Senior Employees Are A Liability...

[Air conditioned]

rescallgirl,
Nice post. Keep in mind that while you may not feel appreciated by the management, I'm sure there are many lives that you have touched throughout the years. People/customers/co-workers/onlookers DO notice. That is really all that matters in the long run. Your post speaks volumes about your character.

 

[AP Tech]

rescallgirl,
Great Post!!!!! That about sums it all up!!!!

 

[Winglet]

The customer doesn't give a rat's rear end about any airline worker's seniority, except maybe they like to see the Captain with a little gray over the ears when they get on the aircraft. As long as the airplanes aren't crashing, they don't care if the work is done by a $7 an hour non-english speaking illegal alien or a $35 an hour licensed mechanic. They certainly would rather have young flight attendants that are "easy on the eyes" rather than FAs that qualify for AARP cards. And with the snowballing trend towards on-line reservations . . . . . you can get an idea where the Res agent workforce is going.

And if the customers don't care about it, management certainly doesn't.

 

[Air conditioned]

I disagree with you Winglet. I think the customers DO care. I think they would much rather have someone who is caring and courteous help them out then a machine or a stone faced illiterate.

I agree with you that management doesn't care and that things are headed away from customer-to-human contact, though. What a shame.

I still say customers remember an agent who treats them like they matter.

 

[mweiss]

I still say customers remember an agent who treats them like they matter.

I agree. But do they care enough to pay for such an agent? I know some do, but do enough of them?

 

[ktflyhome]

mweiss,
What were you an (adjunct) professor of? Just curious.

oh, my goodness. Best laugh I have had tonight. thanks

 

[ErinSaoirseOBX]

Pardon me, but didn't I just read a bulletin that res generated $26.2 million in sales last week? Okay, as a rough estimate we have 1,500 employees in res. Perhaps more, but let's take away a few for vacation/sick, etc. Now according to my calculations, it averages out that each employee brought in approximately $1753. Now, IF I make, say, $25 an hour and work a 40 hour week, I gross $1,000. Even if I had NO DEDUCTIONS (and that would be a first) I have STILL made $753 for the company! HOW does that make me a "liability?"

I am with Rescallgirl; I have never worked so hard for so little appreciation. When I came to work here 18 years ago, I was proud, happy to be here and loved what I did. I now have Fibromyalgia, Diabetes, Asthma and Clinical Depression. I take so many pills that I rattle when I walk. Maybe the company didn't cause all these ailments, but the stress hasn't done me a hell of a lot of good, either. I've suffered discrimination from employees and staff because of my religion (gee, I thought that was illegal. What do I know?). I was put on a level because I left work to go to the emergency room after falling on a wet, slippery floor (I was expected to go back to work with a concussion, two cracked ribs and a sprained wrist).

I realize "times change" but not always for the better. The trend now seems to be to squeeze the employee like an orange and then throw away the skin. And if I seem like I am the only one in res with a "sour grapes" attitude, then why do I go into the building every day and see the grim look on everyone's faces? I've seen happier people at a funeral!

Goddess knows I don't want to be unhappy, but how many times can you get hit over the head with a baseball bat and still want to play ball? I'd like to go forward too, but this company is living proof that evolution CAN go in reverse!

 

[mweiss]

Pardon me, but didn't I just read a bulletin that res generated $26.2 million in sales last week?

Of course, but taken to its logical conclusion one would then conclude that the best solution for US is to sell all of the planes, fire everyone but res, and rake in major coin. Better yet, fire res, too, and just sell tickets on the 'net.

Of course, that's absurd because the product has to be created to be sold. So you have to look at the whole picture. Every employee must create value in some way to justify the employee's continued employment. If, for example, the value added (defined as the customers' additional willingness to pay) by having catering onboard is greater than the cost of having catering onboard, then catering should stay.

The easiest way to calculate that value-add is to ask how much customers would be willing to pay if the service in question were removed, and compare that to how much customers are willing to pay with the service in place. Not all aspects of the airline are this easy to calculate, however.

This approach needs to apply to every employee, from CEO on down. If your employment costs the company more than the value-add, you're by definition a liability.

