PSA walking off

[jimntx]

There’s always somebody willing to do jobs for less that the one doing them fact of life. That is why you negotiate. the stakes just got higher

My point being that the company knows that they don't really have to negotiate in good faith. They can find replacements easily. See also AMFA vs. NWA.

 

[Prince of PAWOBs]

Well Well do you think things will start to get moving at the negotiating table. Good not plan not organized event. Some of you wish you had the BALLS

What are you talking about?

 

[Prince of PAWOBs]

I do not care for the IBT at PSA. They are only worried about PIT and screw the outstations over and over. The last contract was strongarmed by the union in PIT, and told the new hires in PIT not to vote for the contract because they wanted better cap-outs for the senior mama's....

Fascinating! I had no idea you had such insight into what goes on in Pittsburgh at PSA. I didn't think you worked there. Perhaps you know someone who knows someone...

amazing that in the last IBT vote, over 90% of the employees in the outstations voted FOR the contract, yet PIT rejected it by 90%...

Not really that amazing. Those agents made $0.50 less per hour than PIT. Incidentally, you could add together all of those other agents together, and at the time of that vote they were still vastly outnumbered by the PIT agents.

I have nothing wrong with unions in general, just lame ones (such as AMFA/NW and the IBT at JS, "AFA" for MAA, etc).

Name one you do not have a problem with, please. Preferably one that represents a work group at US.

Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before PSA relinquishes control of PIT to Piedmont, just as they've done in AGS, AVL, EYW, and a few other stations. Maybe the union members should have thought about that one... the EN payscale isn't much, but they're non-union, so the union leaders will be out of a job, or at most their union pay.

They do think about it, and discuss it quite often, Mr. "I know so much about what goes on at PSA". How many agents in Pittsburgh do you think make some sort of "profit" off of the IBT's representation? The IBT gets dues from agents at that station; maybe you are confusing union members with the business agent for the local.

And, while we're on the subject, the Ramp and Gate agents at PSA are perhaps the best agents working for US Airways right now. Ask around to pilots and F/A's who come through that station and see which they prefer better: PIT, PHL or CLT? I'll bet PIT is their favorite. Heck, it could be as high as, say, 90%.

🙄 its about time they stood up to usairways management.they should all walk for what they get paid .

They did, and they did it again in the evening from what I understand. My source is excellent.

 

[Prince of PAWOBs]

My point being that the company knows that they don't really have to negotiate in good faith. They can find replacements easily. See also AMFA vs. NWA.

You are right, Jim. I'm pretty sure (let's say...90%) that PSA management had a plan in place before making their offer. PSA has already held four of five open houses for PIT, and the fourth class of new agents have already entered the work pool at PIT Express. Since they are on probation for at least 90 days, they can't walk off their jobs like the senior agents can. This explains why flights were only delayed, according to the company.

PSA agents are allowed to leave early twice a month according to language in their previous contract with the company. Those agents that left had already completed four hours, so it can't really be considered a wildcat action. The IBT encouraged agents to return to work and DID NOT have anything to do with the walkout.

I understand that senior station management actually had to do some work today. Unfortunately, some supervisors who had the day off weren't smart enough to ignore ringing phones and were forced to go in to work when they answered.

Those few senior agents who did not walk had legitimate concerns over the type of action being taken, considering it's spur-of-the-moment appearance. And consequently, they got screwed with additional work. Most were smart and refused to compromise their safety for on time departures, and they should be complimented for that.

 

[SegmentKing]

PAWOBS,

I do know a few agents in PIT and I think its one of the best focus/hub express stations out there... and they have a great sense of humor and have a lot of company pride (imagine that for express!)

But I also know how unions operate, especially the IBT, and I think this job action will bite them in the ass. I do not think Gene A. and Keith are gonna sit by and let this go unnoticed. The company wants to give the JS agents more pay, but the union is asking for a hellofa lot more (the difference is over $3 from what I hear, and JS has offered to increase the cap-out to a "decent" level). I've seen what the company wants to offer the union and there aren't many difference between that and Piedmont, but I must state that the JS insurance is some of the best in the USAirways Group banner.... too bad everyone else can't have it that good... $30 a pay period, $7 copay on meds, and 10% blanket co-pay for medical services.

And you ask what unions I do support.. lately I'm cheering on ALPA and liked what Teddy was doing at the AFA.. so don't go putting me in the "anti" union crowd..

