Sinking Ship!

[BajaBabe]

Sent last Week-

Dear Mr. Parker,

I met you at the first Philadelphia town-hall meeting during the summer of 2005. At the time I was the Vice-President of the local union. Since I am no longer in that position it is even more critical that I express to you the poor performance to integrate the West with East.

I have personally seen passengers toasted, roasted and busted. The amount of frustration over the weather events and Sabre to Shares was a horrible disaster. It was the perfect storm.

I will commend two of your brave managers, Tony Grantham and Mr. Comacho. They have both dug in and fought tirelessly to fill the void caused by years of neglect in Philadelphia.

Doug, you only have to view the 22 Mar, 2007, meeting in Charlotte to see the total disconnect amongst your leaders. Mr. Kirby was groveling and Ms. Shamblin did not take accountability for anything. I ask you, what did you expect? Mr. Kirby and Ms. Shamblin were clueless and her total lack of expertise and compassion has eroded flight operations.

These employees took a day out their lives to hear from the President of USAirways and the Vice-President of In-flight. Never in my forty years of flying, negotiating three contracts and dealing with the union for thirty six have I seen the emperor show up with no clothes. Mr. Kirby was trying to stay engaged as Mr. Shamblin attempted to disengage from the presentation. The lack of empathy and displayed arrogance has left a bitter taste in our mouths. It's as if you show up to hear ideas and no one knows there is a problem. What happened to the warm and cozy town-hall meetings? Those were supposed to be proactive on both sides.

At the Philadelphia town-hall meeting I personally referred to a news article that said you were the up and coming Herb Kelleher. At this time, you could not even fill one of his shoes. He had individuals that wanted and demanded to be informed of the issues. We are running ourselves into the ground and all the barbecues will not make up for your lack of respect.

Why is it that everyone operates in a vacuum? There has got to be some acknowledgment from management that negotiations are on-going, negotiations that are, for us, critical to our future. You must know the upheaval of relocation and the components in the East contracts. If your team is not willing to get an overview of the East Coast operation, just don't show up. Only a foolish leader thinks they can lead by arrogance and stupidity. Just as I have been held accountable for forty years. Your task is no way insurmountable. Stabilize your ship, it is sinking.

Were you all thinking the East would be throttled into submission? It will not happen. Your key players have not led by example.

There is still time, this summer will be critical to our further endeavors. I ask that you put people in place who have one and only one commandment. We will be better and the best and its my challenge to know the needs of the customers & employees. Saying you're sorry for the past is not good enough, pick yourself up and lead or rock the ship and put people in place that want to run an airline, not a trailer park.

Terry Graf-PHL

 

[Squonk]

B) Hope he replies and you post it here. Well stated, interesting writing style.

I'm still...

 

[FlightChic]

Great letter BajaBabe! Way to go! Let us know if you get a response. What is his email address? Is it douglas.parker@usairways.com?

 

[beachboy]

Way to go Baja! It's sad they must be dealt with in such terms but they just don't understand anything else!

 

[philly rocks]

Never heard of a Terry Graf in Philly, are you sure you haven't been drinking the juice?

Tony Grantham has been very responsive to the employees as of late, but Mr. Camacho must gooooooooooooo!

Philadelphia is hurting really bad, no staffing added as promised. They only tell you and the public LIES !!!! Sometimes we wonder if they do want our company to sink.

 

[beachboy]

One thing Terry will never do is drink the juice. She can speak for herself but this is what I wish were coming out of AFA. The company should take a PEPCID AC when dealing with us. Just like I must take one everytime I get off a trip!

 

[cactusflyer]

Don't know Terry, but I like the letter!

Please let us know if you do get a response.

 

[ussnark]

I've met her in the crew room and remain unimpressed.

Jeez Bob, just because she sweetly handed your ass to you when you tried to get into her face, your hostility was allegedly way off the charts. and that was years ago.

Get over it. You got bested by her. Take your issues with your mother somewhere else and move on.

 

[diamondcutter]

If I was hostile I certainly wasn't aware of it. Although I will confess that we had just come from about an hour on the ramp and of course unknown to me at the time I had just spent 45 minutes having a very nice chat with someone who became one of the "Thug 22". When I found out later I couldn't believe he was involved.

