FA TA voted down

[USA320Pilot]

i want you to know that my heart goes out to all of the FA's in tears ......i know what a life changing event a new TA can be ...i'm a baggage handler here in PHX and it seems like only yesterday that we had the "vote " ...

As a former America West employee our wages were HORRIBLE ... i mean just horrible ....we looked with envy at what the east guys were making and that was our SOLE objective , to make a living wage ...The East people however had a different midset ... they thought THEIR wages were horrible , and because many of them had been there for 20 + years , they still bore resentment from their last BK contract , and rememebered everything that they had lost over the years ....our discussions on here were as divided as NIGHT/DAY .... name calling , lies , you name it ....meanwhile we PHX people were out there picketing ,"working safe" , there were even people stuffing informative fliers about our horrible conditions and low wages in passangers baggage ( made the news ) ....

We were united as a work force , well an America West work force ...and the east , they were fractured , they had thrown their field stations under the bus in order to save themselves more concessions ... but PHL and CLT vastly outnumbered us ....

When we took the first TA vote it failed , and we were utterly devistated ....despair , tears ,sorrow ...but we commited to fighting twice as hard for the next round ...meanwhile the economy grew far worse , and that helped to open some eyes on the East metal , but still not enough to easily win a second match ...

For the second TA vote , i think that many on the east coast simply assumed that because they handily won the first round , they would win the second round and so not as many workers went to vote ( back then , there was no over the phone voting , you had to vote in person ) ... I should mention that the East workers wanted more pay , and they also wanted magic money paychecks via some amazing change of control greivence that would give every east worker 20 K ....(nothing ever came of the change of control )

The only reason we won the second TA is because of one man ... Ron Roth ....Here in PHX we had over a 1000 workers , but our work force back then was nothing short of apathetic , most wanted the new contract , but most were also too lazy to find where the union hall was and drive down to it ( just outside of the airport ) .... Ron understood the workers and how far they would be willing to go ... so he arranged to have the vote held here IN the airport ...because of that we had almost complete turn out for the vote .. i think it was close to 900 people who voted , we only had 7 no votes ...That combined with almost unamious support from the field stations who feared outsourcing and the 60 day rule(a tool too send long term agents to the bottom of the payscale making them start ALL OVER again ) , these factors along with apathy from the East metal workers to having to come out and vote again allowed us to win ...

but it was close ....... and while many of us gained increased wages , we gave up ALOT of stations to outsourcing ... To this day we still suffer the ramifications of the outsourcing terms .. it seems there isn't a month that doesn't go by in PHX that brings in new refugee's .... our senority no longer goes up , but actually BACKWARDS as more and more senior people come in from the outsourced field stations ..we also gave up profit sharing ...

For people like myself the contract was a boon .... but for many others it's been a negative life chaging event ... there are now SO many people who have to communte from their homes across the country to PHX , it's really sad ...When they closed down TUS , ton's of people came up here , and many of them still have familes and homes that they must drive two hours to.... The ones that have lives down there live in rented homes in large groups , they work double shift after double shift so that they can go back and be part of their familes ... same goes for the LAS workers ..

I think getting a new contract was necessary considering the state of the economy , and from what i've read in this thread about the company not offering more than they already have , that's an accurate statment ... on our second TA they didn't offer anything more that i'm aware of , but merly moved things around a bit ...

The companies hand is simply SUPER SUPER strong ...(because of how horrible the job market is right now ) ...

i doubt you'll get enough time for another TA before the American Merger is annouced which will put the brakes on everything ... at that point your going to be three groups having to decide on new terms , and that's going to make things even harder and more complicated ...

your 98 votes is very similar to our second TA vote , and those of us who are former America West workers could have very well ended up where you are today had Ron Roth not done what he did ...(bless him ) ...

i can only tell you what i have learned when it comes to TA agreements , but i tend to think that if one knows a merger is upcoming the best thing you can do is too take what's on the table and then ready yourselves for the next round .. that's what i think we will do ... the "time value of money " is a concept that i am now very familar with as i think back to the two years of my working career where i could have made almost 5 dollars an hour more had we accepted the first contract ... When we merge with American , we will be a united ramp that is now experinced in mergers .... if the company offers us fair job protections and decent wages , we will move quickly to accept a new contract rather than drag things out thinking of how things "used to be "

I don't know what you all are going to do now ... i feel very sorry for you that you couldn't come to a new agreement ...