Also, if the PM shift did walk, go ahead and say goodbye to PSA and welcome Piedmont, a non-union shop.. your max pay will be $12.50, and that's if you are lucky to get that grandfathered in, and your insurance will go up dramatically (cost per check isn't bad, but the policy isn't nearly as good as PSA). Also, kiss your 401K goodbye. PSA matched mine almost dollar for dollar.. Piedmont barely gave me 10%.

 

[barbeetantrums]

Pay dispute disrupts US Airways flights

Thursday, April 27, 2006
By Dan Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A labor dispute disrupted operations and delayed some flights at Pittsburgh International Airport yesterday, with more than 70 US Airways Express gate agents and ramp workers walking off the job for at least three and a half hours.

The dispute involves US Airways-owned PSA Airlines and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with no agreement in sight about how much workers should be paid after more than four years of negotiations. PSA workers have the ability to severely affect operations at the airport, where they handle the ramps and gates for 130 daily US Airways commuter flights, or 75 percent of US Airways' daily flights from Pittsburgh.

Yesterday, the workers walked off the job around 10:30 a.m. and did not return until 2 p.m. The two sides disagree about the exact number of people who walked off the job -- the airline cited 72 and the union cited 75 to 95. US Airways claims those who left work represented about half of the morning shift at PSA, while the union said only seven people on shift did not participate in the walkout.

There were 11 flight delays, according to the airline, as managers substituted for the absent workers. Teamsters official Charles Byrnes said the union asked everyone to return to their jobs and noted that the walkout was an impromptu event. "People just got fed up," said Mr. Byrnes, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 926, Downtown.

 

[robbedagain]

you can always replace the workers, but there is a price tag. On time departure suffers along with customer service. just look at SCAB AIR aka NWA and see there record has suffered due to mgmt failures

 

[ALCARLOS]

Will this have an impact on people using USAirways at Pittsburgh?

 

[john john]

What are you talking about?

CHAOS

 

[US Express-PSA Agent]

well their contract governs the raises....

.... so.....

do we blame management or crappy union leaders? I mean, the contract has two signatures on it, correct?

To clear up any misunderstanding....
PSA has been without a contract for 4 YEARS. There is not one mainline agent that would have stood for that and we should not have either.
For 4 years the company has hew-hawed around with us and the union. Starting pay for PSA Express employees is $6.38 an hour with absoutly NO BENEFITS for part time employees. Who at mainline would have tolerated this...no one.
No sir, we did not vote for this. We were asked to be patient many times over and because of our dedication to this company and our jobs, we did as asked. But enough is enough.

 

[john john]

Not until you walk a mile in there shoes
http://www.teamster.org/05news/hn_050222_5.htm
http://www.teamster.org/02news/nr_020712_1.htm

 

[AP Tech]

It interesting when the starting pay at McDonalds is better than the starting wage for a PSA CSA Oh, but I forgot about the "free" flight benefits 😛 .

 

[28yrsnojob]

They load a/c and work the gate the same as mainline across the hall
and u management thinks they are stupid and will work for 10 to 13
dollars an hour less and shi4 BENIFITS. Mean while the ceo get 6 million and the VP s split millions in pay and benifits.

 

[ALCARLOS]

It interesting when the starting pay at McDonalds is better than the starting wage for a PSA CSA Oh, but I forgot about the "free" flight benefits 😛 .

Are we losing folks to McDonalds?

 

[Jimmy Neutron]

To clear up any misunderstanding....
PSA has been without a contract for 4 YEARS. There is not one mainline agent that would have stood for that and we should not have either.
For 4 years the company has hew-hawed around with us and the union. Starting pay for PSA Express employees is $6.38 an hour with absoutly NO BENEFITS for part time employees. Who at mainline would have tolerated this...no one.
No sir, we did not vote for this. We were asked to be patient many times over and because of our dedication to this company and our jobs, we did as asked. But enough is enough.

Let's take a step back in time to say around 1992 when these jobs were mainline jobs and were quite literally taken right out from underneath us mainline employees in PIT. many of you may not know this, but this was mainline work. So when you talk about mainline employees not standing for this or that, think about who's job you are really doing!
The other side of the coin is that if the company continues to have problems with this group and they give too much of an inscrease in wages/benefits, then it doesn't really benefit them to have a (outsoureced-vendor) like PSA doing this work.
Look at some of the other stations that have problems with filling vacancies and retaining employees at express. That work was, as it should be handed back to mainline employees, especially with all of the givebacks mainline has endured over the past several years.
So the rule of supply and demand come into play here, if the company has to keep hiring and training new employees just to have to replace them after a few months, and they have to give the group a substantial wage and benefit increase on top of having to deal with dis-ruptions these jobs will eventually be returned to mainline where they should be.

So be careful what you wish for!