So then, what if this a diversionary tactic to take some heat off management until things cool down a bit? Is this a delaying ploy until after summer? Unfortunately, in the long term has anything really changed?
It very well could be. I attended both of the meetings and basically we said that they should give our base the same consideration as CLT was given.....look at ALL options before displacing, which is the last resort.
One of the major things brought up is the lack of seats available to even get to PHL. We have a base that used to have over 4500 flight crew members as well as rampers, mechanics, agents, etc PLUS F/As and pilots trying to get there. The average SW flight has 20+ employees on it to/from PHL. Duh, I think they were shocked that they never thought of that....and they wonder why the sick call rate and dependability rate is so high in PHL...because people cannot get there !
Lots of good questions were asked and though I doubt much will be done, they can't say that they weren't told loud and clear. One F/A asked why they keep trying to load 10 lbs of crap into a 5 lb. bag over in PHL when pax hate the airport and prefer to fly anywhere but PHL. They just looked puzzled and then Mike Finn said "Well I don't know."
What amazed me is how they want to displace out of PIT...and yes, we are top heavy with RSVs...but 4 times during the meeting, Finn stated "PIT never closes." So, they know that when PHL goes down or CLT/BOS/LGA/DCA is short, they can always call us out. However the numbers people tell them to pull out 40 "heads" as they call us because the numbers reflect that they should.
All I can say is that if they do displace 40 out of here on 7/1 it will be CLT that is top heavy and they better quit calling PIT F/As to cover all the out of base trips like they've been using us to do for the last 6 months.
PIT DISPLACEMENTS POSTPONED
The Company issued the following CBS message today:
The company and the AFA is continuing to evaluate the different options and suggestions from the 2 meetings that have taken place in Pittsburgh over the past two weeks regarding the displacement of 40 Flight Attendants out of PIT. While we continue to maintain that it is still necessary to reduce PIT Flight Attendant staffing by 40, Sherri Shamblin, Vice President of In-Flight and Mike Flores, AFA MEC President have agreed to postpone the June displacement for one month in order to thoroughly evaluate options on how the displacements will occur.
If you are one of the 40 who were notified of being displaced, it will be necessary for you to bid your June schedule as a PIT based Flight Attendant. Although we cannot guarantee that there will be a change in how the displacements are handled, we anticipate a decision by the first week of May.
Michael Finn
Managing Director, Crew Resources
US Airways
After yesterday's meeting in PIT, the Company has agreed to postpone the June PIT displacements for one month while the AFA and the Company look for possible alternatives to the way displacements in PIT will be processed. The PIT Flight Attendants attending both meetings made the Company acutely aware of the way the decision to not displace out of CLT adversely affected them. As a result of that decision the playing field for the PIT Flight Attendants changed drastically as the timing of the announcement not to displace out of CLT occurred almost simultaneously with the displacement bid closing.
The Flight Attendants at the meetings described very eloquently how the tone of US Airways President, Scott Kirby's, letter explaining the decision to displace out of PIT and not out of CLT made them feel less important than their fellow CLT Flight Attendants. I was proud to have been at yesterday's meeting as their representative.
The Company and the AFA will meet over the next two weeks to explore various options to reduce the staffing level in PIT in away that reduces the disruptions to the lives of the PIT Flight Attendants as much as possible. The full US Airways MEC will have to approve of any changes to the way displacements are contractually processed. As the CBS message indicates there are no guarantees but we will try to the best of our ability.
Thank you,
Mike Flores, President
The US Airways MEC
AFA-CWA
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