ELP_WN_Psgr May 23 2004, 02:49 PM Post #1
mweiss mentioned to me, in a different related thread, that one of the threads dealt whith "what employees ought to do" and he would be interested in seeing my take on it.
Well, much to my chagrin there are about a dozen threads dealing with the topic...so I am unable to find the one upon which he wanted me to post my sage advice.
Thus, I will start a new one. mweisee, this one's for you:
If I were the labor groups that still seem to have a reasonable amount of good judgment (this excludes the pilots) I would offer some concessions, to kick in ONLY after management had met certain non-negotiable demands:
1. A complete and total rationalization of the fare structure based upon mileage and ASM cost. If your ASM cost is 12 cents, there is no way in heck a 300 mile flight should cost close to 500 clams. The problem is your management or lack thereof has perpetually looked at the cost side of the equation rather than the revenue side. Rational fares mean more walkup traffic (rather than a plethora of cheap seats sold) means more revenue means greater demand means more flights means more employees means a growing airline means junior people can be brought back in to the workforce means average labor costs go down meaning less draconian wage concessions are necessary.
NOTE: "Go-fares" implemented in certain markets operated by an airline with ugly colored planes doesn't count. The idea is right, the location is wrong. Go ahead, bite the bullet, and do this systemwide, do it now, and do it right. You really have nothing to lose.
2. Relocation of corporate headquarters from Arlington VA to either Pittsburgh or Charlotte. Accompanying this will be a 10 or 15% reduction in the wages paid to all management personnel earning in excess of $60K per year, since the cost of living in either of those places is substantially less than in the DC metro area.
3. Implementation of a company-wide policy that dictates that all management personnel, whether on business or for pleasre, will travel in Y only. Only to transact company business will upper level management be permitted to travel positive space. For their pleasure travel, for their commuting convenience....it will be strictly space available.
4. Implementation of a company policy that limits hotel and meal per diem rates to the amounts authorized for federal government employees. Basically, that puts the big bosses in a La Quinta or Holiday Inn Express. And you know, there is nothing wrong with that. If they are TRULY serious about saving the company, they ought to be willing to make the sacrifice. There is nothing magical or special about those people that dictates they stay in a suite at the Radisson etc etc.
5. Consolidation into USAirways all the wholly owned carriers. This MAA/PSA/Piedomont/et al nonsense is confusing at best and ridiculous under any circumstances. It's ALL USAirways. One set of managers. One batch of res agents. Now that the whooly owned folks are all under the USAirways umbrella, no more giving routes and traffic and money away to Mesa. if it is worth operating and generates revenue, operate it yourselves. If it isn't, let it go.
6. Okay, now time for the concessions. To heck with America West contracts. After management has met these demands, it is time to give up some thing in return. And here is what USAirways folks ought to be willing to accept, since management has acted in good faith by doing the aforementioned things. The contracts you ought to be willing to live with are Southwest's contracts, with an adgustment to total seniority pegged at 65%. For example, if you are a USAirways FA with 20 yrs service, you should suck it up and take the Southwest Airlines contract for an employee with 13 years. A gate agent with 11 years ought to get what Southwest pays their 7 yr gate agents. Mechanics and pilots and everyobody else....likewise.
Now...will what I have suggested save the company? Beats my pair of jacks. I do know, however, that it would be a whole lot more equitable (and a lot more palatable) than what USAir320pilot keeps throwing out there. The bottom line is that if USAirways continues to treat employees as liabilities, they are going to continue to behave as liabilities. If they are included in a COMPANY WIDE plan of salvation, there is still a chance.
