Service cutbacks/stress

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Oliver Twist

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Aug 20, 2002
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Raleigh, NC
www.usaviation.com
I think the day is coming for our industry and others throughout the western world when the employees who have been pushed to do more with less will begin to revolt against their employers. There comes a finite limit as to how much work, stress and productivity you can get out of an employee before he/she begins to fight back with resentment, poor performace and outright anger. The bottom line our managers are so worried about, the stock price, the performance in whatever fashion you care to call it will suffer as they push and push employees in pursuit of the bottom line. [BR][BR]I know my limit is yet to come, but I see it''s only a matter of time before I begin to make mistakes, provide a poor service, or god forbid, collapse from the stress or cause an accident. It''s not just our industry either. I see it all over. Pick an industry and you will see employees pushed close to or beyong thier physical or mental limits to cope and perform. Accidents will come and some innocent person will suffer.[BR][BR]I am FOR capitalisim so don''t think other wise. But I do see limits coming in the near future and its not pretty. Think of the first few years on the assembly lines (early 1900''s) when workers were pushed too hard and too fast by a speeding belt and litteraly got caught in the gears. The customer service backlash is nearer each day because idiot''s way above the floor are not in touch with the true limist of what they can ask from employees. Is the sweat shops of the new century coming? I think so.[BR][BR]How many of us have worked flights by ourselves both inside or outside? Or mechanics or crews tired? What kind of service can we really give like that? What kind of product do we produce when one gate agent is left to deal with 126 passengers because they have been cut and cut. How many bags can one ramper load by himself?[BR][BR]I can see it now. We will be cut way past the bone and when loads finally do pick up, we will have agents litterally passing out on the floor under the work/stress load. They will work us for months before they even think of calling anyone back to work from furlough. They have done it in the past and will do it again. Oh and let''s not forget that pat on the back and how great we are doing our jobs while we have ticked off passengers circling us like sharks and screaming at us.[BR][BR]I would venture to say that most of the ones who dissagree with what I mentioned above about job stress could NOT DO OUR JOBS- you dont have it in you. This business takes a special person to handle the problems and complaints and the issues and yes we are special and we don''t deserve to be treated like cattle or idiots.[BR][BR]Rant over, thanks for your time.
 
Oliver,

I have to agree with you. All this stress and fatigue take a terrible toll on ones health. My blood pressure is way too high and the medication isn't helping much. Stress and fatigue do not make for a safe workplace. It contributes to OJI's and affects the body in horrible ways: Migraines, high blood pressure, heart problems, gastric disorders, insomnia plus the inability to concentrate on one's duties. Fleet service and mechanics need to be extra careful since you are exposed to so many hazards out there. Please look out for each other because I can promise you no one else is.

I recommend all of us get a decent physical ASAP. I was horrified at my last BP. I had no idea it had crept up so high. I have no other stressors in my life so it has to be the uncertainty, distrust of management and worry over what's happening to my coworkers and my company.

Please take care of yourselves!
 
mr.twist,how right you are....how long do we think people will be able to afford $30-50,000 cars or $300,000 homes without a collapse in the global system? thousands have lost their jobs since the early nineties...you name the big corp's...ibm...kodak.....on and on.....all these years of large corporations laying off tens of thousands of employees,and we just kept on truckin' like nothin' changed....still trying to hang on to those super high walk up business tickets....soon to succumb to the business world wiseing up....why pay for a walk up when i can go 'expedia.com'? [BR] all those years since the early ninties i was amazed it took us that long to feel the heat from a HUGE slump in business travel....what the heck,huge layoffs in the BUSINESS SECTOR,our bread and butter...and nobody at "U" paid notice??meanwhile,back at the ranch...herb kelleher and others are waiting in an ambush config......i sat by in wonderment and realized this bode what they refer to as 'bad ju-ju'......for our careers....soo be it it is done-our work world is changed forever....[BR] even through the BK they seemed to hold on to the walkup thing was going to pull us out...now i think they've read the mail....'dylan said:the times, they are a changin' ...........[BR]hope for the best and i do......
 
Oliver, I think you are absolutely right. The world is changing and, sad to say, those in power (with $$$) will be the only ones truly surviving. Those in power are squeezing out the middle class in many ways. I was never a big believer in unions til now. They might not be too effective in this crisis; but "their day will come". We just have to be sure we're still here to change things. I once worked in a steel union and I thought the abuse was terrible. Hopefully, those type of unions are gone and we can still unionize and HAVE work ethics.
 
Preach on! That's why we need an industry wide general strike. We need to shut the entire air transport system down until some sanity is brought into play. We must demand an immediate cessation of layoffs and paycuts. How low are we going to go? It is time, like the factory workers of the last century, that we take to the streets and act like union employees? I am so sick of the sniffling and spinelessness of our union "brothers and sisters." Unions picket, unions shut down businesses, unions intimidate management, unions get their face in the government's and unions make their case heard. Unions do not vote for concessions, unions do not agree to layoffs and unions do not agree to benefit cuts.

We need to demand what is ours! Let's look at how the workers struck and protested in the early 1900s against terrible working conditions and wages. I know some gutless dweebs are saying, "Oh, its illegal for an industry-wide strike." Duh...then we do it! At least the Europeans know how to strike and actually can stick together when its time to walk. If we shut down the transportation infrastructure of America, then maybe some sanity will be restored.
 
We need to demand what is ours! [BR]----------------------------------------------------------------------------[BR][BR] Regarding your post; I actually agree that that would work, look to Europe for example.[BR]Trouble is, it will not happen because of the old saying "United We Stand, Divided We Fall". The unions are NOT united in this country and until they are we the working man must face reality such as it is. [BR][BR]The above quoted statement: (We need to demand what is ours.)[BR][BR]Did you or I start the business, did we put in 95 hour work weeks to get it up and running. No we didn't, so then how can you make that statement? Demand all you want, but until the unions really unite as one big and very power force, which I can't see anytime soon, the working man is at the mercy of the employer. If that is hard to accept, then it's time to start your own business and become the one holding the cards.[FONT size=2][/FONT]
 
[P]
[BLOCKQUOTE][BR]----------------[BR]On 12/31/2002 3:10:05 PM A320 Driver wrote:
[P]Before you folks get to building the fires too high, may I ask if you remember PATCO?[BR]Don't ever buy into the illusion that you are indispensable.[BR][BR]A320 Driver[BR][/P]----------------[/BLOCKQUOTE]
[P][/P]I have to disagree with you here to an extent. Airline pilots, mechanics, and to an extent, flight attendents, require a fair amount of training and certification which makes them not replaceable overnight - unlike truck drivers at Overnight.[BR][BR]As to traffic controllers, they got canned and military controllers picked up the slack in the interim period before numbers of new civilian controllers could be hired.[BR][BR]OTOH, given the number of pilots furloughed out there, there might be some ability to acquire help in a shorter period of time than would otherwise be possible.
 
Must be another cracker assed pilot that think they are irreplaceable, yea your right no one else needs any training or knowledge to perform their jobs
 
[P]
[BLOCKQUOTE][BR]----------------[BR]On 12/31/2002 3:23:00 PM A320 Driver wrote:
[P]So you would support some kind of unified strike among all airline employees? How long do you think the government could allow this if at all?[BR][BR]A320 Driver[/P]----------------[/BLOCKQUOTE]
[P][/P]I don't believe in strikes, so no.
 
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