The Management Roadshows (Opinions?)

[AOG-N-IT]

Tonight I attended a meeting in the CLT Hangar that was conducted by VP of Maintenance Charlie Nardello. The meeting was for the most part , very bland. Nardello of course stuck to the company line about this being the final solution/option. Mr. Nardello of course fielded the questions about the $6M in bonus money being given to people at his level...and slightly below. Nardello said that his piece of the pie..was around $40k for the year. He was asked if he felt he was deserving of this? He awnsered in a most affirmative Yes He stated of the 15 areas that are rated for his performance...He had achieved his goals. This is all well and good...but the arrogance of saying this , in front of a room of people , some of which will not only not make $40K in a year ...but will likely be un-employed within the next 60 days , well this simply struck me cold. This is part of being a leader...vs. being a poor leader. Nardello should be leading by example...especially when facing the troops. He should not only be taking the required concessions....He should be refusing this bonus on principal alone. How can a person , with clear thinking , expect to lead others whom are in some cases going to suffer the loss of everything ...while he profits from what anyone could deam as poor performance by the company as a whole. This in summation...continues to speak poorly of our corporate officers and leaders. We are being asked to take one on the chin for the team....I think this needs to be a shared situation in all respects. Bonuses should not even be a thought...as long as BK looms...profits are un-heard of...and people are losing jobs at this company by the day. This is where the rubber meets the road.....LEAD BY EXAMPLE!!!

 

[chipmunn]

AOG:

I understand the anger about one group taking a bonus while others are asked to sacrifice. But there are three points to remember:

1. As we all know seniority, locks a union employee to an airline due to time in service. For management this is not true. Headhunters are likely hanging around CCY and providing better offers to our best managers. Do we want to have good people leave US and have bad management? Is a vote of no out of anger over a few million dollars worth a future of poor decisions that will reduce our profit sharing checks, reduce the stock appreciation, or even the failure of the company worth the anger and no vote?

2. Again, I understand the anger and emotion of the bonus payments, but the IAM, AFA, & ALPA reached an agreement in court over this issue. The senior officers will not take the bonus and it will be spread across the director and VP level.

3. This vote is a vote to go in front of the judge or to not go in front of the judge. The company's extremely detailed and well-written legal brief will seek to cancel your contract, impose deeper cuts, prevent a strike, and asks for over $30 million in damages.

These are uncharted waters, but we do know Judge Mitchell has agreed with every company motion including permitting the company to return 67 aircraft. If history is an indicator, it is likely the Judge will side with the company in a S.1113 hearing.

This whole situation is bad and nobody likes it. However, a no vote is a vote for greater pain for those who elect to stay employed by the company after a S.1113 hearing.

Thanks for taking the time to write a post about the meeting and I appreciate your comments and insight.

Chip

 

[t-man]

AOG-N-It,
Would you turn down an extra $40K not knowing weather you will have a job or not in a few months?
I know if it was me and knowing how screwed up this company has been in the past 10 yrs. I'd take the money.
I can't have loyalty to a company that is miss managed and treats the little guy as badly as this one does.

 

[chipmunn]

A&P:

A no vote will only hurt yourself more. If you elect to stay with the company for employment after the S.1113 hearing, the judge does not have the option to negotiate on your behalf. He can only keep your contract intact for a bankrupt company in an industry in crisis or he can reject the CBA.

There are no options. A no vote is a no vote for you and your colleagues to likely suffer more pain.

Chip

 

[AP Tech]

Charlie got a $40k bonus..nice real nice! Today in Pit we are scheduled to hear a rep from HR and a Co lawyer and they will discuss why we have to vote yes and the perils of voting no. I suppose our mgr in Pit will be getting more accessories for his Harley after all. These are just two of the people who are getting bonuses so as to keep them from jumping ship? Ask anyone in the department if they are deserving. More of a reason for a NO' vote, we need a change!

 

[cavalier]

AOG-N-It,
Would you turn down an extra $40K not knowing weather you will have a job or not in a few months?
I know if it was me and knowing how screwed up this company has been in the past 10 yrs. I'd take the money.
I can't have loyalty to a company that is miss managed and treats the little guy as badly as this one does.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thank You t-man, for your common sense.

Like I heard a women mechanic in pit who is not well known as the brightest star in the sky: Well, well, we need to vote no so the rest of the guys in the industry don't take pay cuts too. Never mind the airline industry in in a tail spin, never mind we are in bankruptcy and everything is NOT fair, never mind the guys at TWA got the royal shaft when AA took them over, where is THEIR fairness?? This is about our very livelihood this is not the time to take up the martyr rule. The economy sucks even outside the airline industry. It is utterly amazing to me people want to take a stand now in a lose lose situation. When we had leverage the last contract, where were you people! Facts indicate, AFTER you put away all the bull: NO vote, NO job. Yes, Job. FYI...There are people saying yes this 2nd round, I know this for a fact and don't care what the Nan Sayers are pompously shouting on these boards.

