Airport Workers on Strike

Jester

Veteran
Sep 12, 2007
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Formerly PHry Town
"Picket lines popped up at airports across the U.S., including: John F. Kennedy International and La Guardia airports in New York, Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, Logan International in Boston, Chicago’s O’Hare International, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. About 2,000 workers are believed to be involved in the strikes, according to NBCnews.com. "
 
https://www.yahoo.com/travel/airport-workers-across-the-us-go-on-strike-190756091.html
 
 
Might be interesting if Management demands AA/US employees under a CBA to perform struck work at some major hubs.
 
Let's say the contract workers UNIONIZE. Whats to keep JetBlue, United, and Delta from going to another vendor? These are not skilled labor jobs and the employees would be easy to replace with a new vendor. 
 
Even if by some miracle they are successful in UNIONIZING, if the service becomes too expensive the airlines are likely to start insourcing work. After bumping the contract help up to 15 an hour with benefits and the profit markup the airlines may very well decide it is cheaper to have their own employees at starting wages....... until they decide to contract out again and start the cycle over. 
 
Though i wish them well I can only see this effort ending unsuccessfully for labor. 
 
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La Li Lu Le Lo said:
Let's say the contract workers UNIONIZE. Whats to keep JetBlue, United, and Delta from going to another vendor? These are not skilled labor jobs and the employees would be easy to replace with a new vendor. 
 
Even if by some miracle they are successful in UNIONIZING, if the service becomes too expensive the airlines are likely to start insourcing work. After bumping the contract help up to 15 an hour with benefits and the profit markup the airlines may very well decide it is cheaper to have their own employees at starting wages....... until they decide to contract out again and start the cycle over. 
 
Though i wish them well I can only see this effort ending unsuccessfully for labor. 
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Right? Much better to sit quietly and never push for progress in the work place.

As for the rest of us, instead of cheering these guys on, and helping them get to where we are, we should just kick the ladder away.

(Sarcasm, of course)
 
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Kev3188 said:
Right? Much better to sit quietly and never push for progress in the work place.
As I said I wish them well. I hope they are successful. 
 
That does not mean I did not point out some issues that they will have to address.
 
Just because you see negativity in the comments does not mean the comments were invalid.
 
Instead of taking offense to my comments maybe we could discuss strategy for success to overcome those issues.
 
Ignoring the issues because they are unpleasant or negative does not mean they don't exist.
 
Kev3188 said:
As for the rest of us, instead of cheering these guys on, and helping them get to where we are, we should just kick the ladder away.

(Sarcasm, of course)
Help by admitting they have some obstacles that need to be overcome and working on ideas for a solution.
 
If you have any that is.
 
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In my perfect world these people will gain unionization and at the same time decent airport minimums will become standard. Forcing some of these vendor companies out of business and bringing the work back inhouse.

And no their employees won't be out of work because they will be hired direct by the airlines who have been using and taking advantage of them for years now.

We've been on a hiring tear here in MIA. Lots of those new hires have come in from the subcontractor company that does our cabin (Eulen America) Those people are overjoyed to see life on the other side, especially when they see that contract book and the pay scale progression in it.
 
Kev3188 said:
Right? Much better to sit quietly and never push for progress in the work place.

As for the rest of us, instead of cheering these guys on, and helping them get to where we are, we should just kick the ladder away.

(Sarcasm, of course)
By raising the mininum wage 5 dollars or so to $15 everything from a hamburger to pair of sneakers will go up. What happens to the guy making $20 an hour will he also go up 5 dollars an hour? No he will just find it harder to make ends meet. Here in NY the want to raise the fast food workers to $15 that means a starting ramp agent deicing a plane or pushing back a 40 million airplane in -10 degrees will be making less the the guy cleaning tables in the food court. Kev if you knew  you were going to top at at$10 when you started at NW im sure you would have moved on to something else
 
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Albert said:
By raising the mininum wage 5 dollars or so to $15 everything from a hamburger to pair of sneakers will go up. What happens to the guy making $20 an hour will he also go up 5 dollars an hour? No he will just find it harder to make ends meet. Here in NY the want to raise the fast food workers to $15 that means a starting ramp agent deicing a plane or pushing back a 40 million airplane in -10 degrees will be making less the the guy cleaning tables in the food court. Kev if you knew  you were going to top at at$10 when you started at NW im sure you would have moved on to something else
The guy in your example currently making $20/hr should be able to negotiate a 50% increase if the minimum wage employee with no skills gets a 50% government-mandated raise. If he's currently making $20/hr, his employer already recognizes that he's worth twice as much as the no-skill min wage earner, and thus the employer will realize that he's now worth $30/hr, still twice the min wage earner at their new $15/hr wage.
 
