Alpa Mec Code-a-phone Update - May 4, 2004

[USA320Pilot]

ALPA MEC CODE-A-PHONE UPDATE - May 4, 2004

This is Jack Stephan with a US Airways MEC update for Tuesday, May 4th, with two new items.

Item 1. Today, your MEC officers, Negotiating Committee, Communications Committee Chairman, and ALPA’s legal and financial staff and advisors met with senior management to receive a presentation on the many elements of the Company’s Transformation Plan. We are encouraged by the fresh thinking and aggressive marketing plan that is embodied in the strategy going forward.

Senior management did not discuss labor’s participation in the Plan at this time, choosing to first meet with each labor group to ensure that each one fully understands the Plan’s framework. We will continue to meet with senior management tomorrow, May 5th at the Labor Advisory Council Meeting in Crystal City. We will be providing you with detailed information on the Plan after the conclusion of our briefings with the Company. Please continue to stay updated through the code-a-phone and website.

Item 2. As a reminder, an LOA 91 question and answer link has been placed on the pilots only home page to give pilots another opportunity to become educated on LOA 91. To ask the Negotiating Committee a question about LOA 91—The Consolidated Small Jet Agreement, just click on this link, which is highlighted under “New Information,†type your question into a short electronic form, and then hit the “Submit†button. The questions will be forwarded to the Negotiating Committee, who will answer the most frequently-asked questions. These answers will be posted on the pilots only home page by the end of the week.

The balloting period for LOA 91 ends in five days on Monday, May 10, at 10 a.m. EDT. You may change your vote at any time during this timeframe, and your last vote before polling closes will be counted as your final vote.

Please remember we have 1,879 pilots on furlough.

 

[ClueByFour]

Senior management did not discuss labor’s participation in the Plan at this time, choosing to first meet with each labor group to ensure that each one fully understands the Plan’s framework.

This is what seperates a good leadership team from the current crop of wankers at CCY.

Instead of really being open and honest about this process, it's repeating the dual mantras of "we must hammer more costs out of labor" and "we are not going to tell you specifics until you agree to it."

Nothing like the cart before the horse.

All it will take is one group to derail this whole thing, and that will probably be the IAM-M, who has all sorts of valid reasons to do so. Even if the company wins the Airbus arbitration, it cannot afford to replace the 737 fleet in any case and it's a given that if the company wins that the IAM-M won't be granting any additional concessions in this lifetime or the next. Should the company lose the Airbus arbitration, it's likely the IAM-M won't be granting any concessions in this lifetime or the next.

In short, this all could have been avoided with:

Solid strategic management during the Chapter 11 filing and an honest attempt to negotiate what the company needed the first time.

If US Airways management wants to save the airline, I'd suggest the next departure from CCY absolutely has to be Jerry Glass. Without doing so, there is little point in heading back to the table with anyone except the pilots (whose top %51 as a group have shown the willingness to sell their souls, mother, brother, and children to keep their seat for just a few more years at any cost).

 

[ktflyhome]

Clue: That was what was bothering me too when I read it. That until they meet with Union leaders, we are not going to know the plan. I for one am really sick of this. It is rude, thoughtless and sneaky in my opinion. We have a right as employees to be told what this so called PLAN is upfront.

Maybe they don't really have a plan until they do meet with Union Leaders to see just how willing we are to be sucked dry once again.

As I heard several employees comment the other day....what this company has been doing to us all is NOT healthy for our souls and well being.

 

[colorado_cowboy]

I for one am really sick of this.

KT I know exactly where your coming from, its gotten to the point where Im sending out my resume and the first offer that even looks half way descent Im going to take it.
Ive been with this airline for 16 years and the first 5 were great but after that we as labor have done nothing but gone backward.

 

[Jon153]

Does anybody have a clue when the airline will make it's plan public?

 

[SalesGuyCCY]

Some of you just don't get it! You are not going to see every element of a plan laid out in black and white for the competition to see..

 

[USFlyer]

Does anybody have a clue when the airline will make it's plan public?

I really hope the "plan" is not made public in written form. Do you want your competitors to see it and develop a response of their own? For example, let's suppose the rumors about increased point-to-point service from BOS are true: Do you want your competitors to know the routes and planes before US loads them into reservations systems? Let them see the plan when the changes are actually implemented.

 

[700UW]

Some of you just don't get it! You are not going to see every element of a plan laid out in black and white for the competition to see..

No plan, NO CONCESSIONS!

No one in their right mind will give this management anymore money so they can piss it away like they have done with over $2 billion per year all ready!

 

[firstamendment]

Some of you just don't get it! You are not going to see every element of a plan laid out in black and white for the competition to see..

SalesGuy,
I have been hearing this crap for 17 years. Funny, SWA never hides it's plan...to kick US Airway's butt..and funny how extremely successful they have been. Anyway, why not let everyone know what the plan is..we have nothing to lose from it. Most either don't BELIEVE there is a plan OR most won't believe it will be implemented. Hell, management can't sign a labor agreement and the ink be dried before they break those. So what makes you think there is any credibility where a so called "plan" is concerned?

And will it be a part of the "big announcement" ?

