>First, let me preface this by admitting that I''m an Airbus F/O at United. These are the realities of our situation:
>
>Pilots: First....Making a lot of money when the economy is up and your business model works is great. The reality is that our work rules are a joke. Imagine if any of us on this message board opened up a carwash and allowed our employees to work at the same productivity levely that we as UAL pilots do. Chapter 11.
>
>Second....You can argue your value only when you''re in a buyers market. The reality is that there are a lot of 25-27 year old pilots out there that can do my job and are willing to do it for 1/4 the cost. Do they have my qualifications? NO! Does the flying public care? NO!! John B. Public doesn''t discern whether or not his guy in the polyester suit flew from aircraft carriers or in Cessna 172''s. The only issue in this economy is ticket price. PERIOD!
>
>Third....I have yet to meet a group of employees possessing a greater sense of entitlement when it comes to the work place. Read up on Adam Smith referencing market forces. We cannot transfer our skills to equitable wages elsewhere in the economy. The market and, therefore, our current situation will ultimately determine our income or our demise.
>
>IAM: First....You got screwed.
>
>Second...It doesn''t matter. Live by the sword or die by it but I would always choose to live now and fight another day. In my relatively short tenure at United I''ve run into a host of former Eastern Mechs driving limo''s or working in hotels. All of them service industry and all of them making far less that you will even given the most sever wage concessions.
>
>Finally: UNIONS! Blame Bush and the Republicans all you want but here are the facts!
>
>FACT 1: The ESOP was a failure. It was a failure in practice and theory. How can you have a member on the board who has a fiduciary responsibility to ALL shareholders but is still a member of our Union(s).
>
>FACT 2: We paid too much for the stock. If you can''t see this go to mathmadeeasy.com.
>
>FACT 3: ALPA and the IAM put Goodwin in charge because we thought he could be groomed. OOPS
>
>FACT 4: The pilot slowdown was the start of UAL loosing money.
>
>FACT 5: Contract 2000 was phase 2 of UAL loosing money. Rick even said we couldn''t afford it. The Golden Goose had suffered a loss of oxygen a bit too long.
>
>FACT 6: For the IAM. J Peterpaul; good, bad or indifferent was your guy and he voted for the USAir merger. I''ll blame my union for it''s transgressions. Blame yours for its own.
>
>FACT 7: Executives and lawyers don''t lose money. Ever. So if you think you''re screwing anyone other than the employees of this company by advocating its demise you''re either blinded by anger or just foolish. Name one poor former airline CEO. Just one will do.
>
>FACT 8: Tilton is our last hope. I give UAL a less that 50% chance of going chapter 7 and it has nothing to do with the economy or Iraq or our competitors. I can''t blame Blue Skies or Ferris or Wolf or ESOP or Goodwin or Osama or anyone else right now. We have to live to fight another day.
>
>
>I''d rather be furloughed for 5 years than see this company go down. There are too many good people who have worked hard trying to make a go under lousy leadership to let that happen.
>
>Semper Fi,
>
>Lerch
>
>
>
>Pilots: First....Making a lot of money when the economy is up and your business model works is great. The reality is that our work rules are a joke. Imagine if any of us on this message board opened up a carwash and allowed our employees to work at the same productivity levely that we as UAL pilots do. Chapter 11.
>
>Second....You can argue your value only when you''re in a buyers market. The reality is that there are a lot of 25-27 year old pilots out there that can do my job and are willing to do it for 1/4 the cost. Do they have my qualifications? NO! Does the flying public care? NO!! John B. Public doesn''t discern whether or not his guy in the polyester suit flew from aircraft carriers or in Cessna 172''s. The only issue in this economy is ticket price. PERIOD!
>
>Third....I have yet to meet a group of employees possessing a greater sense of entitlement when it comes to the work place. Read up on Adam Smith referencing market forces. We cannot transfer our skills to equitable wages elsewhere in the economy. The market and, therefore, our current situation will ultimately determine our income or our demise.
>
>IAM: First....You got screwed.
>
>Second...It doesn''t matter. Live by the sword or die by it but I would always choose to live now and fight another day. In my relatively short tenure at United I''ve run into a host of former Eastern Mechs driving limo''s or working in hotels. All of them service industry and all of them making far less that you will even given the most sever wage concessions.
>
>Finally: UNIONS! Blame Bush and the Republicans all you want but here are the facts!
>
>FACT 1: The ESOP was a failure. It was a failure in practice and theory. How can you have a member on the board who has a fiduciary responsibility to ALL shareholders but is still a member of our Union(s).
>
>FACT 2: We paid too much for the stock. If you can''t see this go to mathmadeeasy.com.
>
>FACT 3: ALPA and the IAM put Goodwin in charge because we thought he could be groomed. OOPS
>
>FACT 4: The pilot slowdown was the start of UAL loosing money.
>
>FACT 5: Contract 2000 was phase 2 of UAL loosing money. Rick even said we couldn''t afford it. The Golden Goose had suffered a loss of oxygen a bit too long.
>
>FACT 6: For the IAM. J Peterpaul; good, bad or indifferent was your guy and he voted for the USAir merger. I''ll blame my union for it''s transgressions. Blame yours for its own.
>
>FACT 7: Executives and lawyers don''t lose money. Ever. So if you think you''re screwing anyone other than the employees of this company by advocating its demise you''re either blinded by anger or just foolish. Name one poor former airline CEO. Just one will do.
>
>FACT 8: Tilton is our last hope. I give UAL a less that 50% chance of going chapter 7 and it has nothing to do with the economy or Iraq or our competitors. I can''t blame Blue Skies or Ferris or Wolf or ESOP or Goodwin or Osama or anyone else right now. We have to live to fight another day.
>
>
>I''d rather be furloughed for 5 years than see this company go down. There are too many good people who have worked hard trying to make a go under lousy leadership to let that happen.
>
>Semper Fi,
>
>Lerch
>
>