No Ruling Till The 31st

[herkav8r]

(AP) — A federal bankruptcy judge said Friday he would not issue a ruling until May 31 on United Airlines' request to impose lower pay and benefits on its machinists union, a decision aimed at letting the two sides agree on a long-term contract.
Judge Eugene Wedoff's statement came after closing arguments in a weeklong trial and removed the immediate threat of a strike at the nation's No. 2 carrier.

 

[ualdriver]

That's too bad! I really think these negotiators need the pressure of a looming strike in order to reach a settlement.

The U.S. District Court is also supposed to rule (today?) as to whether or not UAL can seek a restraining order to prevent the IAM from striking. Boy it's getting complicated!

 

[AA191]

Having worked for UA for 8 years in the 1980's and 90's, I just can't image how you guys must feel if you have been relying on a pension for retirmement and here you are in your 50's and now what. This is such a bad deal for anyone at UA, except of course the higherups with golden parachutes. All I can say is, it is just not fair to you.

 

[synchronicity]

(AP) — A federal bankruptcy judge said Friday he would not issue a ruling until May 31 on United Airlines' request to impose lower pay and benefits on its machinists union, a decision aimed at letting the two sides agree on a long-term contract.
Judge Eugene Wedoff's statement came after closing arguments in a weeklong trial and removed the immediate threat of a strike at the nation's No. 2 carrier.

[post="271515"][/post]​

Great, we'll get an agreement in the wee hours of the morning on May 31. Say around 5AM or so. The judge didn't say what time on May 31 he'd make his ruling, did he? If it's afternoon, we might not see an agreement until 10AM.

ualdriver's right, without any pressure on them neither side will seriously negotiate.

-synchronicity

 

[herkav8r]

This give UA time to line up its outside contractors in case IAM strikes. We already have a Res in India I think. How quickly can UA replace the IAM is the question everbody needs to be asking themselves.

 

[synchronicity]

This give UA time to line up its outside contractors in case IAM strikes. We already have a Res in India I think. How quickly can UA replace the IAM is the question everbody needs to be asking themselves.

[post="271543"][/post]​

UAL's had months to work on that possibility. I can't imagine that an extra week and a half will make that big a difference. Surely the idea of a strike by one of their unions can't be something that just occurred to them in the last few weeks.

-synchronicity

 

[ualdriver]

Actually, aa191, there are no "golden parachutes" for any of UAL management, either, unless they earned their pension elsewhere. They're stuck with the partial loss of their pensions, too. In fact, the management personnel who were receiving high monthly pension payments will be hit harder than the typical "low earner."

 

[Winglet]

Heck, make it two more years. Management's had two years already. What difference does it make? The judge is going to give Tilton anything he wants. Wendoff and Tilton would just rather that the mechanics shoot themselves in the head instead of them having to do it.

Management hit harder in pensions??? Yea sure. Prove it.

 

[spacewaitress]

Management hit harder in pensions??? Yea sure. Prove it.

Where's the beef?

 

[aafsc]

This give UA time to line up its outside contractors in case IAM strikes. We already have a Res in India I think. How quickly can UA replace the IAM is the question everbody needs to be asking themselves.

[post="271543"][/post]​

When I got laid off and had to report to MIA, it took 2 weeks just to get my airport ID with drivers training and customs seal. And I am someone who has been on the job for 15 years. Keep on fantasizing about how UAL can bring thousands of newbies off the street, process them, train them in the classroom, and expect them to be proficient on the job overnight.

 

[JungleClone]

ualdriver, I agree completely! The most disheartening part of this whole process is that it never seems to end. The employees of this airline ALL need to put this perpetual distraction behind us once and for all and concentrate on the remaining obstacles to bankruptcy exit. I swear this stuff just wears at you and beats you down after awhile.

I'm the last person that would be advocating a strike. But the only thing that seems to push both sides to compromise is negotiating under the onus of a tight deadline. With another 11 days to negotiate, I'm sure nothing will be worked out for another 10 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes, so to speak. Enough of the grand-standing. Enough of the posturing. Enough of the heavy-handed rhetoric. Reach a freakin' compromise and let's move on already. If not, then let the judge make his ruling and let the company live with the consequences. If that means the end of United, than so be it. BOTH sides have had plenty of time to negotiate a way out of that alternative. Quit stalling, do your jobs, and reach a compromise.

 

[Bob Owens]

This give UA time to line up its outside contractors in case IAM strikes.  We already have a Res in India I think.  How quickly can UA replace the IAM is the question everbody needs to be asking themselves.

[post="271543"][/post]​

AMFA already said they would honor their picket lines.

aafsc:
When I got laid off and had to report to MIA, it took 2 weeks just to get my airport ID with drivers training and customs seal. And I am someone who has been on the job for 15 years. Keep on fantasizing about how UAL can bring thousands of newbies off the street, process them, train them in the classroom, and expect them to be proficient on the job overnight.

Exactly! Some of the mechanics here at JFK have relatives in the Port Authority, if they had been gearing up with replacements they havent been getting them cleared through the Port yet. If it takes two weeks to redo the security check when a worker goes from LGA or EWR to JFK, all Port Authority airports, how long would it take to all of a sudden process hundreds of people who never worked on the airport before?

 

[casual rat]

AMFA already said they would honor their picket lines.
Exactly! Some of the mechanics here at JFK have relatives in the Port Authority, if they had been gearing up with replacements they havent been getting them cleared through the Port yet. If it takes two weeks to redo the security check when a worker goes from LGA or EWR to JFK, all Port Authority airports, how long would it take to all of a sudden process hundreds of people who never worked on the airport before?

[post="271618"][/post]​

Passing a Drug Test is a big hurdle for many $9.00/hr candidates as well!

 

[aafsc]

Passing a Drug Test is a big hurdle for many $9.00/hr candidates as well!

[post="271673"][/post]​

That's right. Just look at USAir's problems finding newhires who can pass one.

 

[ualdriver]

Winglet: "Management hit harder in pensions??? Yea sure. Prove it."

spacewaitress: "Where's the beef?"

Alright, here's the link yet again:

http://www.pbgc.gov/services/descriptions/...antee_table.htm

Imagine you're a "mangement" employee who spent a career at UAL making in the mid to high 5 figures and you retire at say, 62. Let's say that after a lifetime of work, you're eligible for a $4,000/month pension. But alas, assuming the pensions are terminated in 2004, the maximum guarantee is only $2900/month. This employee just took a 28% haircut.

Now imagine you're a flight attendant who spent a career at UAL topping out at around $40,000/year and you retire at say, 62, just like the management guy. You don't earn what a management guy earns, so therefore you will not be entitled to as high a pension. So let's say that 62 year old flight attendant's pension was $2000/month. Well, again looking at the same table, the max guarantee is $2900/month. All of your pension is covered, and you can continue to collect your $2000/month from the US government instead of UAL. You've lost little or nothing as far as your pension is concerned.

Now looking at the two above examples, who gets screwed harder when the PBGC takes over the pensions? The high earning management guy or the low earner flight attendant, ramper, or (insert other lower paid employee category here)? Actually it's kind of funny that the groups that are going to get hurt the LEAST by the cancellation of their pensions are the ones complaining the most.

disclaimer: I understand that the calculations that the PBGC makes are far more complicated then me pulling numbers out of the air and my numbers are probably off a bit, but I bet they're close!