AFA Thread 5/3-6/6

[Iheartflying]

Okay, first off, for those not in the loop. Who is Glora Holtz? I have a feeling I'm missing out a something that is pretty funny and I could use a good laugh.

Secondly, staffing is jacked out here in the west too. We have over 500 reserves on the June Bid. They clearly built to many relief lines so I KNOW that not everyone will be able to build their line to the min. req. of 70 hrs. That will result in yet another cluster f**k for those fa's. Pretty much everyday in May is or was positively staffed and they are autoing lineholders out of their trips like it's going out of style. Reserves are dying for trips just to get the per diem because there is nothing to pick up off the ETB on their days off.

America West always had rookies running the scheduling dept and now the east is getting a taste of how these people run things....not
very efficiently. My guess is they are still using the Ouija board to determine the staffing models.

Once again, welcome to our nightmare. Remember, just cause we're "westies" doesn't mean we like management.

That's so funny. We're ridiculously short in LGA. If one person calls in sick or doesn't show up for a trip like what happened this morning the whole thing falls apart like a house of cards. It's interesting seeing the whole reserve screen saying FLY.

 

[Travelpro72]

The flight attendant lineholder/reserve system is so severely broken it's beyond repair. It's a patch job and cut and paste of the old contract with this and that added or deleted through two bankruptcies. It's pathetic and the cost savings the company sees by the agreement only bites them in the rear when things turn into a mess. How this system saves them money is beyond me. On top of all that even if it WAS cost effective it surely isn't reliable. I know we're in single negotiations but if the company would raise the west f/a pay to match the east and give us shifts for reserves and a few days more vacation I can honestly say it would be a good enough gesture to hold me over until a joint contract is ratified by 2020. 😉 I think what I mentioned would boost moral TREMENDOUSLY! ! ! !

 

[flybynite]

Because the company is being slayed with fuel costs, they will not give us one red cent if they can help it.

However, I think it would be in everyone's best interest if the company just bit the bullet and gave the f/a's what they need so we can make a living. And a quality of life living, too. they need to stop stiffing us on our rigs....splits.....deadheads. And LTO should go away. Forever. The company will never have a true matrix until they get rid of the LTO system.

 

[Iheartflying]

Tell me how is it possible that on a regular non holiday, non summer weekend...just a regular day they run out of reserves? One person decides not to show up for his trip and the earliest they can get a reserve out is 90 minutes. Luckily a flight was leaving an hour later so they grabbed one of their crew(a block holder) and made her fly our trip...while they scrambled around to find a replacement for her trip.

What's going on? Sometimes you sit for 6 days without ever getting called and now they can't find anyone. Are people leaving? Because I went up in seniority by about 50 numbers. Are they ever going to try and fix it or are they really going to try with this broken system in the summer?

 

[Travelpro72]

Works for me. The company knows best......grab your beach bag. It's gonna be a hot summer.

 

[songbirdstew]

The flight attendant lineholder/reserve system is so severely broken it's beyond repair. It's a patch job and cut and paste of the old contract with this and that added or deleted through two bankruptcies. It's pathetic and the cost savings the company sees by the agreement only bites them in the rear when things turn into a mess. How this system saves them money is beyond me. On top of all that even if it WAS cost effective it surely isn't reliable. I know we're in single negotiations but if the company would raise the west f/a pay to match the east and give us shifts for reserves and a few days more vacation I can honestly say it would be a good enough gesture to hold me over until a joint contract is ratified by 2020. 😉 I think what I mentioned would boost moral TREMENDOUSLY! ! ! !

Don't forget 100% of SICK pay...Giving us only 70% of what we earn in sick time is just another form of stealing....it should be illegal.

 

[sharktooth]

Because the company is being slayed with fuel costs, they will not give us one red cent if they can help it.

"fuel costs" is the scapegoat du jour. Although increased fuel costs (we don't hedge?) stress the corporate economies, in reality, the company is being slain by itself, creating massive costs where unnecessary, like deferring a/c maintenance to the point that the risk of breakdown at a non-mx station becomes "1", where the costs will climb faster than with fuel. (I really condemn the crews that work that 757 where the carpet around the lavs is always damp - with what you ask? Walk off the aircraft. It is unsafe. period.)

However, I think it would be in everyone's best interest if the company just bit the bullet and gave the f/a's what they need so we can make a living. And a quality of life living, too. they need to stop stiffing us on our rigs....splits.....deadheads.

A monthly cap will go a long way to resolving the FA staffing problems. Increasing pay would tend to discourage rampant abuse.

And LTO should go away. Forever. The company will never have a true matrix until they get rid of the LTO system.

Absolutely correct. Giving reserves the appearance of "a life" would go a long way to hiking morale without adding much of anything in the way of cost.

 

[Travelpro72]

This LTO system forces you as a reserve to lie. I know the company will not look at anything other than single negotiations. They seriously should address the issues of the reserve situation NOW. I know reserves are only a tiny portion of the f/a population but it seems to be that little group that can cause you some REAL problems. Note to management......F/A's namely reserves are FED UP. FIX IT NOW or your in for a TRULY bumpy ride. Bad staffing on a normal sunny afternoon? MORONS.

 

[Iheartflying]

This LTO system forces you as a reserve to lie. I know the company will not look at anything other than single negotiations. They seriously should address the issues of the reserve situation NOW. I know reserves are only a tiny portion of the f/a population but it seems to be that little group that can cause you some REAL problems. Note to management......F/A's namely reserves are FED UP. FIX IT NOW or your in for a TRULY bumpy ride. Bad staffing on a normal sunny afternoon? MORONS.

I'm realizing I made an error in judgement by getting a degree in science. I should have gotten a MBA instead! What are they teaching these guys in business school? I may not be the most street savvy person you'll ever meet but common sense tells me that if you treat people well they would be more inclined to perform better on the job. Please tell me I'm not from some alternate universe. If I am, I'll just head back into the Tardis with the good ole Doctor and travel through time and space.

 

[N965VJ]

<SNIP> Are people leaving? Because I went up in seniority by about 50 numbers.

Wasn’t the average attrition around 25 a month?

 

[StewGuy86]

If they're projecting that sort of short staffing, why don't they just recall more furloughed FAs?

 

[westcoastflyer]

Why doesn't AFA get going now with serious combined contract negotiations? Please don't tell us you are waiting for the PILOTS to get a contract first. It is time to negotiate separately from the pilots. Wouldn't the overall benefits be better by getting rid of the East's "me-too clause?"

 

[beachboy]

Our "Me-Too" better not go anywhere unless they put every provision and protection we have now under me-too into our contract separate from the pilots. From what I understand they have already started absent the pilots. I loose one thing without substantial gains on work rules and quality of life, it's a no without even reading the rest of it. And CLT guys and gals tend to sell us out out every time. They see the compensation rate and will vote to throw grandma in front of a bus.

 

[N965VJ]

If they're projecting that sort of short staffing, why don't they just recall more furloughed FAs?

Stop that! When has US management ever done anything that made sense?

<SNIP> Wouldn't the overall benefits be better by getting rid of the East's "me-too clause?"

Getting rid of Me Too might give you some duty time flexibility to maximize hours or something similar, but I would caution against getting rid of it.

 

[StewGuy86]

I agree that a better system of utilizing reserves (and a better system of scheduling, period) would help alleviate at least some of the staffing shortages. But it just seems to me that an obvious and pretty quick way of taking care of some of the problem would be to recall some furloughees. I guess with the nickel and diming going on at the moment, however, they don't want to bring those "expensive" FAs back on the property - even if it ends up costing them cancelled flights and pi$$ed off passengers throughout the summer.