How to get Sheep to buy a wool blanket

Zephyr

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Feb 11, 2003
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On 2/13/2003 9:39:20 PM PineyBob wrote:
.. In short he had a plan! ...
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PineyBob,
Indeed he did. The plan is not a new one. It is not original… He got it from a smart man who proved the success of the plan a couple decades ago.
Once upon a time there was an airline (named Republic Airlines) that was struggling in the throws of financial difficulty, and needed a new TopDog. The perfect man for the job was willing to come, but he had one condition. The condition was…about 4 months before his announced arrival as the new BigCheese, the old Man in charge was going to have to deliberately make things worse at the company. (Labor relations would have to be hooey when he arrived!) ?The reason the new CEO wanted things worse before his arrived? Well, so the employees would be desperate and believe the “good copâ€, of course. Promises are most believable when someone most wants to believe them.
Now, it is no coincidence that US Airways “had no plan B†after the failed U-UAL merger. (yeah …no plan B) And it is no coincidence that Gangwal left abruptly and that Wolf disappeared deep into the shadows to let the company run its course without any visible leadership at all.
After 911 the employees were climbing over themselves trying to bang down the door at Crystal City to give concessions. They were ready to do what was needed to save the company, but no one would answer the door… (It seemed the highest MGT that would respond was The VP of Human relations who was happy to occasionally excoriate the employees by fax, while the U boat drifted the choppy waters aimlessly, with no plan B, and a big hole in the side because of the 911 torpedo. ...Trading FAXES? to save U)
By the time Austin Powers showed up about 5 months later, with the bait, the employees were desperate for a leader. And did they ever swallow.
But I digress; as I said earlier, this is not an original plan. According to Petzinger, in “Hardlanding,†Wolf was the man who demanded that Republic Airlines “get worse†for several months before his arrival.
And for some reason nobody is able to see that the same “bad cop pony†is still doing the same “good cop tricks.â€
But then again, people are most eager to believe promises when they most need them…
and when they find the promises to be empty, it is too late because the sheep is already shorn…and flayed.
So there you have it…the way to get the sheep to buy a wool blanket…
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
 
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On 2/15/2003 3:06:14 AM Zephyr wrote:
After 911 the employees were climbing over themselves trying to bang down the door at Crystal City to give concessions.
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Really? That's news to me. Could you provide some details of how the employees were running to Crystal City, tripping overthemselves, to give concessions. What were they offering?

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According to Petzinger, in “Hardlanding,” Wolf was the man who demanded that Republic Airlines “get worse” for several months before his arrival.
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While I will agree that Wolf's MO in the past has been to get concessions, re-paint the airplanes and sell the airline (i.e. doing his job in increasing shareholder value)- the demand for labor-management relations to get worse before his arrival is a new one to me.

Funny thing is that labor tends to paint Wolf as the bad guy, but when labor needs Wolf - like certain UAL employees did in their attempt(s) to become UAL owners - Wolf is not a bad guy then.

While not labor friendly, you have to admit that S. Wolf is/was an individual who made quite an impact in commercial aviation in the last 30+ years.
 
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FrugalFlyer wrote:


Really? That's news to me. Could you provide some details….

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Of course I could. And tens of thousands of employees could. But that is a red hearing. The real point is that after 911 the company leadership seemed to disappear and did not even approach the employees for any help or concessions. And when the employees knocked on the door, they did not even gt an answer except by fax. YES, by FAX. Then the fax machine broke.




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FrugalFlyer also wrote: While not labor friendly, you have to admit that S. Wolf is/was an individual who made quite an impact in commercial aviation in the last 30+ years.

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Wool blankets to sheep qualifies for a noteworthy "impactâ€￾… but snow to Eskimos… now that would be “infamous.â€￾
 
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On 2/15/2003 3:06:14 AM Zephyr wrote:

...After 911 the employees were climbing over themselves trying to bang down the door at Crystal City to give concessions. They were ready to do what was needed to save the company, but no one would answer the door&#8230...
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Interesting perspective. The first concessions were formalized on July 1, 2002. Almost a year after 9-11. I would hardly characterize that as "climbing all over themselves trying to bang down the door at Crystal City to give concessions."
 
As I recollect, we had a rather large gun (liquidation) aimed at our heads. I don't recall any meaningful negotiations but I do remember being turned upside down and shook so hard even the lint fell out of my pockets. I also remember saying "good by" to lots of my coworkers.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to say farewell to many of my most favorite passengers. I suspect some left because their travel budgets were severely cut and we can't seem to rationalize our fares. Some may have left due to a certain "marketing" V.P. who insulted them instead of appreciating their business.

But then, I'm just a front line worker hoping I don't have to quit because I can no longer afford the job I love.