Freedom,

Thank you for your well-written and heart felt post. I agree with your comments and thoughts.

Thanks.

USA320Pilot

 

[luvthe9]

Freedom,

Thank you for your well-written and heart felt post. I agree with your comments and thoughts.

Thanks.

USA320Pilot

F/A's pay not attention to this idiot, after he was FIRED from the company part of his reinstatment was to be a company rah rah type, he is by far the most hated and least respected pilot on the property.

 

[Glucose Intolerant]

What has gotton old is the bitter group from PIT who think we still are in the early eighties and tactics that did work then will work now.. The only way to stop this madness is for us to merge with AA and over ride the stupidity that many appear to have. We will not get more than we got from this company...NEVER! Not until we merge... I have contacted the union and ask that we have a re vote. If i were this company i would wipe it off and go for the merger and the hell with those who cant see what a buisness is and how it runs. Please dont give me crap about how this company has succeeded off the poor backs of us employees... I said it before when TA1 was voted down...Watch and learn! We got nothing more (or litte) in TA2 and it WILL NOT CHANGE! Some people dig their grave with a shovel...others use a back hoe... So enjoy the long commute to another base..The mentality that got you there is what put us here!

Actually what you said: "TA1 would pass by a landslide" You were wrong then. You are wrong now. That gives you as much credibility as US320. Keep spinning sheep - whatever it takes.

 

[Glucose Intolerant]

Funny how the socialist always have these cute, but idiotic statements.

35,000 employees are getting a living wage or we would not be here.

BTW, a little history lesson for you Majority Rule is Tyrannical and the underling principle in America is the rights of the minority.

Sheriff Joe called. He said to get back in your tent. You have been out in the sun too long again.

Just for that - no more FNC and internet web sites for the rest of the week.

 

[USA320Pilot]

US Airways Flight Attendants May Vote Again on Contract

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11722240/1/us-airways-flight-attendants-may-vote-again-on-contract.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

 

[songbirdstew]

Good for you mute guy... did you just get a 5k deduction in your paycheck... I just got one because the people in CLT... they so so uneducated...

Why are they uneducated? The no voters stood up and said that we saw that in T/A #2 all they did from T/A #1 was "move the furniture" to quote our union leaders. The JNC gave up the duty rigs, dry cleaning, vacation, pay/credit for training from what had been negotiated in T/A #1 to name a few. The extra credit in duty rigs would have made me more $$ and let me fly less days. They gave that up plus more for $1.15/hr. pay raise??? did you do your math??
Now let's talk about the AA merger...is it really going to happen ? How many other mergers in the past were a "sure thing"? DP can't even get the AWA/US merger together. To vote this in out of fear is what they wanted. The threat from the NMB scared the pants off of too many.For those in PHX that have been working at the poverty level for years waiting for a new contract I am so sorry for you all. However we don't know the exact breakdown of the vote by seniority. Maybe the most junior actually voted no because even though there's supposed to be a no furlough clause, if they voted this in they were voting in pref bid and voting themselves out of a job down the road. It would be a short lived pay raise.
This contract was worth $40 million. That's $8 million a year for 5 years...but let's be realistic and say it's going to be an 8 year contract because that's what usually happens...that breaks it down to $5 million a year. We are making record breaking profits and that's "all they have to offer"? Congrats to the no voters for seeing the value of our profession and standing up and saying we deserve better. As far as I'm concerned, we ARE the EDUCATED.

 

[johnny kat]

songbirdstew:

For those in PHX that have been working at the poverty level for years waiting for a new contract I am so sorry for you all.....


Sorry hell, the F/As on the East are working at poverty wages too. Have you noticed the price of gas and bread and eggs lately? It is getting to the point where F/As don't even have the money to start trips with.

 

[Toothy Grin]

Wow, your escape from "GILLIGANS ISLAND" just got nixed!

I'm convinced, you are either a teenager or a dropout!