 

[MarkMyWords]

If you really look and listen you can see different parts of the plan revealed. Additional PHL and CLT Caribbean service. Additional PHL service to Europe. Reduced flying in PIT. GoFares. New web page.

What we don't hear is what the expectations are of the employee groups. We have been hearing about concessions for 6 months, and still, nothing revealed. That is very frustrating.

Also, we have known about WN's arrival in PHL since October. What was our competitve response? Matching fares, increasing frequencies. It wasn't until this week that we decided to haul around sales and marketing people in a big yellow bus to promote our fares. In 7 months time I would have thought that our competitve response would have been much better then that.

In 6-7 months time what have we accomplished besides the removal of the CEO? Have we increased our aircraft utilization rate? Rolled the PHL hub? Changed employee productivity as allowed by current contracts? I have seen the schedule through the end of the summer and there is really is no significant change. Does it take a year to learn how to increase aircraft and employee productivity?

Maybe I am looking for miracles........maybe I am expectign things to happen much faster then they realistically can. Why has it taken 6 months to put together this so called plan? Why has it taken 6 months of threats before anything that relates to me as an employee is revealed?

Get it over with already and tell me what you expect of me as an employee so I can plan for my life, with or without this company!

 

[PITbull]

Clue: That was what was bothering me too when I read it. That until they meet with Union leaders, we are not going to know the plan. I for one am really sick of this. It is rude, thoughtless and sneaky in my opinion. We have a right as employees to be told what this so called PLAN is upfront.

Maybe they don't really have a plan until they do meet with Union Leaders to see just how willing we are to be sucked dry once again.

As I heard several employees comment the other day....what this company has been doing to us all is NOT healthy for our souls and well being.

The "plan" is what was outlined in the MEC AFA hotline and E-line. That is the crust of the plan.

The MAIN plan is what is labor willing or unwillingly going to concede to.

I can tell you from where I sit, AFA will not be negotiating a mirror image of America West OR JetBlue. To AFA, they could spell an easy merger with America West, IMO.

I am not on that airplane!

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Colorado Cowboy,

Thanks for your post. Listen to this man, he makes a lot of sense. He's had enough and he's taking charge of his life and making a change.

If your job makes you miserable, get a NEW one. DON'T tell me it's not that simple, because actually it is!

An old G/F told me once "If you don't like your life , CHANGE IT" So I did I broke up with her. LOL Not sure her advise was taken the way she wanted it to be LOL. Her point was valid


Good Luck Colorado Cowboy, all the best.

PineyBob, I don't know how old you are, but your summation is easier said than done. I was told by someone in management that the average age of a US Airways' employee is close to 50! Yes, 50! I realize there is not supposed to be age discrimination in today's work environment, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the odds are of getting a similar job with similar pay and benefits. I've seen one family member in his 50's (not in an airline job) that was with his company for 29 years; he walks in to work one day and the next thing he knows he's been "downsized." Come to find out, his job went to a younger worker in another out of town facility. I've heard lots of stories like this, again, they aren't airline related. I agree with you in that everyone at US Airways should be working on updating their resume. Sometimes the simple act of writing out one's resume creates time for reflection and thought on the job you currently have. It's a personal choice to ask oneself, "Is this job worth it?" If not, take action and get out there and see what's available.

 

[SpinDoc]

The "plan" is what was outlined in the MEC AFA hotline and E-line. That is the crust of the plan.

The MAIN plan is what is labor willing or unwillingly going to concede to.

I can tell you from where I sit, AFA will not be negotiating a mirror image of America West OR JetBlue. To AFA, they could spell an easy merger with America West, IMO.

I am not on that airplane!

PITBull:

What is so wrong about America West? At least
they are making money. That's what this game is
all about after all and they have found a way to
make a profit while simplifying their fares. Heck,
I even read that they are adding 10% capacity
this year through increased aircraft utilization.
This will obviously mean increased employee
productivity as well, but you don't hear about
their employees whining about it. You union
muckrakers really make me want to laugh.

 

[PITbull]

PITBull:

What is so wrong about America West? At least
they are making money. That's what this game is
all about after all and they have found a way to
make a profit while simplifying their fares. Heck,
I even read that they are adding 10% capacity
this year through increased aircraft utilization.
This will obviously mean increased employee
productivity as well, but you don't hear about
their employees whining about it. You union
muckrakers really make me want to laugh.

Spin Doc,

Making money is not what it is all about, when the worker does not make a livable wage, while the corporation bloats with senior execs huge compensations.

If labor got real value in stock (not 58 shares a piece for $116 million dollars a year worth of concessions from our group alone) that would give credence to your statement of "all about making money".

At present, it doesn't work for most of the labor groups.

 

[ktflyhome]

PITBull:

What is so wrong about America West? At least
they are making money. That's what this game is
all about after all and they have found a way to
make a profit while simplifying their fares. Heck,
I even read that they are adding 10% capacity
this year through increased aircraft utilization.
This will obviously mean increased employee
productivity as well, but you don't hear about
their employees whining about it. You union
muckrakers really make me want to laugh.

So, Spin Doc, instead of verbally putting others down for their beliefs and ideas and insulting them....what is your solution to the problem.??? Please be intelligent about this. As you come across as having all the answers, when appropriate to your cause. <_<