UAL777flyer,
Thanks for the nice thought out response.
What I speak of here are just a few of the choices we should have as employees and owners of Ual.
First, no one should be able to make decisions of the magnitude our board members made without consulting the membership.
The U purchase was one of them.
These types of decisions which affect all of us were not for a small group to make.
Insider trading was not an issue with this information since it was not when Greenwald ask us if we wanted to buy them the first time.
That action by a few set up such a chain reaction of events, which has put us here today. All trust was lost in managements decision making capabilities, and so much money has been lost if Ual goes bankrupt.
Employees feel helpless to do anything but strike out and hurt whoever they can. Even if it hurts themselves.
If mechanics can't be swayed into believing we can get back all we have lost by taking wage cuts, it might just be over. I hope I am wrong, but seeing how everyone I talk to seems to want to strike out at anything seems to say it is going to take a lot of convincing.
If we can avoid bankruptcy, I would like to see the employees have a shot at helping to run the company. We couldn't do any worse than what we had, and might do a lot better.
We have the technology to give every employee voting rights on major moves and directions we want to go.
I said before if we worked out wage rules for all groups and they were fair for all concerned, these could be tied to revenue. If revenue went up, wages could too. Profit sharing would be a no brainer. Profits would always be there and the stock would always do well.
All this can be worked out after we get out of this hole.
It would be nice to have something to look forward too.
As you said; there are many ways to help the company help ourselves. We have to pull together now and never again become alienated with each other. We all do have special jobs to do and we must respect them all.
We do need a leader, and I pray Tilton is the man to do what has to be done to raise Ual up. Good luck to us all.
On 11/4/2002 4:18:43 PM UAL777flyerwrote:
I understand what you're saying about giving the employees more say in the running of the company. But the fact remains (and history proves this to be true) that airline unions are rarely ever going to see eye to eye and achieve a consensus on anything. Sure they're all working together now at UA. What choice do they have? If they don't, this airline will be dessimated. But what's going to happen a few years down the road when we're stabilized? Do you honestly think this "coalition" is still going to achieve a consensus on strategic planning and direction for the company? Every union has their own agenda. Their first priority is always to their members, as it should be. But there are going to be times when what is best for the company may not be best for one or more unions. How would they handle that?
I am all for giving the employees more say in this airline. They should be empowered to make decisions and solve problems at the lowest level possible. And their suggestions for improvements in all areas should be listened to and analyzed. But there is a limit to how much say I believe employees should have in running the airline. Please do not take this the wrong way because I mean no disrespect for any work group. But it takes certain skill sets to perform certain tasks. Employees should not involved in the decision-making process for the direction of the airline if they lack the skill set necessary to see the big picture. Just like those of us who aren't pilots shouldn't be telling pilots how to fly their aircraft. Or those of who aren't maintenance shouldn't tell mechanics how to boroscope an engine, etc., etc.
The bottom line with senior leadership of ANY company is that you get what you pay for. Did you honestly think UA was going to lure a top-flight leader to run this company and not give him some type of monetary incentive? Running this company isn't the illustrious job it may have been 5 years ago. I have absolutely no problem with what was paid to Tilton to get him to run UA, even though I soon will be taking a paycut along with the rest of my fellow employees. I'd rather we pay to get a top leader than to low-ball someone who comes in and isn't up to the task. You simply have no way of knowing when you hire an executive how they will turn out. You go through a process of interviews and vetting to get what you feel is the best possible candidate. And then you hope that you were right in your decision. Is it always going to work out? Of course not. But many times it does. And I think UA has gotten an outstanding leader. I'm fully confident that he is the right person to turn UA on its ass and put us back on top. I've heard him speak in person a couple of times and can here the conviction and confidence in his voice. Sure, he'll have to back that up with strong decisions and leadership, but I think he is off to a fantastic start. Just being able to get all the unions in the same room talking together about a cohesive solution to UA's problems was a monumental achievement. With a little time and help from all of us, we are going to fix this airline and get back to the top. It's just going to be a bit painful before we're able to do that. Nobody likes that. Least of all me. But it is what it is. Let's just get it over with and start re-building.
I'm not about to say that with more employee control of the airline, what may or may not have happened to UA. Let's remember that Peterpaul (IAM) voted in favor of the UA/US merger. Let the people with the necessary skill set run the airline. It's when we all start trying to do jobs we're not qualified for that we get into serious trouble. Instead, we should all just work hard together and focus on doing OUR jobs to the absolute best of our ability. Now I realize that doing that entails placing a lot of trust in the senior executives of the company and based on the recent past, trust is hard to come by. But the ESOP was a failure. We can find numerous reasons as to why. Let's just move on from it. We have a new leader. Major changes are going to take place in all facets of this company. Some will be applauded. Some won't. Profit sharing will be instituted so that we all have a vested interest in doing our best to see this company perform. We all recognize by now the need to contribute to help this airline survive. I would hope that's not in doubt anymore. So given that aspect, I think we just need to steel ourselves through this next several months in order to get our financial situation stabilized. Then, I truly think good things are on the horizon for all of us.
----------------
[/blockquote]