Thanks Doug: US Outsourcing 7 cities

[Move2CLT]

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[Jimmy Neutron]

Given the outsourcing spree that took place on the East in 2005, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The contract language is weak to say the least, and it gets worse. In looking at the 2008 CBA, it appears that in order to get the Fleet work back in an outsourced station you need to have nearly 90 weekly Mainline flights..............

That language was in the original 2005 CBA....remember that POS???? In BK #2 the company clearly took the lead of the ramp having weak union representation as there was not one paragraph in our contract that the company did not alter leaving us totally at the mercy of their evilness.....and as you have seen...they are clearly more evil than a lot of people thought....but there are many of us who had been living with this evil way back in the mid to late 80's...

If only people would have listened things would be a whole lot different today!!!!

 

[Black Magic]

Just wondering whats up with ATL getting Fleet work back? Don't get me wrong, I think that it's great that Fleet gets any work back period. I haven't looked at the ATL skd recently, and I am surprised that US would have enough Mainline service into DL's mega-hub...

Merger with Delta perhaps? Far fetched idea I know. Any rate why does the IAM put these pos of #### contracts out for the membership to vote on anyways? Don't they have any knowledge or balls to negotiate against the evil?

 

[LD3]

Hope you have a happy holiday Doug.....You f'in moron....Screw you and all your supporters you drunken bastard, you shouldn't even have your job.

 

[700UW]

Why since I can remember they always announce cuts right before a holiday?

 

[LD3]

Why since I can remember they always announce cuts right before a holiday?

That's probably when he drinks the most....

 

[700UW]

US did this going back to the 90s before Doug even was here.

92 cuts before thanskgiving

95 was before holidays too

 

[LD3]

Are you saying that there was almost 20 years of crappy union representation for fleet?

 

[BoeingBoy]

AFIK, A city with more than two mainline flights per day must be CWA staffed. EMB 170/5 are considered "mainline" for this purpose; CRJ-700 are considered "express".

Just a guess, but possibly because MDA was operating the 170's (and would have operated the 175's) at that time while the CRJ700's were operated by PSA as Express. While the pilots ratified an agreement allowing the 170's to be sold and operated by an affiliate carrier in 2004, the sales agreement with Republic was approved by the DK court in early 2006 and they started to take possession of and operating the 170's in the last half of 2006.

Jim

 

[CallawayGolf]

Why blame Doug when it's the unions that have priced labor contracts above free market rates? If the unions wanted to keep these jobs they would seek wage rates that are at or below what competitive outsourced rates are. The unions are killing jobs, not Management.

 

[Claxon]

Why blame Doug when it's the unions that have priced labor contracts above free market rates? If the unions wanted to keep these jobs they would seek wage rates that are at or below what competitive outsourced rates are. The unions are killing jobs, not Management.

Any operation that takes the USAirways name is destined to retreat, and now Franke Air is starting to act like USAirways, running. Doug Parker is not up to running an airline, and he will increase costs flying the small junk that Airtran and Southwest will not operate. Mainline or no line. Parker is too stupid to figure out when oil inevitably goes into the low hundred a barrel range, his Franke Air plan goes deeper into the toilet. God spare the USAirways workers from the worst management ever. They deserve better yet never get it. Your Callaway Golf is part and parcel Franke Air management, the problem, never the solution. Blame unions. Lowest labor costs in the industry, and Franke Air, true to form wants more in its' endless greed. Look at Parkers' compensation. Stunning in its' theft from the shareholders for what he returns.

 

[LD3]

Why blame Doug when it's the unions that have priced labor contracts above free market rates? If the unions wanted to keep these jobs they would seek wage rates that are at or below what competitive outsourced rates are. The unions are killing jobs, not Management.

Have you ever heard of an airline that goes by the name Southwest?

 

[ChockJockey]

Why blame Doug when it's the unions that have priced labor contracts above free market rates? If the unions wanted to keep these jobs they would seek wage rates that are at or below what competitive outsourced rates are. The unions are killing jobs, not Management.

Funny how the free market has consistently been devaluing labor decade over decade, with the stagnation and now the decline of median wages. In order to remain profitable these days many if not most firms, including US Airways, have been actively eroding wages, degrading the quality of service and products, and fighting against regulations designed to protect the environment and consumers.