 

[Liz]

On 9/11/2002 4:03:34 AM AOG-N-IT wrote:

Tonight I attended a meeting in the CLT Hangar that was conducted by VP of Maintenance Charlie Nardello... Mr. Nardello of course fielded the questions about the $6M in bonus money being given to people at his level...and slightly below. Nardello said that his piece of the pie..was around $40k for the year. He was asked if he felt he was deserving of this? He awnsered in a most affirmative "Yes" He stated of the 15 areas that are rated for his performance...He had achieved his goals. This is all well and good...but the arrogance of saying this , in front of a room of people , some of which will not only not make $40K in a year ...but will likely be un-employed within the next 60 days , well this simply struck me cold.


AOG-N-IT,

My husband attended this meeting yesterday and you quite accurately portray what he heard and saw. Arrogance is a good adjective for how Mr. Nardello conducted himself. Leadership examples are almost non-existent in USAirways. There continues to be a mindset that certain people are entitled to monies above and beyond their salary no matter what the rank and file are being badgered to accept. In good times this would not be an issue. When a company is in bankruptcy it is is conspicously poor behavior to pay ANY bonuses. It is bad PR to have this discussed here and in the newspapers. Why doesn't USAirways and management step back and see how this looks??? This is one of the stickiest points to the IAM Restructuring Agreement.

The bonuses need to come off the table and not be discussed again until this company is running in the black for four quarters.

Liz

 

[Lakeguy67]

[P]AOG are you in MCU? Did you attend the 11pm captive meeting? If you, what are you intiaitls, I probably deal with you.[/P]

 

[usjacket]

Good Ole Charlie Nardello could not explain why management pay cut is for 2 years and ours will be for 6 plus 4 more to negotiate another contract.

 

[cat 111]

V.P. of Maint. to get $40k bonus for what? That is why a lot of mechanics are going to VOTE NO.

 

[repeet]

As a second shifter I attended the first of these meetings at Charlotte at 6:00pm Tuesday night. I then hung around after work to see how the mood was going to be at the third shift presentation at 11:30pm.

The Second ship meeting was politely aggressive on the IAM's part. We listened to the presentation and then asked questions. The mistake made by the presenters was that while answering questions they would ask the questions why would you? and how could you?. Both of the questions would evoke a unified outcry from those in attendece. The answers being you mean how could you and none of your business.

The third shift meeting was much meeker. The presenters restrained themselves from asking rhetorical questions and stuck to the rhetorical answers.

I am anxious to talk to the first shifters and find out how their meeting went today (Wed.).

And yes, I personally heard Mr. Nardello say that his share of the $6 Million was $40,000.00.

 

[chipmunn]

CAT III:

CAT III said: V.P. of Maint. to get $40k bonus for what? That is why a lot of mechanics are going to VOTE NO.

Chip asks: CAT III, so what you're saying is that you would rather risk having the judge cancel your contract, permit the company to impose deeper cuts in pay and benefits and risk having to pay damages by you and your colleagues, because the company is trying to keep the best possible management team in place?

In addition, you believe your anger over the company trying to keep good management in place, is worth the failure of the corporation and loss of 36,000 jobs in this economy?

Chip

 

[Chock]

I have lost all faith in USAir to manage itself. It continues to blunder along, as evidenced by the recent dog and pony show featuring Nodello. His bonus is just adding insult to injury, and has been merely gained by default at best. Is this the same leadership that will lead us after they receive the concession's!?! $40k for an ex-stock clerk with no experience as an AMT.........NO, NO, NO! And Chip, save your little epistles for Sunday mass!

 

[OldGuyinPA]

If Headhunters are picking off our good management, then what are we left with???? We must be paying blood money to the poor management that are still hanging around till the end.

Dave needs to completely clean Crystal City...Palace. Get rid of the management who only think within the box. Maybe they are achieving their stated goals, but the airline is failing. Think outside of the box. We need dynamic leaders, not just more of the same management.

Just my 2 cents.....IMHO

 

[cat 111]

Chip,

Why should these guys get a penny.They are not Dave's new guys.They are being rewarded for getting us in much of this mess.They are Wolf's old boys.The iam and company should have sat back down and hammered out a better deal that we could live with.To have a second vote is a slap in the face !!!Yes,there is life outside of USair.