Sincerity and Negotiations

Sincere: without deceit or pretense; truthful.

Once again the workers get fooled by fear and the inept ability of the unions to cover all bases.
I certainly hope there is some group that is organized enough to say 'no' to the veiled corporate greed. The workers at my company, US AIRWAYS, were too divided.
And you know what? Our second concessionary contract in just over 6 months is coming to fruitation and it is much worse than even I realized. The bad thing is that we are stuck with it for years to come. Nobody is better off at US AIRWAYS because of signing contracts that everyone knew were horrible in the first place. And it won't go away with a Yes vote!
No, there won't be a Go away and leave me alone after a Yes vote. Once you're on the ground it comes at you and beats you so you can't get up. And continues to beat you so that you risk becoming demoralized.

Here's hoping your flight attendant union leadership does something that the other union leaders seem powerless to do...stand up to what's wrong.


love
 
AMR CEO Apologizes for Recent ''Mistakes in Judgment''


By Bob Sechler
Dow Jones Newswires
AUSTIN, Texas -- AMR Corp.(NYSE:AMR) (AMR) Chief Executive Donald J. Carty publicly apologized to employees and union leaders late Monday for "mistakes in judgment" that he said caused the ongoing controversy regarding special retention bonuses for executives.
"The controversy ... can be laid squarely on my misjudgment," Mr. Carty said during a news conference at the company''s Fort Worth headquarters. "It was never my intent to mislead anyone."
The union of flight attendants at AMR unit American Airlines is considering reballoting on a contract it ratified last week because of the controversy regarding the executive compensation issue.
The flight attendants narrowly approved the contract, which cuts wages and benefits and will help AMR save $1.8 billion and ward off an immediate bankruptcy filing. But union leaders have subsequently been outraged to discover in an SEC filing that American''s managers were to receive special bonuses and also had set up a pension fund that would be protected even in a Chapter 11 reorganization.
Mr. Carty said late Monday that retaining top managers is of key importance to the company. But he also said he should have communicated the strategy better to employees.
"All of our employees, union and nonunion alike, did what was necessary to avoid bankruptcy -- and then I stumbled" through a miscommunication, Mr. Carty said.
The bonuses have now been eliminated. "The retention payments are gone, period," he said.
Mr. Carty said he initially failed to provide employees with "the full details of all our plans" simply because he viewed them as relatively benign.
Meanwhile, AMR has already begun putting in place the cost-savings approved in the union agreements.
Mr. Carty said he''s uncertain what a re-vote by the flight attendants will do to the company''s hopes of avoiding bankruptcy.
"A re-vote puts it all into question, which makes it critically important that we have a dialogue, promptly, with the union," Mr. Carty said.

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AMR CEO Vows to Give Unions Complete Confidence During Restructuring; Carty Again Apologizes to Union Leaders, Employees
FORT WORTH, Texas, Apr 21, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- AMR Chairman Don Carty today publicly apologized to American Airlines employees, saying that he had made a "big mistake" in his previous talks about executive compensation with union leaders and launching a new round of briefings to help give unions "complete confidence" as the airline's cost restructuring process goes forward.
"You know, the world's largest airline doesn't do things halfway. When we do something, we do it bigger and better than anyone else," Carty said in a statement. "We did what has never before been done . . . we delivered the largest consensual savings in U.S. history. And then I made a mistake and, of course, it was a big one."
Last week, Carty announced that he and his senior management team had given up their planned retention payments to further demonstrate their commitment to "shared sacrifice" as the company works to reduce employee costs by $1.8 billion a year.
Carty emphasized that there was nothing improper about the retention agreements, only in the way they were communicated.
In addition, Carty said the errors were his own, and should not reflect upon the AMR Board of Directors.
"Our Board will retain its historical practice of ensuring that American - - and AMR -- are conservative and responsible in all financial matters, including compensation structures," Carty said.
Today, the company began a new round of discussions with labor leaders to answer their questions about executive compensation agreements and help address any misunderstandings about the company's 10-K filing.
Carty said union leaders "must have complete confidence in the fact that the sacrifices are indeed shared and that there are no more surprises. They deserve the truth and so do our employees."
In the past two years, Carty's total compensation has dropped by more than 80 percent, and he has declined any retention payment or bonus or performance share grant. Of the six major air carriers, Carty is the lowest-paid CEO.
"It is important that all the employees who have been asked to share in the sacrifice understand that despite my mishandling of this particular situation, the board has acted responsibly and I have shared in the sacrifice and my commitment is real," Carty said.
Carty said that AMR remains on the "precipice of bankruptcy," and urged union leaders and employees to stand by the consensual cost-savings agreements ratified last week.
"The precariousness of our financial condition simply can't sustain any action that would delay or prevent the consensual restructuring measures from taking place on schedule," Carty said.
With large payments pending and facing "very real deadlines," Carty said that the company must immediately implement these agreements or be forced to file for Chapter 11 protection.
Bankruptcy would force more aggressive cost cuts, including an additional 10,000 jobs, further pay reductions and a significant threat to employee pensions.
Carty said that employees had worked too hard to stave off bankruptcy to abandon the consensual agreements now, and said that he would work hard to repair any damage he had caused to the spirit of cooperation and collaboration he is trying to build at American.
"We've come this far because everyone has pulled together to make the tough choices and do what is necessary to keep this great company of ours out of bankruptcy," Carty said. He vowed to work to "build a bridge back to the path that allowed us to forge these historic agreements in the first place."

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On 4/21/2003 4:42:36 PM sabre wrote:

Sincere: without deceit or pretense; truthful.

