Another letter that sums up employee moral
We should all write letters but what good would it do.
Their reply will allways be ... "let them eat cake"
Dear Fellow Employee:
The other day I received your letter of thanks, for my hard work, which helped us achieve a $317 million profit this past fiscal quarter. As you see, I have begun this letter with the same salutation you used in yours. I want you to know that, as your fellow employee, I too feel that we must continue, “Working Together†for our mutual future. I also want to thank you, for your hard work, and I say that with total honesty. I appreciate, from the dealings I have had with you and other AA executives, while I served as a Transport Workers Union representative, how hard you work, and that you deserve to be rewarded for it – as we all do.
There is a current television commercial, for a well-known credit card company, which addresses the subject of “rewards.†In it, a medieval knight rides into town and proclaims: “I’ve slain the dragon! I’ve saved the village!†As his “reward,†the king presents him with a thank you card. The knight, who is understandably disappointed and dejected, asks; “Is this all I get?†Then, the king proceeds to read a list of stipulations, on how many dragons must be slain and how many other heroic feats must be accomplished, before any “tangible reward†will be given. (Here comes the cute kicker!) How many dragons do I need to slay before I get a “tangible reward?â€
In all seriousness and with all sincerity, I am beginning to wonder if you appreciate, or even realize, how disappointed and dejected your fellow employees are. Several days before I got your “thank you card,†I read in the news that you (executives) “awarded yourselves†more stock options, payable in 2010. After the extensive criticism you received over the last options in April, that announcement, without any mention of some kind of compensation (even being considered) for the rest of the workforce, was astonishing. Your “thank you card,†right on its heels, was at best, thoughtless. It almost seems like American Airlines is purposely undoing all the hard work we have accomplished, and you begged for, in turning the company around.
You may be wondering why I did not bring my concerns to you directly and have chosen instead to “air our laundry in public.†I have several reasons. Primarily, I want to try to get your attention. I have conferred with my union leaders and with the consultants hired by the company, to facilitate the “Turn-Around Plan,†they all assured me that they spoke up and gave suggestions on how to handle the executive pay more amicably, for everyone; they did not get your attention. When the executive stock options were paid in April, a petition with 17,000 signatures, of employees, customers, and former customers, was emailed to all of you, calling for some kind of consideration for the rest of the workforce; it did not get your attention. At the annual Stockholders Meeting in April, hardbound copies of the petition were presented to, and ignored by, you and the Board of Directors. Many comments and concerns about the lack of equity shown to the AA labor force were voiced at the same meeting. Granted, some were inappropriate, but most were legitimate; none of that got your attention. In fact, I attended the Stockholders Meeting, and I was fascinated by your “non-positional†position, on every controversial remark. I have seen that before and since; your management team appears to like the approach that if you pretend a problem does not exist, it will go away. Consider however; the “problem†here is an unappreciated and unhappy workforce, if it goes away, there will be no AA.
Secondly, I want to try to get other people’s attention. If my action of presenting this open letter, in a public forum, motivates others to action; maybe that will get your attention.
Thirdly, others who are not part of the “AA Family†are already speaking up about us, in the mainstream media. The business section of my local newspaper ran an article that excoriated you for the announcement of the 2010 executive stock options. In it, the reporter made several suggestions, as to how you might include “rewards†for the rest of the workforce. He opined that: “It would remind everyone that the troops eat before the generals.†Additionally, he said, “it would give American managers some moral authority.â€
He went on to question if you were “holding back†until contract negotiations resume, so that you can ask for more concessions and in turn “reward†us with what we have already “earned.†“But,†he added, “imagine if employees took the same approach. What if they refuse to go the extra mile until new contracts are worked out next year?†That question worried me, and ought to worry you. I am worried that more (business) reporters and (industry) analysts will ask those kinds of questions, in newspaper and broadcast venues. If enough of them do, “more†of the public could become “former†customers.
Herb Cohen, the renowned negotiator and author, teaches, “perception is reality.†If the public perceives that, by flying on American Airlines, they will be taking a chance, of getting sub par service, of having their luggage mishandled, or of their flight having a long delay, if it gets off the ground at all, et cetera, none of those things needs to happen. The public’s perception will cause them to take their business elsewhere.
As your fellow employee, when your actions are detrimental to our mutual future, it is my responsibility “to get your attention†and make you aware of it. That is my straightforward, and only, purpose for this letter. Your actions are demoralizing the workforce - and creating doubts about our productivity, to outside observers. These are not imaginings; they are facts, and should be of concern to all of us, while all is not yet lost. In the newspaper article, I have been quoting, the reporter also stated, “It's always the right time to do the right thing - that's what leadership is about.â€
The credit card company, which I mentioned earlier, ends all of their commercials with the same catch-phrase question: “What’s in your wallet?†No one needs to ask that question of you, it is public knowledge. However, the public and I need to worry about what’s in ours.
Yours truly,
Signature deleted – American Airlines Employee, Transport Workers Union Member
I don't know why these exTWA people cannot just let go, TWA is dead and gone. 
