M&E Station performance has been down in all domestic stations except STL. STL actually execeeded targets by 32%. Only 1.6% of its flights were delayed. So as a reward AA is going to lay off hundreds of their workers. After all if they could do so well they dont need all those workers right?
Nearly 10% of the flights out of JFK & MIA were delayed.
Did the bean counters figure this into their savings plan?
What does it cost when disenchanted mechanics dont fix the airplanes as quickly as they used to?
What does it cost when bags are misrouted?
What does it cost when flight attendants dont give the personal serivice that passengers have come to expect?
While some in OH may be delighted that this thing passed what good will it be when the airline eventually goes under anyway? If the front line troops are unhappy the airline is doomed. If those in OH feel that they are struggling now how to you think those of us in high cost areas are faring?
Here in NY a Levitt house goes for about $300,000. That means a paymentof at least $1500 with $50,000 down plus anther $600/month in taxes. So in Mortgage alone we are talking $2100 per month. Figure another $250/month in utilities, $400/ month in car insurance, $100/month house insurance, $200 for gas, and $400 for food. Thats it, there aint nothing left for clothes, doctor bills, repairs, car payments, incidentals and forget about entertainment. While the typical moronic response is well move the fact is that the airline makes money out of operations in high cost areas. The airline would still have to have employees in these areas even if every single employee tried to go to Tulsa.
Most companies that operate in both high and low cost areas adjust pay levels accordingly. Even SWA hired workers at ISP at higher rates than elsewhere.
Thousands of people come to the airport every day in high cost areas to go places.If AA were to dissappear the local impact would be minimal and temporary. Someone else would see the opportunity and move in to satisfy demand. So if AA closed their doors, local workers would more than likely find themselves remployed by who ever the replacement is. In fact most of us in NY have worked for other airlines here at the same airport. In other words we go to the same place, just for a different employer. With that understood, over the long term workers in high cost areas are better off to let companies that can not make money in this enviornment go out of business than to allow their wages to be pegged at levels that are acceptable at backwater locales. However in many of the backwater towns, like Tulsa, if a major employer were to leave town, so likely would many of the employees. The impact would be much greater and last longer, perhaps even be permanant.
So while many in Tulsa may claim victory at jamming this down the throats of their line bretheren their victory is not complete. The 4000 line guys have more of an impact upon performance and revenue than all the OH bases combined. Those of us on the line are being hit with the burden of keeping overhaul in house. We are being forced to work at OH rates for doing line work. We recieve no benifit from this burden. The stregnth in numbers concept does not apply, since those numbers have never worked to our benifit, in fact it has worked to our disadvantage. With their superior numbers they have dictated that regional cost differences are ingnored, to our disadvantage, while the union concept allows them to take advantage and use the lines strategic economic position to overhauls advantage. It is a purely parasitic relationship where the parasite is much bigger than the host. On the line our best long term interests are more than likely better off by seeing AA go out of business, thus clearing room for a more suitable employer picking up where AA left off and paying locally competative rates. This would be preferrable than to continue to allow our rates to be set by overhaul rates that compete with TIMCO or overseas overhaul.
Most airlines know that as far as maintenance goes you get the best bang for the buck in line maintenance. Thats why UPS pays nearly $40/ hour for line mechanics. Over there line mechanics are not subjected to the company's notorious draconian work rules. Even low cost SWA pays their line mechanics a lot more than AA will be paying. Neither of these airlines have overhaul. In fact many airlines have line maintenance and no overhaul. I dont know any that have overhaul but no line maint. AA will be enjoying a deep discount on line mechanics because of the fact that they have overhaul. Line mechanics are in reality being forced into taking a $20,000 a year cut in pay to keep overhaul mechanic pay higher than what the market for overhaul dictates. Line mechanics are being forced to suppliment pay in overhaul. Is this fair? Why should these guys who live in high cost areas suffer for the sake of those who are not in the least bit appreciative of our sacrifice? Many assume a sense of entitlement. They feel they have the right to dictate to us because there are more of them than us. They even have the nerve to try and claim the high moral ground and talk of unionism. Unionism is built upon the concept of mutual struggle and mutual benifit. Neither of these components exist in this situation, the side that struggles does not benifit. As I said before, this is a parastic relationship. They are sucking the blood out of the host to the point where they are destroying the host. Line mechanics recieve zero benifit from the relationship. The parasite even prevents us from struggling to maintain ourselves. Just like a dog is given poison that makes it sick in order to kill off the heartworm in order to save the dogs life, line mechanics, in the preservation of their careers may be forced to take the hard medicine of allowing AA to liqiudate in order to rid themselves of the parasite that has plauged their careers. The most unfortunate part of the whole situation is that the relationship between the line and OH should have been complimentary, or at least symbiotic. It did not have to be this way. We can thank the leadership and structure of the TWU for this.
