Triple Play for September Metrics

[Pi brat]

Oh, and on Mr. Isom. I don't mean to be too hard on him. I actually like him personally and think he has done a lot good work here. I just think he has either decided or been led down the wrong path on this and it started with the fuel school. I'd like to see us working together, but that is a two way street and there has been much traffic in management's lane.

 

[Pi brat]

Well the US Airways v McCutchen case has me a bit fired up. I don't know how you guys can work with such a pack of Liars, Cheats and Thieves.

Looking and wishing for a way out, haven't found an acceptable one yet. The work experience here now is the worst I've ever seen it and that's really a shame. We have some great people here that still go our of their way for our customers. It seems as if management takes out criticisms as an effort to ruin the airline. It's not, it's an effort to improve it.

 

[Harry Callahan]

Looking and wishing for a way out, haven't found an acceptable one yet. The work experience here now is the worst I've ever seen it.

And I second that. Just pray that I can retire in 2012.

 

[CallawayGolf]

An injunction has a way of stifling free expression. ANY pilot employed by US Airways would be a fool to comment on safety issues in a public forum such as this. IP Addressees can be traced and identities found relatively easily. This is yet another example of Management by Fear and Intimidation.

Should certain pilots have engaged in what was proven to be an illegal job action? NO, they shouldn't have. However for me the question is why is government regulating Labor Relations? You talk about the intrusion of the Federal Government when it goes against the agenda set forth by the Tempe Clown Posse, yet you use that same intrusive Federal Government to accomplish what you can't accomplish at the bargaining table.

Let me see if I have this right.

According to you in US Airways v McCutchen, the Federal Government was intrusive and overstepped its boundaries as set forth in the COTUSl by ruling in favor of Mr McCutchen a case that IMO Stevie Wonder could see US Airways naked greed.

So now we travel back in time to US Airways using the very same Federal Court System to seek an injunction from the very same intrusive Federal Government to squash a Labor dispute. Where in the COTUS is this action sanctioned?

See Mr Golf it isn't and like a good Neo-Con Republican you want the deck stacked in your favor at all times. True Freedom & Liberty means no RLA, NMB or any of the rest of the alphabet soup of agencies created to regulate Labor/Management disputes.

You can't have it both ways. A bit hypocritical on your part don't you think?

I'm not being hypocritical at all, but thanks for checking in. I've said directly to you on multiple occasions that I fully support the total elimination of the DOL, the NMB/RLA, the NRLA/NRLB and far more federal departments, agencies, and programs than Rick Perry can remember or Ron Paul is yet willing to identify. Get rid of them now and the whole east/west pilot issue and the need for a federally-structured labor agreement with a seniority list of any kind goes away. Get rid of those federal intrusion and there would be no injunction because there would be no federal rules on how labor and Managment interact. Then if a pilot or group of pilots wants to harm the company by slowing things down, the ACP or whoever issues said pilot his walking papers and the problem is solved. No need for courts or anyone outside the direct relationship to fix that kind of problem. If Management cannot find pilots willing to work at the rates they are offering, then they would need to raise pilot wages until the pilot roster is fully staffed.

That's not the situation we have today. The NMB/RLA has inserted itself into the employer-employee relationship and prevents the employer from terminating a disruptive and harmful act without going through a rigorous process designed to give the employee more leverage than the employer until the process is fully complete. When there is concerted effort by an organized and represented labor group such as east pilots & USAPA then the feds have forced Management to use the only avenue of resolution that has been made available to them when illegal actions are occurring - a district court.

The country I envision as being the best place for a healthy, thriving economy with a free market that determines who wins and who loses in the business or employee marketplace is vastly different than what America has become in the 20th/21st century. That being said, I'm still a realist and I think the Management team your deride is perfectly correct in both of these cases. Strip away federal intrusion and their actions would look considerably different. Still, the shareholders deserve to have their investment protected by a management team living in and functioning in the here an now rather than what CallawayGolf believes it should be as a true Constitutional conservative who believes in an exceedingly limited role for the feds.

Nice try, but I'm one of the most consistent posters you will find. I never look to outside sources in politics or business to form my core beliefs. What I say today is the same thing I would have said thirty years ago and what I will say thirty years from now if the Lord wills that I endure that long in this fallen world.

 

[CallawayGolf]

<snip>

I absolutely agree that it was management's right to file the injunction relief. As a matter of fact, it is their responsibility to do what they feel is necessary to run a good, safe operation. I have just disagreed with many of their tactics since the fuel school. What about my comment about employees giving a ####? Do you think that is necessary or are you of the same opinion as Parker and Dr. Lee on that topic?

<snip>

I think it's vital for employees to care about their jobs, the customer and doing everything within their power to see that their employer makes as much money as possible in a legal and fair competitive environment. Both the employee and the employer are responsible for ensuring that is the attitude employees come to work with each and every day.