FWAAA said:
The guy in your example currently making $20/hr should be able to negotiate a 50% increase if the minimum wage employee with no skills gets a 50% government-mandated wage. If he's currently making $20/hr, his employer already recognizes that he's worth twice as much as the no-skill min wage earner, and thus the employer will realize that he's now worth $30/hr, still twice the min wage earner at their new $15/hr wage.
Tell that to his employer, not likely to happen, nice thought though
 
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FWAAA said:
The guy in your example currently making $20/hr should be able to negotiate a 50% increase if the minimum wage employee with no skills gets a 50% government-mandated wage. If he's currently making $20/hr, his employer already recognizes that he's worth twice as much as the no-skill min wage earner, and thus the employer will realize that he's now worth $30/hr, still twice the min wage earner at their new $15/hr wage.
With the JCBA we are looking at going to that $30.00 per hour you're talking about. I personally don't mind paying an extra buck for my "Happy Meal"

And Fast Food kills anyway.
 
I got a High School friend who works for one of those subcontractors in JFK. $14 per hour after 10 years. Talk about BS. If they can get a $15 airport minimum over there (They will IMO) I'm going to pull a few strings and get him on with us at AA.

What those people make especially in high COL areas is assinine. It's criminal.
 
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Albert said:
Tell that to his employer, not likely to happen, nice thought though
I disagree. Your hypothetical said the guy already convinced his employer that he was worth double the current $10/hr min wage (that's why he currently makes $20/hr). When the no-skills min wage worker is raised to $15/hr, now you're arguing that the $20/hr worker will be impotent to increase his own wages to $30/hr? I give him more credit than you do. The vast majority of people in this country make more than min wage, proving that they already have the ability to negotiate their pay.

It works all the way up the pay ladder; When someone making $100k notices that the new hire no-skills employees suddenly get 50% more, it won't take all that long for those $100k employees to make it clear that they need $150k to "keep up." No different than your hypothetical guy currently making $20/hr, double the min wage. Won't all play out in a year or two, but give it a few years, and you'll see widespread pay raises. Doesn't mean that anyone will actually be better off, only that everyone will make about 50% than they did before the min wage increase.
 
FWAAA said:
I disagree. Your hypothetical said the guy already convinced his employer that he was worth double the current $10/hr min wage (that's why he currently makes $20/hr). When the no-skills min wage worker is raised to $15/hr, now you're arguing that the $20/hr worker will be impotent to increase his own wages to $30/hr? I give him more credit than you do. The vast majority of people in this country make more than min wage, proving that they already have the ability to negotiate their pay.

It works all the way up the pay ladder; When someone making $100k notices that the new hire no-skills employees suddenly get 50% more, it won't take all that long for those $100k employees to make it clear that they need $150k to "keep up." No different than your hypothetical guy currently making $20/hr, double the min wage. Won't all play out in a year or two, but give it a few years, and you'll see widespread pay raises. Doesn't mean that anyone will actually be better off, only that everyone will make about 50% than they did before the min wage increase.
 
 
FWAAA said:
I disagree. Your hypothetical said the guy already convinced his employer that he was worth double the current $10/hr min wage (that's why he currently makes $20/hr). When the no-skills min wage worker is raised to $15/hr, now you're arguing that the $20/hr worker will be impotent to increase his own wages to $30/hr? I give him more credit than you do. The vast majority of people in this country make more than min wage, proving that they already have the ability to negotiate their pay.

It works all the way up the pay ladder; When someone making $100k notices that the new hire no-skills employees suddenly get 50% more, it won't take all that long for those $100k employees to make it clear that they need $150k to "keep up." No different than your hypothetical guy currently making $20/hr, double the min wage. Won't all play out in a year or two, but give it a few years, and you'll see widespread pay raises. Doesn't mean that anyone will actually be better off, only that everyone will make about 50% than they did before the min wage increase.
 You are talking to a guy who made $17 and change for almost 5 years waiting for a union contract so of course Im a bit cynical. But I think a guy  making $20 driving a small school bus for a mom and pop outfit might have a hard time convincing his employer (who was the low bidder for the bus contract) that he is worth $30. You are right no one will be better off but  a Buick will cost $90,000
 
WeAAsles said:
With the JCBA we are looking at going to that $30.00 per hour you're talking about. I personally don't mind paying an extra buck for my "Happy Meal"

And Fast Food kills anyway.
Weaas we are getting this raise because for once all the stars alligned. . Most people are getting 2%-3% heck the NYPD just got 1%.Even the quart of oil you use every couple of days for your mustang will go up.Even the most jaded union clerk has to be blown away with it looks like we will be getting. And you getting your friend a job withh AA is how it should be done instead of the goverment setting the bar