firstamendment-
I often refer to it as "Airways," and my friends and I always did when we worked there. "USAir" is often used derisively, and I think Airways sounds a little prouder (you can love an airline without loving the management). It seems a lot of junior folks use the term, likely because it was US Airways when they were hired, and they feel a lot more of a connection to that name than they do to "USAir." I have another friend that constanly refers to either the airplanes or the airline itself as "The Blue Shamu" (think of the paint job and the dolphin) and I've also heard it called "The Big Blue." 🙂
Alot more people call it "Airways" than you think (they are probably all furloughed.)
As for the pay, had I gone to MAA it would have been a 27.5% paycut from when I left "Airways", so I would say that yes, they have all taken the cut. Anger at MAA employees is disasterously misplaced. They are only returning to work, to a s*itty contract that thier senior co-workers sold them out with. I'm not saying you voted for it, but a majority did and now you have mainline F/As flying 100 seat jets at commuter wages while the senior people's jobs are in even more jeopardy.
Continental just recalled the last of thier furloughed F/As, and Northwest just called back a few hundred. Those NW F/As will work NW DC9s with 100 seats and 2 F/As and get mainline pay. US Airways is recalling too, but you guys sold out the juniors while only thinking of yourselves, and you created a monster. Do you think the MDA F/As WANT that bad contract? Of course not! They didn't sign it! You guys did! You gave away the airline and then blame people for coming back to work. The gates have been opened, and I don't see how there is any going back, but if I were still mainline, I would start negotiating with EVERY mainline F/A in mind, not just the high-paid seniors (and yes, MAA F/As ARE mainline F/As... ask the FAA or check thier manual- they are current on the entire fleet). If not for solidarity, for the protection of your job. I can see from your post you are aware of the plan... the moment a seperate "Express" division with mainline employees was agreed to (Express, please, y'all really fell for that one... have you BEEN on that plane? 🙄 ), it put the nail in every active mainline F/As coffin simply by eliminating the need for them.
This is how the F/As saw it: who cares what happens to a bunch of junior pukes? Oh, the pilots are getting thier furloughees some sort of job at "the commuter." Sure, we'll agree to that, I mean who cares about a bunch of new hires anyway, I mean they only have like 5 years with the company. If they don't like it they should go to Southwest. What, me go to Southwest? Surely you jest! Anyway, enough about this MidAtlantic thing, did they say they were taking crew meals away?!?
This is how management saw it:If Senior Sally, Piedmont Patty, and Steel City Steve say it's OK for Junior Jack and Nineties Nancy to fly planes that can aptly perform 90% of the system for much cheaper, why even keep Sally, Patty, and Steve around? Who cares that they are loyal and seasoned professionals who have held the airline up for many administrations before us, really they're ugly, old, overpaid and uncooperative bags! And Jack and Nancy really put forth a great image to the customers, and have that same spirit of teamwork and pride that those LCC folks do!
Firstamendment, I understand your anger at the situation, but misdirected anger at the individuals who got the worst deal (muliti-year furlough/termination and then a bum contract hastily voted on by someone else to return to the same job) doesn't accomplish anything... in fact it could work against everyone's interest. Now is a time to try and get everyone on the same page and unite, instead of dividing even more.
