Still Working, Still Worrying

700UW

Corn Field
Nov 11, 2003
37,637
19,488
NC
Posted by Charlotte Observer on 04/09/2004 at 08:22 AM

TED REED
Staff Writer Charlotte Observer

After nine years of earning $50,000 to $62,000 annually as a US Airways mechanic, Hans Brune had grown used to it.

That's what made it so hard to give up.

Today, Brune and his wife try to get by on the $37,000 he earns as an airplane cleaner, a job he claimed after hundreds of mechanics' jobs were eliminated in 2001, plus her $15,000 salary. They fear they may lose the east Charlotte home they had custom built in 1990.

To be sure, the Brunes have made mistakes in their money management -- racking up more than $45,000 in consumer debt before they eventually declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The bankruptcy wiped out most of the debt, but with the cuts in Hans Brune's salary, cash flow problems remain.

On the one hand, Brune, 39, says: "Thank God I'm still working. I almost feel guilty that I'm still working. I feel bad for all the folks with nothing."

On the other hand, he almost can't believe what has happened to him and thousands of other US Airways employees.

Because the Sept. 11 attacks, a slowing economy and rapid growth by low-fare carriers combined to threaten US Airways' existence, nearly 18,500 of the airline's workers -- including about 3,000 in Charlotte -- have lost their jobs.

The remaining 28,278 have taken pay cuts. And for many, the cuts went far beyond negotiated salary cuts because downsizing forced many workers with limited seniority to give up the best jobs for lesser ones.

For instance, hundreds of pilots, who were making about $180,000 annually as captains, have become first officers making about $100,000 annually.

Brune is among a few dozen former Charlotte mechanics who were pushed back to lower-wage "utility" jobs, an alternative available to workers with previous utility experience, said Bill Wise, president of Charlotte Local 1725 of the International Association of Machinists.

Wise said dozens of former Charlotte mechanics were laid off and could not claim utility jobs. Hundreds more commute to Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, where less seniority is required to work as a mechanic.

The Brunes used to go on weeklong Caribbean cruises, three in six years. They bought new cars in 1996 and 1999. They had savings including about $20,000 in a 401(k) retirement plan, and they made regular payments to a credit union Christmas club. "Every October we got $1,000 to go Christmas shopping," said Shirley Brune. "All that is gone."

Shirley Brune also gave up her weekly bingo night, where she had begun to lose $50 a little too regularly. "I used to be lucky at bingo," she says.

They live on a quiet street in a modest but immaculate home. China fills a cabinet and family portraits line a wall. Brune built the deck out back. Neighbors are among their closest friends.

An aircraft mechanic in the army, Brune started at the bottom in the airline business, going to work for Piedmont Airlines in 1986 as a combined ticket agent and baggage handler in Fayetteville. In 1990, USAir opened a new maintenance base in Charlotte, and Brune moved here to be a mechanic. (USAir acquired Piedmont in 1989 and changed its name to US Airways in 1997.)

That dream lasted a year. Then USAir shut down most of its California operations, pushing senior mechanics from California to Charlotte and pushing Brune into a utility job. It was 1993 before he returned to work as a mechanic.

When he became a utility worker again, Brune cleaned bathrooms in the maintenance base, then moved to cleaning jets that came in for maintenance. Because he joined Piedmont as a part-time worker, his seniority accrues from 1989.

For the Brunes, the impact of US Airways' financial woes has been compounded by money management mistakes.

Payments on a refinanced home loan they took out in 2002 rose to $938 from $841 thanks to a scheduled 24-month readjustment. Although their home cost about $85,000 in 1990, the Brunes consolidated home improvement expenses and consumer debt into a new $112,000 loan.

Such loans can be "risky business," said Barbara Robinson, service director at United Family Services, a Charlotte credit counselor. Using a home to secure unsecured debt "is not a step you want to take," she said. "It puts your house on the line."

In general, people who take out such loans expect their income to increase, Robinson said, adding: "In today's economy, (that's) not necessarily a safe bet."

The Brunes' fortunes continued to deteriorate.

In 2003, the Brunes filed for bankruptcy after accumulating about $45,000 in consumer debt. Shirley Brune said much of the spending was for her daughter's wedding, replacement appliances and a dozen trips to visit ailing parents. (Despite free air fare, the weeklong trips cost more than $1,000 each for hotel, food and car rental expenses.) That debt was eliminated during bankruptcy.

Now the Brunes have about $2,575 in monthly take-home income and $2,723 in monthly expenses, according to their bankruptcy filing.

The outlook is not promising. The couple doesn't expect to make their April house payment. Shirley Brune will lose her job as office manager for a small textile industry advertising agency, which intends to shut down at year's end. And US Airways, after chopping annual costs by $1.3 billion during its bankruptcy, wants to cut $1.5 billion more, much of it through labor concessions.

