Union or extension of management?

[Bob Owens]

Ive been informed that the so called independant locals were given a directive to take part in management interviews. This is the process where the company will determine which supervisors remain and which ones get fired. The union reps are to rate each supervisor.

What is a union doing participating in management functions?

The TWU is basically sitting in as AA Human Resources.

We all know that Little has no qualms about terminating people, especially for political expediancy like when he was President of the dispatchers local, one of his victims went on to create a new union for dispatchers, but, to have a union blatently take part in a process where employees who are not represented by the union are rated and possibly terminated is beyond the pale. Next they will be doing this to members.

Is this a proper use of union resources? Why is the Internatioanl ordering our Locals to take part in this? What are they building up to with this move?

Could it be that with the rumored changed to company picked Crew Chiefs the TWU will make all Crew Cheifs reapply for their jobs too?

At what point does a "cooperative relationship" cross the line and become a DFR?

 

[The Goose]

Ive been informed that the so called independant locals were given a directive to take part in management interviews. This is the process where the company will determine which supervisors remain and which ones get fired. The union reps are to rate each supervisor.

What is a union doing participating in management functions?

The TWU is basically sitting in as AA Human Resources.

We all know that Little has no qualms about terminating people, especially for political expediancy like when he was President of the dispatchers local, one of his victims went on to create a new union for dispatchers, but, to have a union blatently take part in a process where employees who are not represented by the union are rated and possibly terminated is beyond the pale. Next they will be doing this to members.

Is this a proper use of union resources? Why is the Internatioanl ordering our Locals to take part in this? What are they building up to with this move?

Could it be that with the rumored changed to company picked Crew Chiefs the TWU will make all Crew Cheifs reapply for their jobs too?

At what point does a "cooperative relationship" cross the line and become a DFR?

Just a popularity contest, probably.

Those supervisors who score highly with the employees will be unceremoniously fired.

 

[eolesen]

Always looking for that black cloud to surround the silver lining....

This is not an uncommon practice at all outside the airlines, and it's even done inside for white collar jobs. I tried to include at least one or two of the people who will ultimately report to the manager/supervisor in the interview process. The manager isn't the one doing the work, and there's no point putting someone in between who is just going to make life difficult for all of us.

 

[The Goose]

Always looking for that black cloud to surround the silver lining....

Hardly. Most of us who are on the floor have seen good supervisors "scrapped" because they can get along with their people and get them to produce. The ones that are loved are those who many wouldn't trust to clean out a hog pen assuming that business is really trying to improve rather than preserve egos and empires, also preserving the correct appearances along the way.

This is not an uncommon practice at all outside the airlines, and it's even done inside for white collar jobs. I tried to include at least one or two of the people who will ultimately report to the manager/supervisor in the interview process. The manager isn't the one doing the work, and there's no point putting someone in between who is just going to make life difficult for all of us.

How right you are, but now you're now evidently at a company that actually attempts to make money by running a real business and running said business correctly, very much unlike American Airlines. The common sense used at your present employer is beginning to cloud your memory of American and AMR, but as they say, time heals all wounds.

Actually, I do agree with your point of view re: the value of this practice, but at American, I've no doubt at all it will be used improperly as most other good ideas are.