The employee must choose as a matter of personal volition to have this attitude no matter what negative things a customer, their boss or someone else may do to disrupt that attitude. We've discussed this before but being offended is a personal choice. You can choose to be offended or you can choose to take no offense at the word or actions of another. The same goes towards having a good attitude about your job, your boss and everything you encounter at work. If you aren't happy (or whatever adjective you wish to insert here) with your employment then you only need to look in the mirror as to the source of the problem. There are plenty of people doing menial, unglorified jobs for minimum wage (or even less if they are illegal border crossers) who are extremely happy with the job they have been blessed with. Objectively their employer treats them far worse than anything an employee at US has to endure and they get no medical or other benefits and their employer may not even thank them once for doing a good job. You and I both know there are people like this but by your measure you probably cannot conceive of how such an employment existence could produce satisfaction. That's because satisfaction comes from within, as you surely know know one else can make you happy for an extended period of time.

For the employer who wants to create an environment of satisfaction that too can happen, but its significantly harder in a heavily regulated and heavily unionized industry like airlines. I'm not saying other airline employees are equally dissatisfied with their jobs like so many US employees on this board claim to be, but the environment is much more challenging than someone working at Google or somewhere where freedom is much more a part of the environment. Offering market-based pay, health and related benefits, SA travel and other things are all designed to encourage this kind of environment. Could more be done? Sure, but most cost far more money than what either US or HP has had available to them in the past decade. The cumulative effects of bankruptcies, 9/11, a federally-induced recession and host of other factors including being in debt up to the company's figurative eyeballs all come into play with the amount Management can do to create such an environment. The fact that the hard-core east pilots are holding the rest of the pilots and the FAs hostage on a new contract certainly doesn't improve anything for either labor or management.

If you want satisfaction then my suggestion is to either decide to be satisfied regardless of external factors or just move on to another job and check to see if you can find sustained job satisfaction under a new Management team.

 

[Pi brat]

I think it's vital for employees to care about their jobs, the customer and doing everything within their power to see that their employer makes as much money as possible in a legal and fair competitive environment. Both the employee and the employer are responsible for ensuring that is the attitude employees come to work with each and every day.

The employee must choose as a matter of personal volition to have this attitude no matter what negative things a customer, their boss or someone else may do to disrupt that attitude. We've discussed this before but being offended is a personal choice. You can choose to be offended or you can choose to take no offense at the word or actions of another. The same goes towards having a good attitude about your job, your boss and everything you encounter at work. If you aren't happy (or whatever adjective you wish to insert here) with your employment then you only need to look in the mirror as to the source of the problem. There are plenty of people doing menial, unglorified jobs for minimum wage (or even less if they are illegal border crossers) who are extremely happy with the job they have been blessed with. Objectively their employer treats them far worse than anything an employee at US has to endure and they get no medical or other benefits and their employer may not even thank them once for doing a good job. You and I both know there are people like this but by your measure you probably cannot conceive of how such an employment existence could produce satisfaction. That's because satisfaction comes from within, as you surely know know one else can make you happy for an extended period of time.

For the employer who wants to create an environment of satisfaction that too can happen, but its significantly harder in a heavily regulated and heavily unionized industry like airlines. I'm not saying other airline employees are equally dissatisfied with their jobs like so many US employees on this board claim to be, but the environment is much more challenging than someone working at Google or somewhere where freedom is much more a part of the environment. Offering market-based pay, health and related benefits, SA travel and other things are all designed to encourage this kind of environment. Could more be done? Sure, but most cost far more money than what either US or HP has had available to them in the past decade. The cumulative effects of bankruptcies, 9/11, a federally-induced recession and host of other factors including being in debt up to the company's figurative eyeballs all come into play with the amount Management can do to create such an environment. The fact that the hard-core east pilots are holding the rest of the pilots and the FAs hostage on a new contract certainly doesn't improve anything for either labor or management.

If you want satisfaction then my suggestion is to either decide to be satisfied regardless of external factors or just move on to another job and check to see if you can find sustained job satisfaction under a new Management team.

We have talked about this before and I do agree with you about a lot of this. The thing is, your attitude is outside the average person's. They expect a little more and have a different POV on fairness and all that. Right or wrong, it's different. I think the management can do things that will not break the bank and make things better. Not perfect but better, and that would drive satisfaction up and result in better customer service and customer satisfaction.

 

[CallawayGolf]

We have talked about this before and I do agree with you about a lot of this. The thing is, your attitude is outside the average person's. They expect a little more and have a different POV on fairness and all that. Right or wrong, it's different. I think the management can do things that will not break the bank and make things better. Not perfect but better, and that would drive satisfaction up and result in better customer service and customer satisfaction.

Are you willing to engage in a personal challenge PI? I challenge you to give my version of life a try for thirty days. Tell yourself each day before you go to work that you are going to enjoy your job and the people you encounter while doing your job. Refuse to let anyone or anything take a sense of personal satisfaction and enjoyment away from you. Force yourself to accept any negative information or events that come your way as being just part of life and then choose to be happy/satisfied in spite of what the world throws at you.

