APFA Labor cost analysis

[boston]

Incredibly deceptive? Really. Spoken like another (deleted by moderator: namecalling) who wants everyone else to work for minimum wage so he can get cheap tickets. Working and not getting paid for it is working and not getting paid for it, period. The fact that we are not covered by the Taft-Hartley Wage and Hour Act was just another Congressional gift to the airlines.

The trip I just worked (and like the other f/a, I love my job. But then, I don't have to depend upon this job to pay my bills) had me away from base from the time I signed in until 15 minutes after we blocked in on the last leg for 64 hours and 05 minutes. I got paid for 18 hours, 48 minutes of that time. During the entire 64+ hours, I was technically on duty 24 hours a day. The company could call me at any time day or night or send an ACARS message to the a/c while aloft to reassign me to something else. My base flight pay is approx. $38/hr. For the true hourly wage for the 64 hours, it works out to $11hr. That "more than makes up?" and, at that wage that "more than makes up" I am guaranteed 70 hours/month. Do the math. I barely clear $2000/month.

You ought to be grateful that f/as are willing to put up with that. I bet you wouldn't. And, as a "the company is always right" man, I'll bet you brag about the origin of the legal precedent for not paying flight attendants while the door is open. In the 1920's when the RLA was passed the railroads got the courts to rule that Pullman porters who were all African-American didn't have to be paid "when the train was in the station" because they weren't doing any real work--just helping passengers on and off and loading and unloading the passengers' steamer trunks, and they got tipped for that. You must be so very proud that the airlines managed to use that same spurious argument.

Well said!

 

[Imjustsayin]

Incredibly deceptive? Really. Spoken like another(deleted by moderator: namecalling) who wants everyone else to work for minimum wage so he can get cheap tickets. Working and not getting paid for it is working and not getting paid for it, period. The fact that we are not covered by the Taft-Hartley Wage and Hour Act was just another Congressional gift to the airlines.

The trip I just worked (and like the other f/a, I love my job. But then, I don't have to depend upon this job to pay my bills) had me away from base from the time I signed in until 15 minutes after we blocked in on the last leg for 64 hours and 05 minutes. I got paid for 18.48 minutes of that time. During the entire 64+ hours, I was technically on duty 24 hours a day. The company could call me at any time day or night or send an ACARS message to the a/c while aloft to reassign me to something else. My base flight pay is approx. $38/hr. For the true hourly wage for the 64 hours, it works out to $11hr. That "more than makes up?" and, at that wage that "more than makes up" I am guaranteed 70 hours/month. Do the math. I barely clear $2000/month.

You ought to be grateful that f/as are willing to put up with that. I bet you wouldn't. And, as a "the company is always right" man, I'll bet you brag about the origin of the legal precedent for not paying flight attendants while the door is open. In the 1920's when the RLA was passed the railroads got the courts to rule that Pullman porters who were all African-American didn't have to be paid "when the train was in the station" because they weren't doing any real work--just helping passengers on and off and loading and unloading the passengers' steamer trunks, and they got tipped for that. You must be so very proud that the airlines managed to use that same spurious argument.

I'm assuming you knew how flight crew pay was calculated when you took the job, or you figured it out shortly thereafter. Yet, here you are . Do you really think you should be getting 38 dollars and hour while you are sleeping in a hotel or eating dinner? why do you resort to calling people names on this forum?

 

[Bear96]

. . . During the entire 64+ hours, I was technically on duty 24 hours a day. The company could call me at any time day or night or send an ACARS message to the a/c while aloft to reassign me to something else.

Jim, please. Enough with the over-dramatics and martyrdom. Do yourself and your cause a favor. Most non-airline employees will not empathize with you about this point (among others).

A lot of people are subject to calls from the boss at odd hours to get work done (including at weekends, which are supposed to be days off).

Does that mean that all of them are never technically "off duty" and so should be paid as if they are working round the clock, 24/7?

 

[Bear96]

I barely clear $2000/month.

So why exactly do you put up with a job that is so terrible for so little pay (since you don't need it to pay the bills and all, as you keep reminding everyone)?

There must be SOMEthing about it that makes it worthwhile for you and worth the compensation that AA offers.

You ought to be grateful that f/as are willing to put up with that.

Why should the average traveller be "grateful" for this?

My [cheapskate] company requires me to travel a heckuvalot for work. I suppose it counts on an endless supply of people like you who seek the glamour of working for the airlines to keep travel costs down. But if travel starts to cost too much, we would just do more video / teleconferencing and use other technologies (which we are already on the fence about) to keep travel costs down. Which means more time at home for me. Which is a good thing.

So go for it - make air travel unaffordable! My QoL will only go up. (But get ready for massive airline layoffs.)

 

[Bob Owens]

Clean the plane "without pay" is incredibly deceptive. FAs may not be paid while the door is open, but their hour rate while the door is closed more than makes up for this fact.

Really? How do you figure that?

 

[Frank Szabo]

Really? How do you figure that?

Bob:

I put this Frequent Flyer person on ignore long ago - you should do the same as there's no reason for us to feed an office ego by responding.

Few of these people have ever actually worked at any job except, perhaps, during the summer while going to college and can't identify with us other than to say we have to work for less (so they can make more).

Trying to explain our position to this group is like trying to teach the proverbial pig to sing.

 

[WorldTraveler]

More money in my pocket makes it more likely that your flight wont be delayed or cancelled.

Really?
And tell us why when you get X amount of money, the demand in order for us to get decent service doesn't escalate to Y dollars?

I think most passengers would far rather fly with people who do their job to the best of their ability and who will leave negotiating with the company separate while not using passengers as "bait."

 

[Imjustsayin]

Bob:

I put this Frequent Flyer person on ignore long ago - you should do the same as there's no reason for us to feed an office ego by responding.

Few of these people have ever actually worked at any job except, perhaps, during the summer while going to college and can't identify with us other than to say we have to work for less (so they can make more).

Trying to explain our position to this group is like trying to teach the proverbial pig to sing.

Wow there's a great strategy - put everyone who has a different point of view on"ignore". Eventually you will be able to convince yourself you're right on just about everything. Good luck with that.

 

[Frank Szabo]

Wow there's a great strategy - put everyone who has a different point of view on"ignore". Eventually you will be able to convince yourself you're right on just about everything. Good luck with that.

I've no use for the opinions of (Deleted by Moderator: namecalling) or their supporters.