It''s now saturday afternoon, and the votes are over. I don''t think anybody here was pleased with having to accept more paycuts - and I also believe that includes Super Dave. I know that being his age and with a wife and small kids at home, I certainly wouldn''t take much pleasure in knowing that I was at the helm and knowing full well that I would be making decisions that would put a lot of families in hardship...I just can''t believe any rational person would want to do that...I certainly wouldn''t want to have to make that call, but sometimes painful and harsh decisions are a necessity.
So here we are on the day after the agreements were ratified. My proposal to everybody is simply, What will you do now?
>From my perspective, I see 2 and only 2 honorable options...either go to work and do your absolute best, or resign and find something else to do.
My son is 10, and I have tried to teach him that it''s not what you do for work, but how you do it is what matters.
Speaking for myself, I''ve spent the last 5 years flying as a Captain, and now I will be going back to F/O. Am I disappointed? Sure I am. Am I happy with the 55% paycut I am taking? Of course not. Am I thrilled that some of my friends and collegues are being furloughed? No, it distresses me greatly.
I have many good friends that also work here at US Airways - my closest friend here in CLT was just furloughed last Tuesday (he''s a pilot). We used to fly trips together. I was at his house the day before he had to turn in all of his stuff to the chief pilots'' office. Even though he is still flying for the Air Force reserves (which will help a little bit financially), it was still extremely difficult on him emotionally.
I spoke with another friend for about an hour face to face Wednesday evening after Air Midwest accident - he''s a mechanic, and has been commuting to PIT because he was displaced out of CLT. he was leaving in the morning to drive back up to PIT from CLT for another week away from his family.
Another good friend of mine is a gate agent here in CLT. Our families have shared a summer vacation together for the last 2 years...he''s also gone to a dog-meat schedule, and is working double shifts a lot to try and make up for his pay loss.
I''ve also written a couple of letters of recommendation for other pilots who have been furloughed - I wish them all the luck in the world, but even more, I wish they were still here.
I''m sure that many of you have similar experiences and friends under the same situation as I.
The point of my post (my first one on this forum) is simply this - what will you do now?
I had a music tecaher once that gave me a great piece of advice -he said that the hardest position to fill in the orchestra is second fiddle, and that is because it is extremely difficult to find someone who will be willing to accept the second string position and play it with all of their heart and soul.
Everybody at this company has been affected in one way or another,l either by pay, or position, or schedule, or prestige, or by being unemployed. I repeat, everybody here has been affected.
I once heard that the definition of someone who is overpaid is anybody that makes $1 dollar more than you do.
I know that the best thing that I can possibly do is to do the best job that I can -and for me, that means not only trying to play by ALL the rules, but also to try and have a positive attitude in spite of what''s going on around me.
I really do try and count my blessings every day - I tell myself that I could be digging a ditch in Bangladesh right now, or sitting alone fighting cancer, or any number of other places that I''m not.
I really hope that those who may be thinking along the lines of ...I''m only being paid 70% so I will only do a 70% job... will reconsider.
Will the company ultimately survive? I don''t know. But so far, my paychecks have never bounced (and I have worked for a place that they did), and nobody is holding a gun to my head forcing me to be here. This is a free society, and admit it or not, we are all here by choice.
At the end of the day, no matter what ultimately happens to US Airways, be it win, lose, or draw, I know that if I work to the best of my ability - especially in these uncertain times, that I will have a sense of pride and accomplishment that nobody - not a company, or a union rep, or a bankrupcy judge, can ever take away from me.
I hope that everyone will remember that like a symphony, every member is important. As a pilot, I can not perform my duties without the work of everyone else, and visa versa.
It is also my sincere desire that we can all at least try to be nice to each other. When you see a fellow employee at work - no matter what they do - take a second and smile or wave at them. It doesn''t cost anything, you don''t even have to stop walking or talk to them, but it can help make someone''s day. I know it''s made mine more than once.
As I said, for me, it''s a question of honor, and it is my honor and privelage to work with each and every one of you.
See you around the campus -
Shannon Davis
CLT
So here we are on the day after the agreements were ratified. My proposal to everybody is simply, What will you do now?
>From my perspective, I see 2 and only 2 honorable options...either go to work and do your absolute best, or resign and find something else to do.
My son is 10, and I have tried to teach him that it''s not what you do for work, but how you do it is what matters.
Speaking for myself, I''ve spent the last 5 years flying as a Captain, and now I will be going back to F/O. Am I disappointed? Sure I am. Am I happy with the 55% paycut I am taking? Of course not. Am I thrilled that some of my friends and collegues are being furloughed? No, it distresses me greatly.
I have many good friends that also work here at US Airways - my closest friend here in CLT was just furloughed last Tuesday (he''s a pilot). We used to fly trips together. I was at his house the day before he had to turn in all of his stuff to the chief pilots'' office. Even though he is still flying for the Air Force reserves (which will help a little bit financially), it was still extremely difficult on him emotionally.
I spoke with another friend for about an hour face to face Wednesday evening after Air Midwest accident - he''s a mechanic, and has been commuting to PIT because he was displaced out of CLT. he was leaving in the morning to drive back up to PIT from CLT for another week away from his family.
Another good friend of mine is a gate agent here in CLT. Our families have shared a summer vacation together for the last 2 years...he''s also gone to a dog-meat schedule, and is working double shifts a lot to try and make up for his pay loss.
I''ve also written a couple of letters of recommendation for other pilots who have been furloughed - I wish them all the luck in the world, but even more, I wish they were still here.
I''m sure that many of you have similar experiences and friends under the same situation as I.
The point of my post (my first one on this forum) is simply this - what will you do now?
I had a music tecaher once that gave me a great piece of advice -he said that the hardest position to fill in the orchestra is second fiddle, and that is because it is extremely difficult to find someone who will be willing to accept the second string position and play it with all of their heart and soul.
Everybody at this company has been affected in one way or another,l either by pay, or position, or schedule, or prestige, or by being unemployed. I repeat, everybody here has been affected.
I once heard that the definition of someone who is overpaid is anybody that makes $1 dollar more than you do.
I know that the best thing that I can possibly do is to do the best job that I can -and for me, that means not only trying to play by ALL the rules, but also to try and have a positive attitude in spite of what''s going on around me.
I really do try and count my blessings every day - I tell myself that I could be digging a ditch in Bangladesh right now, or sitting alone fighting cancer, or any number of other places that I''m not.
I really hope that those who may be thinking along the lines of ...I''m only being paid 70% so I will only do a 70% job... will reconsider.
Will the company ultimately survive? I don''t know. But so far, my paychecks have never bounced (and I have worked for a place that they did), and nobody is holding a gun to my head forcing me to be here. This is a free society, and admit it or not, we are all here by choice.
At the end of the day, no matter what ultimately happens to US Airways, be it win, lose, or draw, I know that if I work to the best of my ability - especially in these uncertain times, that I will have a sense of pride and accomplishment that nobody - not a company, or a union rep, or a bankrupcy judge, can ever take away from me.
I hope that everyone will remember that like a symphony, every member is important. As a pilot, I can not perform my duties without the work of everyone else, and visa versa.
It is also my sincere desire that we can all at least try to be nice to each other. When you see a fellow employee at work - no matter what they do - take a second and smile or wave at them. It doesn''t cost anything, you don''t even have to stop walking or talk to them, but it can help make someone''s day. I know it''s made mine more than once.
As I said, for me, it''s a question of honor, and it is my honor and privelage to work with each and every one of you.
See you around the campus -
Shannon Davis
CLT