At the end of the thirty days you can then tell me if you had a true change of attitude and if you find more personal enjoyment from being a US employee. If the answer is no, then at least you tried and can go right back to where you are today. If the answer is yes and you like the way you lived for the past thirty days, then why not just keep going?

I'm not sure what I can offer you in return for this challenge but I figured I would throw it out there anyway. Good luck.

 

[Pi brat]

Are you willing to engage in a personal challenge PI? I challenge you to give my version of life a try for thirty days. Tell yourself each day before you go to work that you are going to enjoy your job and the people you encounter while doing your job. Refuse to let anyone or anything take a sense of personal satisfaction and enjoyment away from you. Force yourself to accept any negative information or events that come your way as being just part of life and then choose to be happy/satisfied in spite of what the world throws at you.

At the end of the thirty days you can then tell me if you had a true change of attitude and if you find more personal enjoyment from being a US employee. If the answer is no, then at least you tried and can go right back to where you are today. If the answer is yes and you like the way you lived for the past thirty days, then why not just keep going?

I'm not sure what I can offer you in return for this challenge but I figured I would throw it out there anyway. Good luck.

Actually, I think I have and do try. My Dad is a great guy and probably comes a close to living that way as anyone I know.

It's not all or nothing. Sometimes I do better than others.

I take your words as truly trying to be helpful and appreciate the words of encouragement. One thing I would tell you is that maybe you can be more accepting of those that cannot quite pull it off. Human nature is a curious thing.

 

[CallawayGolf]

Actually, I think I have and do try. My Dad is a great guy and probably comes a close to living that way as anyone I know.

It's not all or nothing. Sometimes I do better than others.

I take your words as truly trying to be helpful and appreciate the words of encouragement. One thing I would tell you is that maybe you can be more accepting of those that cannot quite pull it off. Human nature is a curious thing.

Thanks. I didn't realize I wasn't showing acceptance for those who have tried but still struggle to win the battle of taking responsibility for their own satisfaction in life or work. I'll try to make sure that my words don't reflect a non-acceptance attitude while still hoping people will abandon the old way of being miserable by choice, or so it would seem based on the posts that populate this board on a regular basis. They say misery loves company but I think happy and contented people would like some company too. I wish you all the best with however you choose to approach life.

 

[SparrowHawk]

This thread has taken an interesting turn into Philosophy Class and for once I think this is a healthy idea. A little soul searching and soul cleansing is almost never a bad thing.

You are responsible for your own happiness!! However this does NOT mean a Pollyanna approach to life. Some maintain that Dissent Is the Highest Form of Patriotism and I would be one of those people. Throughout my career I've had several managers say, "You know you do your best work when you're pissed off about something"! First time I heard this I was almost offended then I took a look inside and he was right and so were the others over the years. So anger channeled properly can be a force used to accomplish good things.

Mine and others anger was responsible for the formation of the "Cockroaches" (later known as FFOCUS). During the dark days at the CCY version of US we decided that if Management wouldn't treat the employees correctly we sure as hell would. This was the start of the "Kissed By A Cockroach" campaign. During that period of time a few hybdred Frequent Flyers gave out Candy to as many US Airways employees to say thanks and to help with morale. Over about a 2.5 year period I distributed over $500 of candy. We visited the CP desk in INT several times each time we pooled our money and gave them around $350 in candy each trip, Most of us didn't use mile, we paid for our tickets out of our pockets. As a result several of us got interviewed by national publications and word spread of our loyalty and generosity. It was an interesting and positive experience. For me personally the high and low point was on the C concourse prior to the infamous Christmas Meltdown in PHL. I was walking to my gate and an agent comes up to be and asks, "You're Bob aren't you?" I said "Yes" and he grabbed and shook my hand and said "Think you so much for trying to save our jobs" My heart sank to the floor like a Chevy 350 small block was chained to it. I said "Thanks for the kind words" and quickly moved away as I was choking up and I was flattered and so very sad. I kept thinking, "Jesus, I can't save anybody's job, I'm no body" Well I got settled in on board and I started to reflect on what had just happened. I realized that maybe, just maybe we did have enough of a positive impact. Maybe the spirits were lifted enough that folks worked a little harder knowing their best customers actually gave a damn.

Why God picked such a flawed man to lead the charge I'll never know, but he did and I answered the call. no regrets, not one. When cages have to be rattled I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be me chosen to do the rattling. When things aren't right someone has to speak. I spoke out and I will continue to do so.

Now some of you "Westies" know why I do what I do. I am truly blessed having met and befriended so many great people who work at US and YES it pisses me off BIG TIME when I see the Tempe Clown Posse continually bludgeoning employees at the alter of personal gain for the executives. So if the past is ant indication I've got some good things coming.

 

[Phoenix]

? Really? Come on Jim, even I think you are smarter than that!

And you have already admitted that you are the slowest slug on the boards, except for me, no offense meant to slugs.