Once again the workers get fooled by fear and the inept ability of the unions to cover all bases.
I certainly hope there is some group that is organized enough to say ''no'' to the veiled corporate greed. The workers at my company, US AIRWAYS, were too divided.
And you know what? Our second concessionary contract in just over 6 months is coming to fruitation and it is much worse than even I realized. The bad thing is that we are stuck with it for years to come. Nobody is better off at US AIRWAYS because of signing contracts that everyone knew were horrible in the first place. And it won''t go away with a Yes vote!
No, there won''t be a "Go away and leave me alone" after a Yes vote. Once you''re on the ground it comes at you and beats you so you can''t get up. And continues to beat you so that you risk becoming demoralized.

Here''s hoping your flight attendant union leadership does something that the other union leaders seem powerless to do...stand up to what''s wrong.


love


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It wasn''t that long ago that when a co that filed BK, it was allowed to dismiss a contract almost automatically. With great difficulty the law was changed and Co''s are now REQUIRED to give the union''s a chance to change their own contracts to meet the company''s requirements. To pick their own poison some would say rather than have the Company ram something down their throats. What good would come of the union "standing up to what''s wrong"? I take it you mean vote NO. So they vote No and the company can dismiss their contract and essentially make our FA''s non-union. I don''t blame you for not likeing your contract, but you really can''t think it would be better being non-union and management dictating your pay, benifits and working conditions?
 
AAmech - they''d have the feeling of "showing" Carty who''s boss. It''s kind of like partying like hell Friday night - you had a great time, you were the life of the party, but you had one helluva hangover come Saturday morning. It''s a no-win...vote yes and Carty wins...vote no and in hindsight, you wish Carty had won.
 
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On 4/21/2003 8:31:25 PM AAmech wrote:



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It wasn''t that long ago that when a co that filed BK, it was allowed to dismiss a contract almost automatically. With great difficulty the law was changed and Co''s are now REQUIRED to give the union''s a chance to change their own contracts to meet the company''s requirements. To pick their own poison some would say rather than have the Company ram something down their throats. What good would come of the union "standing up to what''s wrong"? I take it you mean vote NO. So they vote No and the company can dismiss their contract and essentially make our FA''s non-union. I don''t blame you for not likeing your contract, but you really can''t think it would be better being non-union and management dictating your pay, benifits and working conditions?

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What good comes from being screwed up front? If we do reaffirm our no vote we will then become non union like the U flight attendants, pilots, ground workers or mechanics? Will we be more non union like the UAL flight attendants, pilots, ground workers or mechanic''s? Worst case AA could move to gut the CBA further, so long as they were able to show the judge they were bargaining in good faith, and the union was being unreceptive. Dismiss it completely? Very unlikely and foolish. There would be very few of us at work, with a move like that.
 
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On 4/21/2003 4:45:00 PM KCFlyer wrote:


And Chapter 7 would be a better option?

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KCFlyer;
Your reply to "sabre''s" post was NOT in keeping with your usual objectivity !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHO SAY''S, IF WE GO BK-11, THAT WE''LL GO BK-7 ????????
I REPEAT, WHO ?????

Does "YOUR second favorite airline(AA) have financial problems ? Without a doubt !!!!

IMHO, You fix this airline, like you would fix an historical old house, that has become dilapitated.
You "Gut" it down to the frame(a.k.a. SHRINK THE AIRLINE), and you then rebuild it(a.k.a. after a period of difficult times for laid off folk, YOU GET RE-CALLED) !!

Seem I recall a similiar situation in the late 70''s/early 80''s. Do you remember the name of the "contractor", back then ?
CRANDALL & CO.

Regards,
NH/BB''s
 
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On 4/22/2003 8:01:41 AM FA Mikey wrote:
What good comes from being screwed up front? If we do reaffirm our no vote we will then become non union like the U flight attendants, pilots, ground workers or mechanics? Will we be more non union like the UAL flight attendants, pilots, ground workers or mechanic''s? Worst case AA could move to gut the CBA further, so long as they were able to show the judge they were bargaining in good faith, and the union was being unreceptive. Dismiss it completely? Very unlikely and foolish. There would be very few of us at work, with a move like that.

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The only good from being "screwed up front" is we''ll undoubtable take a smaller screwing. AA itself cannot gut our contracts unilaterly. They will have to give us a chance to negotiate (gut it ourselves) towards a much larger target and failing that, they can petition to dimiss the contract. The court cannot make changes to the contracts. They will affirm them in their entirity, or dismiss them. Don''t put that by them. Without seniority to worry about they will use the layoff to cut thru our ranks like a hot knive thru butter. Weeding out the so-called "Troublemakers". Fa''s won''t show up? I''m sure they can find a few thousand 21yr olds who''ll work cheap. Management would love it!
 
Its just not that simple to "Shink the Airline" outside of BK. Sure you park airplanes and layoff people. But then your stuck paying for the leases and the leases for gates and other ground equipment no longer in use. Your costs per seat mile would shoot thru the roof defeating the whole purpose.
 
Let me rephrase that FULLY FUNDED

So you are saying that even when things were going to hell AA officers dreamed up a plan that they would be in their $$$$$$$ bunkers while we die on their behalf.

American Airlines officers and NOT the employees are to blame for this entire mess. They fund a GUARENTEED pension plan, while the labor groups are unsure if theirs will ever exist. The officers and NOT the employees are GUARENTEED after departure medical, dental, prescription plans, travel, LIFETIME Admirals Club membership in some cases and a ton of other benefits.

No concessions should be made by any labor group until their pension is secure as the executive group. If this means the 45+ plan is removed with “NOâ€￾ chance of AMR renewing it OR if the labor groups involved have theirs FUNDED and GUARENTEED, that’s great.
Mr. Carty, comment?