Adam Smith was visionary, but let's none of us fool ourselves into thinking that the "invisible hand" of the market is in this age attached to any body but that most interested in accumulating the wealth of the middle classes into the vast depositories of the few, where it can then be invested in turning public opinion and government policy towards initiatives that allow for easier exploitation of the lower classes and the environment.

When markets stop growing, capitalism cannibalizes its own components. The free market doesn't care if you want to buy a house or send kids to college. The free market is concerned about paying as little as possible for as long as possible, and when that becomes too much they simply fire a guy and hire a new replacement. Forget education, the middle class is being priced out of college and last year my state gave away half a billion in subsidies and tax cuts to businesses only to slash as much from the education budget. The rich get richer and the poor poorer at an accelerated rate, as the middle and working classes settle into a lifetime revolving-door cycle of menial service-industry work, essentially functioning as the drones, soldiers, pliant voters, inmates, and most importantly, consumers for the elites controlling capital wealth and state power.

So what are we supposed to do when the free market calls for wages at or below minimum wage? Grin and bear it, kiss the rings and thank our overlords for keeping us employed for yet another day? I'm no Marxist, but I can't help but lol at the cult of the free market. As far as I can tell, it's called the "free" market, because they more wealth you accumulate, the more freedom you can afford.

 

[CallawayGolf]

Funny how the free market has consistently been devaluing labor decade over decade, with the stagnation and now the decline of median wages. In order to remain profitable these days many if not most firms, including US Airways, have been actively eroding wages, degrading the quality of service and products, and fighting against regulations designed to protect the environment and consumers.

Adam Smith was a visionary, but let's none of us fool ourselves into thinking that the "invisible hand" of the market is attached to any body but that most interested in accumulating the wealth of the middle classes into the vast depositories of the few, where it can then be invested in turning public opinion and government policy towards initiatives that allow for easier exploitation of the lower classes and the environment.

When markets stop growing, capitalism cannibalizes its own components. The free market doesn't care if you want to buy a house or send kids to college. The free market is concerned about paying as little as possible for as long as possible, and when that becomes to much we simply fire a guy and hire a new replacement. Forget education, the middle class is being priced out of college and last year my state gave away half a billion in subsidies and tax cuts to businesses only to slash as much from the education budget. The rich get richer and the poor poorer at an accelerated rate, as the middle and working classes settle into a lifetime revolving-door cycle of menial service-industry work, essentially functioning as the drones, soldiers, pliant voters, inmates, and most importantly, consumers for the elites controlling capital wealth and state power.

So what are we supposed to do when the free market calls for wages at or below minimum wage? Grin and bear it, kiss the rings and thank our overlords for keeping us employed for yet another day? I'm no Marxist, but I can't help but lol at the cult of the free market. As far as I can tell, it's called the "free" market, because they more wealth you accumulate, the more freedom you can afford.

I'm just talking about facts, logic and reason. So, my response is have you ever heard of a company outsourcing to more expensive labor costs than what they could otherwise pay their own employees to do? You can wish and be philosophical all you like, but the result is the same - businesses will find a way to reduce costs and earn more profit regardless of what organized labor does. If labor gets the upper hand companies are often forced into chapter 11 or chapter 7 bankruptcy court. So the invisible hand leads to a point of equilibrium either by negotiations or by court protections. The final result of paying above market rates is lower wages, fewer jobs or both. It's just the reality of the world economic systems and especially in a competitive commodity market like airlines operate in.

 

[ChockJockey]

I'm just talking about facts, logic and reason. So, my response is have you ever heard of a company outsourcing to more expensive labor costs than what they could otherwise pay their own employees to do? You can wish and be philosophical all you like, but the result is the same - businesses will find a way to reduce costs and earn more profit regardless of what organized labor does. If labor gets the upper hand companies are often forced into chapter 11 or chapter 7 bankruptcy court. So the invisible hand leads to a point of equilibrium either by negotiations or by court protections. The final result of paying above market rates is lower wages, fewer jobs or both. It's just the reality of the world economic systems and especially in a competitive commodity market like airlines operate in.

Indeed, no company is going to want to pay more for what they value the labor to be. My point is, as we're seeing labor becoming more and more devalued and because "businesses will find a way to reduce costs and earn more profit regardless", there is no reason to expect this trend to abate since competition fuels a permanent drive for efficiency and cost savings. But how long can this actually continue, and what realistic expectations do we have of ever seeing the market return to anything near historic values for labor?

I appreciate your incorporating facts, logic and reason. I'm sure they fit in pretty well with your conceptualization of the reality of world economic systems.