Latest Rumors

[The Gopher]

Since I work at WHQ, thought I would pass along some news...

RUMOR HAS IT that we are looking at 7-10% pay cut, possibly 15%. Medical will be higher, and vacation capped at 4 weeks (no word on whether accrual will be diffferent). No more sick time: you sick, no pay. Also no more PH's, if you work Christmas it is just straight time, if you are off then nothing. This was heard from two differnt sources from completely different divisions.

 

[The Gopher]

Also Pensions are on the back burner until after the election. Congress won't reconvine until after January, so November-December will be the pension terminations.

 

[spacewaitress]

Also Pensions are on the back burner until after the election. Congress won't reconvine until after January, so November-December will be the pension terminations.

[post="195205"][/post]​

I also heard we would have a year to continue to use our current sick bank. Does that jive with what you hear. I have a sudden sick feeling that could conceivably last 10 months (the amount in my sick bank).

 

[Fly]

Phew, good deal since I never intend to work on Christmas no matter what .... lol.

 

[Borescope]

Your sick bank is a negoiated item. If the company didn't want to pay sick leave they shouldn't have given a sick bank. Use it up while you can, it may be one of those things that may disappear in the BK process.

Wouldn't it give you a warm fuzzy feeling to be home by the fire on Thanksgiving and Christmas, knowing that you are gertting paid for being sick I can taste that hot toddy now!

 

[JungleClone]

Are you referring to rumors on the cuts for salaried/mgmt employees? Or are you referring to what the company hopes to achieve for ALL groups? If what you say is true, and I've heard from my own sources pretty much the same thing, you are going to see a mass exodus from this company, based on nothing more than the fact that many people will no longer be able to live and support themselves and their families. If the cuts you say do happen, I'm a goner. I simply can't absorb further cuts that deep. This industry is simply not worth it anymore. It's only going to get worse, I'm afraid. I'm also afraid to say that the service levels will plummet.

 

[gatemech]

Are you referring to rumors on the cuts for salaried/mgmt employees? Or are you referring to what the company hopes to achieve for ALL groups? If what you say is true, and I've heard from my own sources pretty much the same thing, you are going to see a mass exodus from this company, based on nothing more than the fact that many people will no longer be able to live and support themselves and their families. If the cuts you say do happen, I'm a goner. I simply can't absorb further cuts that deep. This industry is simply not worth it anymore. It's only going to get worse, I'm afraid. I'm also afraid to say that the service levels will plummet.

[post="195254"][/post]​

Do you really think the company cares about service?

Being home for Thanksgiving is sounding better all the time. I feel a virus going through my body. Should take about 3 weeks to get to max strength.

The only thing that will slow this down or stop it is a mass sickout. Ground the country for a day. That is what they understand.

 

[USAirUnited]

Do you really think the company cares about service?

Being home for Thanksgiving is sounding better all the time. I feel a virus going through my body. Should take about 3 weeks to get to max strength.

The only thing that will slow this down or stop it is a mass sickout. Ground the country for a day. That is what they understand.

[post="195788"][/post]​

HERE HERE!!!!!

 

[The Gopher]

The only thing that will slow this down or stop it is a mass sickout. Ground the country for a day. That is what they understand.

[post="195788"][/post]​

Who is "they?" The traveling public or market forces? Have you seen $55 oil lately? Have you seen other airlines hurting too? Your biggest enemy is not UAL management, but the market forces that are forcing fares down as costs go higher.

Mass sickouts will only reinforce the image of United as a dying carrier. Trust me, the only people that would benefit from a mass sickout are the people at Jetblue or Airtran, who would see a number of people use their services and not United's.

United's only goal at this point is to play another day. To do that, we have to have a business that people will put a LOT of money into, with a reasonable expectation of getting it back with a profit. To create such a business is going to be REALLY painful for everyone... Those jetblue and Airtran guys are making $9 to $12 an hour as a CSR or ramper, and they're happy with that. We have mortgages, cars, and lots of time with the company, which unfortunately is something that the customer is unwilling to pay for. A sickout will not change these realities. If nothing else, it will show the judge and the creditors that UAL has lost control of the process. Believe me, a creditor's committee appointment of a trustee will be much worse than whatever you think Tilton et. al. will do. Their only mission in life is to represent the creditors, not the staff or company.

 

[UAL_TECH]

My personal ethics would never allow me to be involved in and/or a party to a ‘sick-out’ and/or a ‘work-slowdown’. As long as I come to work everyday and ‘Uncle U’ pays me what I accept to take, then I will give them what I am paid to do. This is a ‘job’ and no one ‘owes’ you and/or I anything to sit on our butts and whine about how much the company is taking advantage of you and/or I.

