BWI res closing. New center opening in SUX.

[Kev3188]

WTF?!

From www.iam143.org (bold print is my own handiwork)


"Baltimore Reservations Center Closing
In an announcement made April 2, 2007 by Northwest Airlines, the Baltimore Reservations Center will be closing March 30, 2008. This decision, made by NWA, will impact approximately 182 of our brothers and sisters who currently work in the Baltimore Reservations Center, as well as the possibility of other members in other stations through exercise of seniority and so on.

Our brothers and sisters at the Baltimore Reservations Center deserve better. They have become casualties of a contract wage that NWA insisted upon throughout negotiations even though the District 143 negotiators reminded them time and time again that they could not hire or retain a viable workforce at those rates.

Instead of approaching District 143 with a practical resolution, they chose to eliminate us from the equation—literally! In addition to the disheartening news, NWA has also announced that they will be creating a new reservations center in Sioux City, Iowa. Sioux City? Yes, Sioux City.

District 143 will continue to pledge our support at all levels for our members of Local Lodge 846 throughout this trying time. The membership must bond together now, more so than ever before, look after each other and show the Company that loyalty does not always have to cost something to mean something.

District 143 will keep the membership updated to further information as it becomes available regarding this matter."

 

[Kev3188]

More on this from today's NewsWire:



"Reservations Division Announcements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This week, the Reservations division made two announcements regarding the location of call center facilities. Northwest will partner with the city of Sioux City, Iowa to open a new, 300 person call center during the fourth quarter of this year. On March 31, 2008 the Reservations office in Baltimore, MD will cease operations.
This decision was made to address the significant understaffing in the Reservations division and in response to the difficulty in retaining and recruiting employees in the Baltimore office, a relatively high cost of living area where our starting wage rates are no longer competitive. Northwest remains firmly committed to answering U.S. customer calls in the U.S. with IAM represented Reservations Sales Agents rather than pursuing an off shoring strategy as many competitors have done. To do this successfully, operations must be located where contractual wage rates are competitive, and staffing levels required to meet customers’ needs can be achieved and sustained.

“This decision is difficult for all of us in the Reservations family. We appreciate the 15 years of excellent sales and customer service provided by our co-workers in Baltimore, and we are committed to supporting them in this transition,â€￾ said Perry Cantarutti, Vice President of Reservations. “All employees in the Baltimore office will have an opportunity to continue their careers in Northwest Reservations,â€￾ he added.

Cantarutti and members of his team were in Baltimore this week to communicate the plan to employees and to present available support and career options. In addition to an Early Out with Passes program and company paid relocation to an alternative Reservations office, on-site career fairs and employment search workshops will be provided during the next twelve months of operations in Baltimore.

Advance bids for Sioux City Reservations can be filed beginning today. Bids will be cleared as we near the opening of the new Reservations Center currently planned for October 1st of this year. "





So using the logic that we'll just stop being located in high cost of living cities, look for NW to pull out of HNL, ANC, SEA, SFO, SJC, SAN (oh wait; we *did* pull our people out of SAN/SJC!), the NYC point, etc., etc., etc.

 

[tech2101]

This decision was made to address the significant understaffing in the Reservations division and in response to the difficulty in retaining and recruiting employees in the Baltimore office, a relatively high cost of living area where our starting wage rates are no longer competitive.

So when does SUX get too expensive?

 

[robbedagain]

that is the dumbest move yet the dc metro plus the baltimore metro and nwa yet pulls out the res :down: :down: :down:

 

[Kev3188]

So when does SUX get too expensive?

Good question...or HIB for that matter. And if BWI's too expensive for cost-of-living, what does that make SEA?!

 

[Spock]

Good question...or HIB for that matter. And if BWI's too expensive for cost-of-living, what does that make SEA?!

Good one Kev! I Forgot about HIB.

 

[jenny@nw]

Remember:

Northwest Airlines is to close its Detroit area reservations centre in Livonia, Mich. due to a decline in call volumes and changes in consumer purchasing habits.