Like most of US Airways' Charlotte workers, Brune looks back on the days he spent at Piedmont Airlines as a better time in his life. He was younger and the world seemed promising. Now, he has Piedmont Airlines plates mounted on the front of both his cars, and says Piedmont founder Tom Davis would likely have handled the airline's financial crisis with more regard for employees.

"My job is not bad, but it's all the game they play, always cutting pay and benefits," he said. "They keep taking away stuff you've been used to having."
 
Ted could've written the same thing about a number of people at UAIR. I recall many CSA's that bought houses in a very exclusive neighborhood in the Charlotte area, drove brand new imported cars, spent lavishly on lots of things like electronic components and home furnishings etc. Then, 9/11 happened. All the overtime they were working vanished and their income was cut more than half. Many had to sell homes, cars etc at firesale prices to get out from the mountain of debt. Some made it out, others did not and filed bankruptcy. The problem is they lived beyond their means and should've known better than to spend money earned by working overtime. Common financial pitfalls that can be avoided are very often ignored and then you have cases like what was in the article as well as many others not written about. Very unfortunate but very common.
 
.... " Today, Brune and his wife try to get by on the $37,000 he earns as an airplane cleaner " ....... Gee, that's more than i will be making as a Mid-Atlantic first officer with 14 years in at mainline !
 
U 737 PILOT said:
.... " Today, Brune and his wife try to get by on the $37,000 he earns as an airplane cleaner " ....... Gee, that's more than i will be making as a Mid-Atlantic first officer with 14 years in at mainline !
And who's fault is that?

You have to have 13 1/2 years to be a utility person in CLT and that is a 40 hour work week, 1080 hours a year. And it is not $37,000 it is $35,630.40 before taxes and medical.

Blame your own union, not anyone elses!

So don't go work for MDA then.
 
I have always liked Hans Brune.....he's honest and hard working to a fault.

I now have a new found admiration of this guy...he's even honest about his own mistakes in this quagmire.

Hopefully things will work out in the not so distant future. I certainly hope so for good people like the Brune family anyway.
 
MrAeroMan said:
Ted could've written the same thing about a number of people at UAIR. I recall many CSA's that bought houses in a very exclusive neighborhood in the Charlotte area, drove brand new imported cars, spent lavishly on lots of things like electronic components and home furnishings etc. Then, 9/11 happened. All the overtime they were working vanished and their income was cut more than half. Many had to sell homes, cars etc at firesale prices to get out from the mountain of debt. Some made it out, others did not and filed bankruptcy. The problem is they lived beyond their means and should've known better than to spend money earned by working overtime. Common financial pitfalls that can be avoided are very often ignored and then you have cases like what was in the article as well as many others not written about. Very unfortunate but very common.
Mr AeroMan,

What's the excuse you can cite for the flight attendant group when there is no such "animal" as over-time to blame?

They too went into Bankruptcy. Many, many of them that still have their jobs filed Ch. 11 and will never go public. Pittsburgh media asked to do such a story but couldn't get the f/as to come forward with their names in the paper.

The BK attorneys in Pittsburgh are citing that the majority of BK in our region are from airline employees.

I wonder if any of the Execs went into BK these past two years over their give backs?????????? :angry:
 
PITbull said:
Mr AeroMan,

What's the excuse you can cite for the flight attendant group when there is no such "animal" as over-time to blame?

They too went into Bankruptcy. Many, many of them that still have their jobs filed Ch. 11 and will never go public. Pittsburgh media asked to do such a story but couldn't get the f/as to come forward with their names in the paper.

The BK attorneys in Pittsburgh are citing that the majority of BK in our region are from airline employees.

I wonder if any of the Execs went into BK these past two years over their give backs?????????? :angry:
I don't know what excuse they have but I do know if you're in that situation there was a money management problem at some point. While 9/11 and the resultant cutbacks/wage cuts wasn't foreseen by anyone the fallout of personal bankruptcy is from money mismanagment. So who do you want to blame?? In the end the blame can only be placed on themselves. Everyone has choices to make financially and some people make better choices than others. While it's tragic so many people are filing bankruptcy hopefully they'll learn better money managing techniques and start the long difficult process of repairing their financial situation.

As for the executives, maybe we should give Wolfie and Gangwal a call. See how they're managing with their share of the $35 million they robbed from the company. Maybe because they're such nice guys they'll use that money to help bailout the employees who have had to file bankruptcy?? NOT!!!
 
Lousy excuses you make to justify your callous position.

Many employees are filing BK because they can not live on low wages and high medical costs while supporting families. For example, our f/as on Mid-Atlantic. This is not all labor groups. But many of the CWA and AFA and IAM related are in this situation. But I could wager you any amount you would like that not ONE Senior EXEC went into BK!

There is much I would like to say....but I'd be thrown off the boards. And frankly, your not worth it.
 
PITbull said:
Lousy excuses you make to justify your callous position.