Nearly 10% of the flights out of JFK & MIA were delayed.
Did the bean counters figure this into their savings plan?
What does it cost when disenchanted mechanics dont fix the airplanes as quickly as they used to?
What does it cost when bags are misrouted?
What does it cost when flight attendants dont give the personal serivice that passengers have come to expect?
While some in OH may be delighted that this thing passed what good will it be when the airline eventually goes under anyway? If the front line troops are unhappy the airline is doomed. If those in OH feel that they are struggling now how to you think those of us in high cost areas are faring?
Here in NY a Levitt house goes for about $300,000. That means a paymentof at least $1500 with $50,000 down plus anther $600/month in taxes. So in Mortgage alone we are talking $2100 per month. Figure another $250/month in utilities, $400/ month in car insurance, $100/month house insurance, $200 for gas, and $400 for food. Thats it, there aint nothing left for clothes, doctor bills, repairs, car payments, incidentals and forget about entertainment. While the typical moronic response is well move the fact is that the airline makes money out of operations in high cost areas. The airline would still have to have employees in these areas even if every single employee tried to go to Tulsa.
Most companies that operate in both high and low cost areas adjust pay levels accordingly. Even SWA hired workers at ISP at higher rates than elsewhere.
Thousands of people come to the airport every day in high cost areas to go places.If AA were to dissappear the local impact would be minimal and temporary. Someone else would see the opportunity and move in to satisfy demand. So if AA closed their doors, local workers would more than likely find themselves remployed by who ever the replacement is. In fact most of us in NY have worked for other airlines here at the same airport. In other words we go to the same place, just for a different employer. With that understood, over the long term workers in high cost areas are better off to let companies that can not make money in this enviornment go out of business than to allow their wages to be pegged at levels that are acceptable at backwater locales. However in many of the backwater towns, like Tulsa, if a major employer were to leave town, so likely would many of the employees. The impact would be much greater and last longer, perhaps even be permanant.
So while many in Tulsa may claim victory at jamming this down the throats of their line bretheren their victory is not complete. The 4000 line guys have more of an impact upon performance and revenue than all the OH bases combined. Those of us on the line are being hit with the burden of keeping overhaul in house. We are being forced to work at OH rates for doing line work. We recieve no benifit from this burden. The stregnth in numbers concept does not apply, since those numbers have never worked to our benifit, in fact it has worked to our disadvantage. With their superior numbers they have dictated that regional cost differences are ingnored, to our disadvantage, while the union concept allows them to take advantage and use the lines strategic economic position to overhauls advantage. It is a purely parasitic relationship where the parasite is much bigger than the host. On the line our best long term interests are more than likely better off by seeing AA go out of business, thus clearing room for a more suitable employer picking up where AA left off and paying locally competative rates. This would be preferrable than to continue to allow our rates to be set by overhaul rates that compete with TIMCO or overseas overhaul.
Most airlines know that as far as maintenance goes you get the best bang for the buck in line maintenance. Thats why UPS pays nearly $40/ hour for line mechanics. Over there line mechanics are not subjected to the company's notorious draconian work rules. Even low cost SWA pays their line mechanics a lot more than AA will be paying. Neither of these airlines have overhaul. In fact many airlines have line maintenance and no overhaul. I dont know any that have overhaul but no line maint. AA will be enjoying a deep discount on line mechanics because of the fact that they have overhaul. Line mechanics are in reality being forced into taking a $20,000 a year cut in pay to keep overhaul mechanic pay higher than what the market for overhaul dictates. Line mechanics are being forced to suppliment pay in overhaul. Is this fair? Why should these guys who live in high cost areas suffer for the sake of those who are not in the least bit appreciative of our sacrifice? Many assume a sense of entitlement. They feel they have the right to dictate to us because there are more of them than us. They even have the nerve to try and claim the high moral ground and talk of unionism. Unionism is built upon the concept of mutual struggle and mutual benifit. Neither of these components exist in this situation, the side that struggles does not benifit. As I said before, this is a parastic relationship. They are sucking the blood out of the host to the point where they are destroying the host. Line mechanics recieve zero benifit from the relationship. The parasite even prevents us from struggling to maintain ourselves. Just like a dog is given poison that makes it sick in order to kill off the heartworm in order to save the dogs life, line mechanics, in the preservation of their careers may be forced to take the hard medicine of allowing AA to liqiudate in order to rid themselves of the parasite that has plauged their careers. The most unfortunate part of the whole situation is that the relationship between the line and OH should have been complimentary, or at least symbiotic. It did not have to be this way. We can thank the leadership and structure of the TWU for this.
38 AM eolesen wrote:
