A77 - for the record, I am a VERY junior APFA flight attendant. My previous positions have been BMAS coder/lvl 2 MIA, MIA gates, and I started in SERO RES in BMAS.
I'm curious as to what you think wasteful programs the APFA has fought for are...sorta a point/counterpoint. I'm not attacking you at all. I believe you work in (s)Crew Scheduling , I'm curious to hear your side. To me, that is an operational dept, esp. when the WX hits the fan!
From a P/C standpoint, some of the lines are quite ridiculous (as FA MIKEY has pointed out). There has got to be a better utilization available!
Early in my flying career, I chatted with a (an?) ORD F/A who helped out on a bid in HDQ and was explaining the balance with purity/cadence and stations. She said she had come up with super-cool lines but with those were lines she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. Needless to say, she had immense respect for Crew Sked. Now the other day, I flew a DCA turn from MIA with a 5-1/2hr sit (hotel provided...thank-goodness, I needed a nap). That is rather wasteful unless we get special rates for not overnighting. There had to be other 737's leaving DC!
From a F/A view, sit-times are what kills us, which is why we have a minimum duty day in place. A 3+hr sit wears you out more than flying.
I hope you realize F/As would rather have the "flying" hours. There is a good reason 4:45 min. day is in place. Not to mention the company can average that out over the duration of the trip.
Also, please realize we sign in 1 hour before departure which triggers our TAFB pay (I believe) at a whopping $1.85/hr. If we have a mechanical, we make the same amount until we block from the gate (unless ground-time becomes an issue).
I can say that coming from other "full-time" departments, F/A pay is the most confusing thing in the world.
Granted, higher pay-scale F/As make good money, but they've put in a lot of time to do so (as have agents and rampers...look at those beginning pay scales...eek!)
I am not trying to put AA under when I say "full pay till the last day". Work rules are negotiable first, last resort, pay scale (again, I made $22,000+ last year WITH the raises (no high-time avbl, line-droppers on leaves, etc. I'm thankful the contract provision is in place that allows leaves so I can continue flying, not to mention reserve now means minimal hours).
I will give up shift differential 'cuz I like to fly at night. However, galley does deserve a bit more (F/C esp.) Y/C not as much unless dinner is involved, which is rarely these days.
Don't think I'm never saying never...I will review everything, do my research and make my own decisions. As stated previously, I would prefer work rule changes vs. an actual cut in pay.
I have 7 years with this company and I truly hope to retire from them but I'm also not accepting wages that will make me eligible for food stamps. I think I'm very realistic in my wage requirements. Unfortunately, I don't believe Executive Management is on the same page...they serve on many boards and have their "parachutes" in place. I truly don't believe they have as vested an interest as us "lifers" do.
Many of us "vent" on management, I don't believe that is intended for lvl 2/3 management. Management means Executive to us and that distrust has been in place for years. We don't trust them as far as we can throw them.
Above all, I'm ANGRY. Mind you, passengers and co-workers never see it but inside I seethe. I inadvertantly fell into exactly the right airline for me (MIA base, international destinations that fascinate me). When I started AA was the Holy Grail of the airline industry. Cash on hand, business-savvy, and conservative. It's been p*ssed away over the years and to all you naysayers, it's not union contracts. I swear, Carty couldn't spend money fast enough. Arenas, terminal expansions, thinking the premium-business Golden Goose was forever. Sorry, my philosophy is "what goes up, must come down". It's cyclical, you need to save for a rainy day.
I don't claim to be "business-savvy" but what shocked me the most was when we were making "hand-over-fist" money, we were still carrying debt. Profit-sharing and bonuses were the norm.
In "lay(wo)man/working(wo)man terms, don't know about you, but if a bundle of cash comes my way, that credit card debt is gone, because it costs much more in the long run. To be fair, maybe this debt was like a mortgage with a penalty for early payment, I really don't know but could they really have thought the GOOD-TIME 90'S were never-ending?
Full-disclosure, I have less than $1,500 in credit card debt and I HATE IT. I'm looking for a 2nd job to 86 it.
Again, I'm ignorant from an MBA point-of-view, if you view the obvious that I'm not understanding, please explain it to me.
Thanks!
Coop