As for Ms Graf, I just think Teddy is a better leader and NOTHING will ever change that. This is also her most lucid well thought out letter I've ever seen from her, frankly makes me wonder if she even wrote it.

One thing I will say minus any opinion of Ms Graf is that I left with a much fuller appreciation of what it's like to be an hourly worker at US Airways and if you think back that's about the time I started speaking out and taking a much more supportive stance towards employees. The final straw being CCY attempting to blame employees for the Christmas Meltdown.

Honestly I've never really forgiven US Airways Management for that. It's part of a pattern continued to this very day and the primary reason the venon gets so strong and personal for me.

Who knows maybe I was giving off a hostile vibe that day. I do know that was furious over the conditions under which the ramp had to work and we went to Inflight next. Maybe that's what she picked up on because I was oh I don't know, flabbergasted, appalled, pissed off, heck pick one pick all of them but safe to say I was NOT a happy camper when I got there but NOT because of anything said to me.

It was frankly one of the sadder days of my life. That and speaking at Greentree have fueled the fire inside and the words and actions of the new management keep heaping fuel upon that fire.

Never in all of my years have I seen conditions like those that existed in PHL and I've been in steel mills and truck factories that are spotless by comparison.

That was one of your sadder days in life..Please lets trade days!!!

 

[PHLfa88]

Oh Terry has been in the crew room in PHL for many moons Philly. She is a F/A and has been with the AFA for many moons.

I've met her in the crew room and remain unimpressed. She wouldn't/couldn't make a stain on Teddy Xidas's blouse. Much less an effective union leader. If there was/is a more self serving individual I've not met her.

You Have NO Business In Our Crew Lounge!! That is a place For Flight Crews to Not have To Deal With The Public!!!!STAY OUT!!! :down:


Don't know Terry, but I like the letter!

Please let us know if you do get a response.

Terry Was NOT Voted into Office For A Reason!!

 

[philly rocks]

Now I remember Teri Graf ! Why would she speak so highly of managers in customer service ? She has no clue, she is a f/a. If she really was a true union employee, why in heavens name would she side with our management team? Come on Teri, you come through philly all the time can't you see whats going on?

I guess she didn't win second time around. Maybe she is looking into a management position. Lets talk present Teri, not past.

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Speaking as someone who has benefited from the representation from Ms. Graf in supervisor meetings. I can personally attest to the effectiveness of this women "where the rubber meets the road".
Personal likes or dislikes aside, posting on this board with a cocktail in hand or not, these things do not diminish the effectiveness of her experience and shear intimidation of the ever rotating supervisors.
As many here hold TX in high esteem, TG is of the same mold. Perhaps therein lies the problem. I can not think of someone I would have come into the office with me in PHL more than TG. That means having "cajones" whether that means not being as cordial as some would like.

 

[LD3]

Although I will confess that we had just come from about an hour on the ramp

Does PHL let anyone escort people on the AOA? CLT got away from that a while back, your badge has to be escort approved...

 

[Harry Callahan]

Bob:
That was long before the "escort" thing that LD3 is speaking of in CLT. This is fairly recent here. Unless you have an "escort" id you can not take any one on the ramp.

 

[ussnark]

The infrastructure of that place IMO makes it near impossible for the proper completion of ones work assignment.

The sheer enormity of problems makes reporting problems more of a "where do I start" kind of thing, only recently (last week) the company initiated an "online reporting system", so far, it seems, only for pilots.

Using computers, one could easily deploy a reporting solution that could be used to identify and resolve problems with little or no management to reach the end problem-solver, records kept for mgt problem-solving, tracking and audit purposes only.

The fact that the computer-phobia was identified and articulated after the "blizzard of '93" and it took until now to implement something (supposedly, at the behest of the FAA) indicates to me either complete ignorance of what computers can do, a mission to squelch suggestions/complaints or something in between. (and, pulease. don't try to say that HP is "better". Their reliance on a half-*ssed computing system simply demonstrates their primary mission, to lower the minimum)