The airline will handle customer calls through its five remaining US call centres following the closure, scheduled for early December 2003. The closure will affect 570 contract employees who will be eligible to transfer to one of the carrier's other reservations centres in Baltimore; Chisholm, Minn.; Minneapolis; Seattle; and Tampa, Fla.

Northwest Airlines will also close its City Ticket Office in Livonia.

Could of moved it from Livonia to the 8 mile. Probably less than $700 to rent a trailer.

 

[finman]

WTF?!

Why is this a big deal? It seems like common sense to me; and probably should have been done earlier. With technololgical advances in telecommunications, it is no longer necessary to have these call center located in large population centers. It's a good move for NWA, and it's good for the communities that are getting the new jobs. I'd think you guys would be happy that the jobs are staying in the US, and not going to India. I know I'm happy about that, and think that NWA is being very smart by keeping these jobs in the US.

 

[robbedagain]

yeah youre happy cause you dont have to relocate like those in BWI area do

 

[finman]

yeah youre happy cause you dont have to relocate like those in BWI area do

If there having such trouble hiring people in BWI, then I would presume that there aren't many people that are going top up and move to keep this job that has become so unattractive for BWI residents. It seems self evident that poeple in the BWI area are finding jobs better than an NWA res agent, and are taking them. As such, the jobs at BWI, as they exist now, are not going to be missed by very many people in BWI.

 

[jenny@nw]

If there having such trouble hiring people in BWI, then I would presume that there aren't many people that are going top up and move to keep this job that has become so unattractive for BWI residents. It seems self evident that poeple in the BWI area are finding jobs better than an NWA res agent, and are taking them. As such, the jobs at BWI, as they exist now, are not going to be missed by very many people in BWI.

Reopen the Detroit center then..... Same smell. I think someone has a girlfriend in SUX.

 

[Kev3188]

Why is this a big deal? It seems like common sense to me; and probably should have been done earlier.

"Common sense" to me would have dictated either: Closing it and not replacing it, or opening (or re-opening) a facility "closer to home." This seems to go against the theme of using consolidation to gain efficiency (see: Central Load moving entirely to MSP,etc.).

It's a good move for NWA, and it's good for the communities that are getting the new jobs.

You say good; I say questionable.

I'd think you guys would be happy that the jobs are staying in the US, and not going to India. I know I'm happy about that, and think that NWA is being very smart by keeping these jobs in the US.

No debate on that. I don't think anyone here is arguing against keeping union jobs in the US.

Having said that, did you miss all of the discussion regarding the RES centers in Asia?

 

[exnw]

Why is this a big deal? It seems like common sense to me; and probably should have been done earlier. With technololgical advances in telecommunications, it is no longer necessary to have these call center located in large population centers. It's a good move for NWA, and it's good for the communities that are getting the new jobs. I'd think you guys would be happy that the jobs are staying in the US, and not going to India. I know I'm happy about that, and think that NWA is being very smart by keeping these jobs in the US.

Finny,

Pretty soon you will be reading this:

With the merger of NW and (take your pick) it will no
longer be necessary to keep Minneapolis as headquarters.

All NW mid level managers will now be asked to relocate
at half your salary to another domicile. I think the NW
managers should be happy that the jobs are staying in the
US. How will that feel?

 

[finman]

Finny,

Pretty soon you will be reading this:

With the merger of NW and (take your pick) it will no
longer be necessary to keep Minneapolis as headquarters.

All NW mid level managers will now be asked to relocate
at half your salary to another domicile. I think the NW
managers should be happy that the jobs are staying in the
US. How will that feel?

How would I feel? You must have mistaken me for a liberal. I Don't sit around and think about how things make me feel.

I would probably stay in Minneapolis and find a different job that paid at or near my current pay. Jobs get moved, jobs get eliminated, and new jobs get created; that's just life. A particular job in a particular city for a particular wage is not an entitlement one should expect.

By the way, the jobs being moved to SUX are at the same wage scale as is being offered currently in BWI. Anybody who actually moved to SUX from BWI to follow this job would effectively be getting a raise, as the cost of living is much lower in SUX.

 

[usflyguy]

had friends that worked at the ny/long island res center. is it still open?