American-US Airways merger proposal expected to come soon

[signals]

Sure he is. You are working for an airline almost every industry analyst wrote off as dead at least twice. You are working for an airline that is now in a position to consider merging with another carrier bigger in size. You are working for an airline that has a strategy and is executing that strategy -- continued fleet renewal, focusing on the four core cities. You are working for an airline that is leading in DOT statistics after several years of being at or near the bottom. You are working for an airline that is respected by investors. You are working for an airline that has shown revenue growth. This is all good for employees.

No he is not. You are working on the lower pay scale of your industry. You are working for an airline that can't resolve the labor issues of the previous, er-ah, current, er-ah, whatever, merger came from HP/US merger. I'll give you the strategy part. And more yada yada yada.

All this is fine and dandy for the airline. For the underpaid employee, they might not share your love for the company.

 

[pilot]

Parker cannot succeed in running an airline if he has to pay the "going rate". He only "succeeds" by having the ability to underpay his workforce because of BK contracts and his refusal to attempt to solve the labor issues by all groups. His not merging the two airlines is precisely his business plan. He has cost advantages by not merging them or solving the seniority issue with the pilots.

Imagine Kelleher or Bethune not leading their highly respected companies by allowing the employee disunity and seniority fight. You cannot imagine it because they would not allow it to happen. They were leaders and company builders. Parker is neither. He is a weak man who takes advantage of his beaten down employees and ignores the morale issues.

He is not a success. He is an utter disgrace. One does not measure success in profit only. Especially profit on the backs of underpaid employees. Were he to pay what he needs to be paying, he would be exposed for the charlatan that he is.

 

[wings396]

Didn't that repeat itself with the UA/CO merger? After all, UA was credited with bringing CO in the Star Alliance...I hear they got US in. UA wanted to merge and guess who stepped to the plate? There was even talk of a three-way. And believe it or not, I read somewhere that Parker wanted the merger so bad, he said he would step down as CEO. I don't doubt he would have still wanted control behind the scenes. Whatever the reasoning, he would have made his money.

At one point, UA had approached CO about a possible merger. After CO went thru UA's books, they had no interest in merging. When Parker got serious with UA, it sort of forced CO's hand into taking another look. As we have seen, CO was able to call the shots to a certain extent by keeping their CEO and their livery with the UA name. The location of the HDQ is about all that UA won out on.
This is why some have credited Parker when it comes to industry consolidation. Had he not made a play for UA, its possible that they may not have merged with CO.
CO pretty much went along with a merger in order not to be the odd man out. Had either one of them been able to predict the AA BK, things may have played out differently.

 

[wings396]

Parker cannot succeed in running an airline if he has to pay the "going rate". He only "succeeds" by having the ability to underpay his workforce because of BK contracts and his refusal to attempt to solve the labor issues by all groups. His not merging the two airlines is precisely his business plan. He has cost advantages by not merging them or solving the seniority issue with the pilots.

Imagine Kelleher or Bethune not leading their highly respected companies by allowing the employee disunity and seniority fight. You cannot imagine it because they would not allow it to happen. They were leaders and company builders. Parker is neither. He is a weak man who takes advantage of his beaten down employees and ignores the morale issues.

He is not a success. He is an utter disgrace. One does not measure success in profit only. Especially profit on the backs of underpaid employees. Were he to pay what he needs to be paying, he would be exposed for the charlatan that he is.

Please tell me how he or any CEO can settle a seniority dispute that is tied up in one court battle after another?
I don't believe that Parker "allowed" this pissing contest to take place.

 

[700UW]

The AFA isnt in a seniority dispute and he could offered them a better TA.

And he can negotiate everything in the USAPA cba and he has all ready accepted the Nicalou Arbitration.

 

[USFlyer]

And your working for an airline who cant seem to merge two airlines in seven years!

Unheard of in this industry.

C'mon, the airlines are merged. Separate work forces havn't hurt operational reliability or financial results one bit. And, let's remember it's the pilots seniority dispute that's holding up having one pilot group, which is not Parker's fault.

 

[700UW]

What about the AFA, and yes it does hurt reliability and finances, you cant East crews cant fly a West Plane and vice versa.

And he could negotiate a CBA, there is nothing stopping him.

 

[USFlyer]

All this is fine and dandy for the airline. For the underpaid employee, they might not share your love for the company.

What you're paid is what your union negotiated. If you aren't happy with it, either vote "no" and deal with the consequences (e.g., strike) or find employment elsewhere. Nothing is keeping you at US if you aren't happy with the pay.

 

[700UW]

Dodge the issue.

 

[USFlyer]

What about the AFA, and yes it does hurt reliability and finances, you cant East crews cant fly a West Plane and vice versa.

And he could negotiate a CBA, there is nothing stopping him.

He did, one that was supported by union leadership. Rank and file voted it down. I'd say that's an issue between union leadership and the rank and file ... not between the union and the company.

And, lots of companies merge and never fully integrate work forces. I've worked for two of them. You manage around it such that it doesn't affect the bottom line, which is exactly what US is doing now.

Again, I've been consistent on this point for years. If you don't like the pay, if you don't like management, if you don't like working conditions, then why in the world would you stay at the company? For what it's worth, high turnover is a huge motivator for management to do something, since replacing people is expensive. If people don't leave, though, you're fighting an uphill battle and always will be.

 

[700UW]

If the company doesnt offer what the membership feels they deserve its the company's fault. The FA's at East are working under a Chapter 11 concessionary contract and the West are working under a CBA that has been amendable for years which is low wages and benefits.

No airline operates seven years separately after a merger.

You cant compare another industry to an airline, you cant swap crews and planes when necessary because of the crews arent merged, that hurts operational reliability especially during irregular ops.

 

[USFlyer]

I disagree but respect your thoughts and how you view the world. Neither one of us is in charge -- company or union -- so I guess we'll just have to see how things materialize going forward.

 

[robbedagain]

usairways is the only airline in the world that operates 2 seperate aggreements and east crews with east only planes and west with west planes it did not take delta 7 yrs to get their nwa and dl counterparts together and i be wilin to bet that swa and fl wont take 7 yrs either i have heard from many flight crews both sides and they say yes the company is making money but they are suffering operationally

 

[signals]

Separate work forces havn't hurt operational reliability or financial results one bit.

Which is why it works for management in general and Parker in particular. jmho

 

[signals]

What you're paid is what your union negotiated. If you aren't happy with it, either vote "no" and deal with the consequences (e.g., strike) or find employment elsewhere. Nothing is keeping you at US if you aren't happy with the pay.

True and glad to hear it.

And I'm not firedougparker!