So what's the value-add of a res agent? Realistically, with the shift toward online purchases, the value has dropped. It's zero for a certain segment of the population. For another segment of the population, the web site has done nothing to reduce the value of a res agent. What's the net effect? Hard to say without doing some market research, but empirically it looks like the value has dropped overall.

It's really hard to watch a career that one has built start to crumble around oneself. Especially when it's caused almost entirely by external forces. Worst of all, there are no obvious solutions to the problem. I doubt, for example, that AFA will take a paycut in order to keep more CWA employees employed.

 

[Trin03]

Resgirl,

I felt every word you wrote go straight to my heart. I, too started in res and worked ATO. I for one respect and appreciate you and other senior employees like you who taught us "juniors" the ins and outs of working for an airline.

I shall get on my knees and pray tonight for all my fellow brothers and sisters, working or furloughed that in the end wheather the airline survives or not..... we all have the courage and strength to keep our heads high and walk right through another door.

As for those who seem to have a million and one opinions on our work ethics and the way we feel or think. Since they are so "in tune" to our problems and emotions, I think they should quit their, obviously empty jobs and leave their very empty lives... ( they must be empty because they spend so much time posting on these board when they should be out there winning those huge contracts and keeping those very important clients happy!).... and come on down to USairways and see if they can't get a job with the rest of us for the proposed lower wages and prove to us how we can live below poverty level.

To the rest of us..... flight attendants, res agents, mechanics, etc.... keep fighting for what is right!

 

[to much time to quit]

As for those who seem to have a million and one opinions on our work ethics and the way we feel or think. Since they are so "in tune" to our problems and emotions, I think they should quit their, obviously empty jobs and leave their very empty lives... ( they must be empty because they spend so much time posting on these board when they should be out there winning those huge contracts and keeping those very important clients happy!).... and come on down to USairways and see if they can't get a job with the rest of us for the proposed lower wages and prove to us how we can live below poverty level.

To the rest of us..... flight attendants, res agents, mechanics, etc.... keep fighting for what is right!

Well put. You guys know who you are, listen to the sound advice for once. It seems so many of these outsiders know everything about being an employee at Usairways and have yet to walk one day in any of the employees shoes. I for one am sick and tired of their backseat driver techniques. :down:

 

[4merresrat]

Of course, but taken to its logical conclusion one would then conclude that the best solution for US is to sell all of the planes, fire everyone but res, and rake in major coin. Better yet, fire res, too, and just sell tickets on the 'net.

Of course, that's absurd because the product has to be created to be sold. So you have to look at the whole picture. Every employee must create value in some way to justify the employee's continued employment. If, for example, the value added (defined as the customers' additional willingness to pay) by having catering onboard is greater than the cost of having catering onboard, then catering should stay.

The easiest way to calculate that value-add is to ask how much customers would be willing to pay if the service in question were removed, and compare that to how much customers are willing to pay with the service in place. Not all aspects of the airline are this easy to calculate, however.

This approach needs to apply to every employee, from CEO on down. If your employment costs the company more than the value-add, you're by definition a liability.

So what's the value-add of a res agent? Realistically, with the shift toward online purchases, the value has dropped. It's zero for a certain segment of the population. For another segment of the population, the web site has done nothing to reduce the value of a res agent. What's the net effect? Hard to say without doing some market research, but empirically it looks like the value has dropped overall.

It's really hard to watch a career that one has built start to crumble around oneself. Especially when it's caused almost entirely by external forces. Worst of all, there are no obvious solutions to the problem. I doubt, for example, that AFA will take a paycut in order to keep more CWA employees employed.

Blah blah blah blah blah.... excuse me, but did we ever find out what you were an adjunct professor of?

 

[mweiss]

did we ever find out what you were an adjunct professor of?

Does it really matter that much? It's not in the airline industry; it's in technology.

 

[4merresrat]

Does it really matter that much? It's not in the airline industry; it's in technology.

No, it doesn't really matter "that much" . It's no big deal, you are the one that brought it up, we are just curious, but now it seems like it is a secret.

 

[local 12 proud]

Does it really matter that much? It's not in the airline industry; it's in technology.

boy is that an understatement

 

[RowUnderDCA]

Guys-

Remember, on the internet, it's just words on your computer screen. It's not a real relationship with a person. I guess it is a relationship amongst words and ideas.