leaders of the company could not have been expected to forsee 9/11, but whatever the cause of an industry downturn, it was sure to come, as sure as winter follows fall. You dont need an MBA to know that. This is a cyclical industry.But then those at the top dont really have to account for what they do, right or wrong. Their expertise, or in our case their total ineptness and incompetence, is still rewarded with hugh salaries, stock options, obscene bonuses and of course their golden parachutes.
I could go on and on. Management''s song and dance routines are as tiresome as the recurring four year flow of lies and verbal con jobs that our politicians spew forth trying to convince their constituents that THEY are the ones to once and for all finally change things for the better if we only give them the chance and trust them to run the country. You can package them as Wolfs in Sheeps clothing, or as car rental company heads that are now airline experts. Thing have not changed.
I do owe an important lesson to the observation of the financial irresponsibility of USairways management. I learned years ago that I better plan to be self sufficient, and in short order, because it was obvious that the company was being mismanaged into one of two places. The first being....straight into the ground and out of business. The second being where it is today; a company crying the blues and reducing the workers ranks, pay and benefits to the point where it is no longer worth putting up with the hours, working conditions and low compensation level that the company is willing to offer. Several of the employee groups stand to have their furloughed employees recalled, initially to a lower paying position and then ultimately ( if the company actually accomplishes the amazing turn around that they are touting) to a position that is at a tolerable level of renumeration. The agent group, if the current contract changes are ratified, will be totally demolished. A LARGE portion of the agents will be outsourced, and an equally LARGE number of agents that are left will be working at low wage and benefit rates that in the past have been only paid by small commuter carriers. Some members of the other employee groups have stated that at least the company will be maintaining a minimum number of mainline jets in the company''s fleet. That in itself ONLY guarantees that a certain number mainline pilots and flight attentdants will be needed to operate these mainline jet flights. Through the changes in the purposed CWA contract, the company will have enormous flexibility to fly these Mainline Jets with Mainline pilots and mainline flight attendants earning MAINLINE PAY AND BEN EFITS.. IN AND OUT of cities that are staffed with EXPRESS Agents at EXPRESS PAY AND BENEFIT RATES. On top of that, with the seasonal option of flying jets into EXPRESS agent staffed cities for months at a time, not ONE mainline agent would be returned to MAINLINE work with MAINLINE PAY AND BENEFITS. The inequities of how the CWA represented workers will be adversly affected by the company proposed contract changes are so obvious that its almost rediculous.
I have heard it stated by our resident Pilot spokesman and others that if one doesnt want to go along with the affirmative vote that the company needs to survive that they should just simply quit. I disagree. I have been a dues paying union member and have the right to exercise my choice with my vote.After working for this company for three decades and taking into careful consideration the past treatment of the agent group, I will vote NO without reservation. Is there anything to say that if the CWA members vote these contract changes down, the company could not negotiate further to attempt to reach a more equitable agreement??? Do any of the CWA represented employees actually believe that is this is voted down that the company will fold up its tent, takes it ball and go home????
The speed at which ALL of the concessionary negotiations have been handled has been unprecedented. I honestly dont believe a matter of possibly a week or so, in which a more palatable contract for CWA members could be reached, will cause the shutdown and liquidation of the airline.
I am not calling the companys bluff, because i actually dont believe i have anything to lose. As I stated previously, I have been preparing for this scenario for a long time. But even if i hadnt, the pay and benefits that the company is offering to what would be a large portion of a decimated customer service agent group, is no where near acceptable for what is required to perform this job. Other posters on this site ( many being passengers and airline outsiders) try to make a comparison of Airline customer service agents to.....telemarketers and call center employees. I dont actually believe that those employees have ever had to carry a 300 pound passenger down the stairs of an aircraft in the middle of a thunderstorm or in 10 degreee weather. I dont think they are forced to work mandatory double shifts, many times back to back due to being short staffed as a result of short sighted managment decisions to cut right to the bone based on a smooth operation. God forbid we should have bad weather or air traffic delays. And foremost...I have never personally dealt with a call center employee or telemarketer face to face. Its much tougher dealing with a customer, passenger, face to face than as a voice on the other end of a phone or headset. No matter what the cause of a delay or cancellation, it is the AGENT that must face the customer and smile and then do the best to resolve a bad situation over which the agent had no control. It very well may have been a flight crew or mechanic working to rule , or another employee goups CHAOS, but it never matters. It is the agent standing in front of the customer taking the hit.I only want it emphasized that no matter who or what is the cause of the customers problem, the agent has to resolve it. I am not faulting any employee group for doing what they deem their right and necessary to achieve their contract goals. I ask that we receive the same tolerance to vote what we feel is best for our CWA members group.
I wish the best for all employees, especially my fellow CWA members, but I feel the only way to get the company to deal with us as fairly as it should, is for me to vote NO.
I ask that you vote what you believe is right, bearing in mind what you have read above. Thank you.