Many employees are filing BK because they can not live on low wages and high medical costs while supporting families. For example, our f/as on Mid-Atlantic. This is not all labor groups. But many of the CWA and AFA and IAM related are in this situation. But I could wager you any amount you would like that not ONE Senior EXEC went into BK!

There is much I would like to say....but I'd be thrown off the boards. And frankly, your not worth it.
Yeah yeah yeah Pitbull....it's always the same thing with you. You don't like the truth and if someone disagrees with you they instantaneously get the labels. Let's see, callous, cold hearted, blind, fool hearted and many more that you're much more able to recite than I am based on all the excuses you've posted in the past. Just because people are filing bankruptcy doesn't make it someone elses fault. I bet mean ol' Davey and his men took all of those people out to the car dealerships, furniture stores, home improvement stores and made them charge, buy and borrow didn't they? I bet he forced them on those cruises, held a gun to their head while they went into Disney World and manipulated them into countless weekend getaways. What's so hard for you to believe about it's THEIR responsibility for THEIR actions and no one elses. It's just easier for you to point fingers at someone else and how it's another persons fault there are people at UAIR that don't manage their finances properly. So what if no executives haven't filed bankruptcy. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Did it ever occur to you that MAYBE they manage THEIR finances better than the ones who filed bankruptcy?
If it's so bad what has the AFA, CWA, IAM and other unions on the property done to help their members alleviate the situation? How many classes and seminars has the illustrious leader of the AFA in PIT set up for her members showing them how to better manage their finances? How many workshops have been set up for the members free of charge to help them cope with this mean old world that won't pay someone what you think they should be paid?
 
MrAeroMan said:
help them cope with this mean old world that won't pay someone what you think they should be paid?
It is indeed a mean old world and people that line the executive team of this company make sure it stays that way with their actions of total and absolute disregard for the human element, except THIER own PERSONAL human element.

It’s really easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize people that are in real pain.

Yes, there is absolutely a thing called personal responsibility and then there are also things called honor, respect, dignity, and true upright leadership, which U has none of. Then we have people like yourself defending these pathetic actions which result in making real people's lives difficult and worse, people are even killing themselves and you are on here acting like Rush Limbaugh and all the other self righteous right wing extremists that are bringing to a close the middle class in this country.

Not everyone can or is capable of starting their own business, or has the gifts to rise above the masses with a good education. These are the people most affected to which you point an accusing figure of self-indignation. I guess these people don’t matter; they don’t count in your little book on life. Your posts speak volumes of the inner you.
 
700UW said:
Posted by Charlotte Observer on 04/09/2004 at 08:22 AM

TED REED
Staff Writer Charlotte Observer

Wise said dozens of former Charlotte mechanics were laid off and could not claim utility jobs. Hundreds more commute to Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, where less seniority is required to work as a mechanic.
It would of been nice to have this quote more accurate. There have been over 800 mechanics laid off in clt alone. How many chose to commute isn't the question. :angry:
 
cavalier said:
Yes, there is absolutely a thing called personal responsibility and then there are also things called honor, respect, dignity, and true upright leadership
Ultimately, though, the question has to be, so what? Sure, they have behaved inappropriately, but in the end if you spend at the edge of (or, worse, beyond) your means year after year, then you're gambling with your future. As I've pointed out before, the reason I haven't filed for bankruptcy is because I was always careful to spend below my income, to have a safety net in case things weren't always rosy.

So I exhibited personal responsibility, and ultimately it didn't matter that my employer was run by a man without honor, respect, dignity, or true upright leadership. Sure, I'm not happy that his lack of those properties ultimately cost me my job, but I'm the one who was, and continues to be, resposible for maintaining my standard of living. As are we all.
 
mweiss said:
Ultimately, though, the question has to be, so what? Sure, they have behaved inappropriately, but in the end if you spend at the edge of (or, worse, beyond) your means year after year, then you're gambling with your future. As I've pointed out before, the reason I haven't filed for bankruptcy is because I was always careful to spend below my income, to have a safety net in case things weren't always rosy.

So I exhibited personal responsibility, and ultimately it didn't matter that my employer was run by a man without honor, respect, dignity, or true upright leadership. Sure, I'm not happy that his lack of those properties ultimately cost me my job, but I'm the one who was, and continues to be, resposible for maintaining my standard of living. As are we all.
Another pineybob; screw them before they screw you and if you don't you are the stupid one...great outlook you two have...




All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..we can be like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man...

Valentine is done
Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity...Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday...Like Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday...Redefine happiness
Another 40,000 coming everyday...We can be like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man...

Love of two is one
Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared...saying don't be afraid
Come on baby...and she had no fear
And she ran to him...then they started to fly
They looked backward and said goodbye...she had become like they are
She had taken his hand...she had become like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
 
It's the same attitude that leads one to buy insurance policies, even when not required by law. "Risk averse," is what economists call us.

And, BTW, I didn't screw anyone over to get my financial security. I earned it.
 
I've known Hans for many years and he is a good guy. I wish him and all that might face a similar situation the best of luck.