From my experience, most of the people whom adhere to this mantra are inherently dead weight from the outset and bit_h the most about being ‘forced’ to go to work while in the middle of a perplexing crossword puzzle!!!

JMHO,

:down: UT

 

[mrfish3726]

Yeah those old timers sure like their crossword puzzles. Got to have a few cups of java, some breakfast, and the morning crossword before they'd hit it. Well hit it might be streching it a bit

 

[Doc]

We over a U are feeling the same pressure that you all are feeling. Our way of life is changing in front of our eyes …NO ONE cares whether you make 13 an hour or 20 all they care about is how much they have to pay.. I heard passengers the other day asking each other how much they paid it was like a game.
I am afraid that the only thing that anybody will listen to is a mass sick out or a strike….Over here the CWA has sent out a vote for a strike and I will vote yes.
I know that it could be the end but unemployment may last a little longer after chap 7 then it would on a vol furlough ..Is that selfish yes but I have been around for many years and all this corporate greed especially in the airline industry is out of control and we have to take a stand and this is the last chance you will get because after this these contracts it will last till 2011 and remember you have no pension and no health care after you retire isn’t that sick ….It makes me sick .

I believe that this is the end ….I need to look after my future (retirement)…..
So I choose to stand up and fight I have been turning my cheek to long.

Do you think that is there was a big sick out by UAL,U,DAL,AA…….that somebody would get BUSH off the golf course and we have a problem
Yes the same problem his administration has been ignoring for a while

 

[767jetz]

Who is "they?" The traveling public or market forces? Have you seen $55 oil lately? Have you seen other airlines hurting too? Your biggest enemy is not UAL management, but the market forces that are forcing fares down as costs go higher.

[post="196108"][/post]​

I have to agree with you here. Management in not always the enemy. The biggest thing hurting us is oil prices and pricing weakness.

Oil will only go down when this country has a better energy policy in place, and the mess in the Middle East gets cleaned up a bit.

As for pricing, the problem is the Jet Blues and Air Trans of the world who flood the market with unrealistically cheap seats. Sure, they got away with it for a while since they had junior labor who would accept lower pay. Eventually the cost of doing business will climb and catch up to even the lowest cost airlines. Jet Blue's earnings have eroded by 70%. What then? Will people claim that even their employees are paid too much? Will someone else enter the market and undercut the LCC's? Will we have Ultra-LCC's?

At some point this industry MUST start passing the cost of doing business on the the consumer. That's the way it works in every other business. An example was a news story I saw about a company that makes bricks. The cost of running their ovens has increased dramatically. Builders now have to pay twice as much for the bricks. So they turn around and charge more for what they build.

Things like security costs and oil prices are out of our hands, and they continue to increase. The price of an airline ticket should rerflect this across the industry.

As for talk about work slow downs, I understand this tactic as a weapon of last resort. But at companies like UAL, it is directing your frustrations at the wrong target. Right now the focus should be weathering the storm and living to fight another day. The one thing keepiong us alive when some people already wrote our obituary is the confidence of our customers and creditors that we will do the right things and eventually make a strong come back. And we've accomplished that by doing the best job we can, day in and out, and not letting the difficulties of our chosen profession disrupt our conviction to make it through.

 

[Doc]

Oil will only go down when this country has a better energy policy in place, and the mess in the Middle East gets cleaned up a bit.

As for pricing, the problem is the Jet Blues and Air Trans of the world who flood the market with unrealistically cheap seats. Sure, they got away with it for a while since they had junior labor who would accept lower pay. Eventually the cost of doing business will climb and catch up to even the lowest cost airlines. Jet Blue's earnings have eroded by 70%. What then? Will people claim that even their employees are paid too much? Will someone else enter the market and undercut the LCC's? Will we have Ultra-LCC's?



In the mean time all management can think of is attacking yours and mine hourly wage this is an issue they have had for years mgmt is taking advantage of a bag situation and stompind on our throats

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

OVER A U MGMT GET 4%RAISE IS APR AND TAKES A 5 CIT IN THE MEDIA
NOBADY SAYS A WORD.................................I HAVE HAD IT
ASK ME FOR 23% AND MGMY TAKE 1% WHERE IS THE LOVE...........

 

[Borescope]

I am afraid that the only thing that anybody will listen to is a mass sick out or a strike.

[post="196187"][/post]​

Who do you think is going to listen to this nonsense. Go ahead and strike, you'll only be helping the rest of the industry get back on their feet. This is desparate measures from desprate people. If you think that pax's are going to listen to you on the picket line you have another thing coming. You may get 1 out of 100 pax's that are sympathetic to you. The rest are looking for the cheap ticket and if they feel that U provides that, they will fly if not they will go elsewhere. Cast you vote to strike it will help the rest of us when your gone