 

[Toothy Grin]

Despite the Bulls thirst for drama, there is no credible strike threat. All perties know it. Parker has judges on speed dial to get an injunction at the slightest whiff of a job action (besides which no one wants to take a concession to buy a few hundred jobs back).

So how do you get the best possible TA3 in front of the FA's in the shortest possible time?

I know, soup bone/milk bone comes out of the wood work like some civil war reenactor or some ghost haunting the hallways of an old house. A strike vote, no way. How do you expect a large part of a work force to vote for a strike when they are already NOT MAKING IT? Informational picketing??? Phoenix fas have been doing info pickets since the covered wagon and it has done absolutely nothing.

She's spewing paragraph after paragraph of bs 'You stood up for yourselves and all the other nonsense. ' sometimes closing a deal means some loss... the livelyhoods of many are jepardized. I think she is one of the most sorry pathetic people I have read about in many years.

The FA group needed change, not a PEP TALK!

 

[usfliboi]

Actually what you said: "TA1 would pass by a landslide" You were wrong then. You are wrong now. That gives you as much credibility as US320. Keep spinning sheep - whatever it takes.

Maybe you should go take your meds or something... I am and was "spot on".... My opinin is just that ...take it as spin if you want i could care less.... You nor anyone on here bothers me with your PittCow attitude! Go waste your breath on someone who will be intimidated not here my friend!

 

[usfliboi]

songbirdstew:

For those in PHX that have been working at the poverty level for years waiting for a new contract I am so sorry for you all.....


Sorry hell, the F/As on the East are working at poverty wages too. Have you noticed the price of gas and bread and eggs lately? It is getting to the point where F/As don't even have the money to start trips with.

It amazes me how many poor people working on poverty wages here choose not to find another job that doesnt.... Whats yup wit dat??? ROFL

 

[usfliboi]

While I've no dog in this fight either I will say this.

In general terms the US F/A's are in the best negotiating position they have been in since I started flying in 2000. However there are some risks with pushing the issue.

I think getting rid of the mediator would send a strong signal to management that the bullying and intimidation are over and it's well past time to talk in earnest and not present bull spit contracts that merely rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic.

If you are ready as a group to put it all on the line and take the company down as an end result then I say go for it.

The beauty of a free society is that you can act in your own best interests. Figure out what that is and go for it. HARD as if your career depends on it, because it probably does.

Mayne a little more CHAOS then normal at US is just what the doctor ordered.?????

ROFL Our union is not in a good place...We can yell beat or strike...at the end of the day the company is ran like your budget at home...If the monies arent there then you dont spend what you dont have! Am i missing something? Am i the only one who understands buisness 101? By the time we get a contract and 6 grand later we will have lost money!!!! The people who barl like pitcow must have a high credit card balance and a low credit score becasue thats the way she chooses to run her wittle house hold but its not the way to run a buisness..but do not listen to me watch...learn watch whut happens....

 

[Phoenix]

ROFL Our union is not in a good place...We can yell beat or strike...at the end of the day the company is ran like your budget at home...If the monies arent there then you dont spend what you dont have! Am i missing something? Am i the only one who understands buisness 101? By the time we get a contract and 6 grand later we will have lost money!!!! The people who barl like pitcow must have a high credit card balance and a low credit score becasue thats the way she chooses to run her wittle house hold but its not the way to run a buisness..but do not listen to me watch...learn watch whut happens....

Yes. There is simply no one else that understands.

 

[FWAAA]

This contract was worth $40 million. That's $8 million a year for 5 years...but let's be realistic and say it's going to be an 8 year contract because that's what usually happens...that breaks it down to $5 million a year. We are making record breaking profits and that's "all they have to offer"? Congrats to the no voters for seeing the value of our profession and standing up and saying we deserve better. As far as I'm concerned, we ARE the EDUCATED.

No, the contract would have increased the FA costs by $40 million per year, not by $40 million over five years.

 

[johnny kat]

Yo usfliboi,

I'll tell you what's up wit dat. I like happen to like my job. However, I need a raise. It is time.

Judging from your use of slang in the context of work and the subject of wages, you my friend, seem a little racist. What's up with that?