Not exactly how I meant this topic to go. But if we are on the subject I'm going to throw my 2 cents in. Btw, I know there are going to be alot of people that disagree, but once again it's just my opinion.
First off I'm going to say I'm very sorry how the whole MidAtlantic thing has gone for those employees who went there. Now here is the BUT:
When you cashed that first paycheck that said MidAtlantic you agreed to the pay scale of which you were being paid. Yes, I'm sure it sucked but it was a job. From what I understand now the MidAtlantic f/as are sueing US and AFA. I'm not a huge union girl, but the union has made it possible for your seniority to remain intact when and if you decide to come back to mainline. I don't understand how you can say you are being disregarded when you are still on the seniority list and now will have many f/as junior to you.
I know it's been hard, but it has been tough on ALL of us. Not only us at US Airways, but over the entire industry.
I posted this letter due to it being one of the only positive things we have received from management in some time. I know alot of people are very sceptical, and rightfully so. But it's like playing the lottery, you can't win if you don't buy a ticket.
Once again, this is just my opinion and I don't mean to hurt anyones feelings.
Welcome to the US Airways board... topics never stay on what was intended. The usual 5K posters have to have their say in everything, whether on topic or not, and whether it's any of their business in the first place.
Now let me tell you why the US Airways/Midatlantic flight attendants are suing. Believe it or not, it is largely to protect ALL flight attendants in EVERY airline, but especially US Airways. And the US West and US East flight attendants had better get their heads out of the sand pretty damn quickly and pay attention to what the company has done.
First, let's be clear, Embraer flying is replacing 737 aircraft (as it should). Do you want to fly those A/C as part of mainline, or do you want mainline jobs to be further eroded? That is what the company is doing, and that is exactly what AFA has allowed to happen. Most of the routes the 170s are flying are former 737 routes... we're taling 1500 mile/three and a half hour flights in many cases.
Now, lets say, for instance, that you are working at ABC Shoe Store on Main Street at Birch Avenue. You and a group of coworkers have a union contract with ABC to work for $10.00 per hour the first year, plus benefits worth $500 per month. Because you've been there a few years, you are currently being paid $12.00 hour. Then the company realizes that it can get workers for $8.00 per hour plus $400 worth of benefits. So it tells you it is downsizing the store and you are laid off.
Then they announce that they will start another store, across the street, called XYZ Shoe Store. They lead everyone to believe that the store will be something it isn't, offering a different line of shoes. It will hire laid off employees before going "on the streets" to hire. Now, because you have already been laid off, you aren't in "good standing" with the union, therefore you are not afforded an opportunity to vote on the new pay, benefit, and work rule provisions, that vote is done by people who will never be affected by it. But because you are a new employee of XYZ Shoe Store, you will have to start at year 1 for pay purposes. They will pay you $7.50/hour and only $350 worth of benefits. Because you don't have another job offer, you decide to take it. Well, on your first day at XYZ, you find out that the you are selling the exact same shoe lines you were across the street, yet for more money because its a newer, trendier store with flashy strobe lights and retro music. The costs of doing business are lower because the storefront is in the middle of the block. The energy costs are lower because there are floor-to ceiling windows and more natural light.
Then it reduces even further the size of the first store, laying off more people and hiring them at XYZ for a fraction of the pay and benefits they were making.
Then let's say you find out that the company never completely formed the new corporation because the licensing agencies won't grant permits to an alter ego entity. ABC/XYZ never tell you this and, in fact, take actions to hide the fact that they never obtained the proper licenses in the name of XYZ, that XYZ is merely an alter ego of ABC. There is no president and CEO of XYZ. No vice presidents. No accountants. They do a few things to throw you off the track... opening bank accounts in the name of XYZ, things of that nature. And suppose when union that you pay almost $500 a year to finds out, it does nothing. And after two years of working at XYZ, you still don't have a written contract, even though you are told that it was ironed out two years prior. You don't have a contract, but you do sort of have a contract, and it goes by the terms of MNO Shoe Store a thousand miles away, located in a lower socio-economic market with lower costs of living selling lower-market shoes to unskilled blue collar workers.
You contact your union officials and tell them what you've discovered, that an alter-ego entity was created merely as a vehicle to pay it's employees less money, that they've deceived you and the union into believing XYZ was something it wasn't, and in fact is taking market share away from itself, only for the purposes of paying employees less money. And as the market share of XYZ increases, the size of ABC decreases, employing fewer and fewer people at the higher salary.
And your union does nothing. It can't invoke the terms of a contract because no contract exists. When the employees mention a strike, they are told by the union that it's a violation of the contract. Yet the contract isn't signed... hadn't been ratified... and actually doesn't exist. When the employees and the union can bring ABC/XYZ to its knees, the union does nothing about it. Doesn't even try!
When the employees ask the union for copies of the contract for two years they are told things like "it's being printed" "It's being fine-tuned" " We're meeting with the company to finalize it!" When the manager tries to schedule you, she has a copy of the contract and knows what you are required to work and not required to work. But you don't have a copy. Does it exist? Who knows. Seems that when it's convenient for the union, it exists. And when it's convenient with the company, it exists. Do the employees know the terms, conditions, requirements. NO!
Now turn to US East and US West... In all of our contracts up to the time MidAtlantic was created (or actually, wasn't created) flight attendants are paid by the hour irrespective of the equipment they work (with a few exceptions, galley pay, lead pay, LOD/O pay, etc.). Sadly, that is no longer the case, and it is the union that allowed that to happen. It did not give the AFFECTED employees an opportunity to vote on their own contract, yet it required them to certify AFA and collects that roughly $500/year from each and every one of them... when you go to your base orientation right after training, the first thing AFA does is hands you a payroll deduction authorization for dues. So now what we are left with is a C pay scale for people doing the same jobs on the replacement mainline aircraft. Something tells me that wasn't what the mainline people had in mind when they voted in the provisions of the quasi-contract... that junior people would be paid less money to fly mainline-like equipment that is purchased, in part, to replace the company's largest single fleet-type to right-size markets and realize fuel and other efficiencies.
But make no mistake, MidAltantic was conceived MERELY AS A VEHICLE TO PAY PEOPLE LESS MONEY AND REPLACE MID-SIZED JETS WITH MID-RANGE LARGE SMALL JETS.
Oh, and about AFA making it possible for MAA seniority to remain intact... Hello... that's their job and their SOLE PURPOSE... to protect us. Unfortnately, AFA failed the MidAtlantic flight attendants miserably.
-DCAflyer
