Us Airways Holding Flight Attendants Prisoners

[PITbull]

For some of the old time f/as on here that say they sat reserve with 55 hours of a guarantee and on call 24 hours a day (which no way I did on reserve)...

First, you are senior to me (by 2 years), and when I got hired I stayed on Reserve less than 1 year, and you are not that senior to me, so I don't understand your "sacrifice" statement. I got paid $10.97 per hour (check the pay at 1981) and had a 71 hour guarantee (thank god for improving contracts under Judy Schmitt MEC President for 25 years). I will have to look in the archives for 1979 reserve starting pay. As a reminder, our contract became amendable in 1984. So you and I should have been under the same starting pay as reserves.

For the reserves we have today, many, many that are on the property did NOT sign on to sit reserve for 10 and 15 years tied to a beeper and 71 hours of guarantee pay. Anyone that is a senior f/a that states otherwise is just plain ignorant and forgot conveniently that sacrificing for a couple of years on reserve, is quite different than sitting reserve your entire career with no hope of moving up unless someone dies, gets terminated or retires.

The reserve system that is in place to take effect will make it difficult at best for reserves to "time out". The system is in place to only get you to your guarantee. You will need to give up some of your days off to get your time in. Period.

Please.......I call'em as I know'em. And "twice Baked", the system isn't fair to any group in this reserve system. Quick calls remain in inverse seniority when assigned.

 

[PSA1979]

To Pitbull,
just because we started 2 years apart doesn't mean we went through the same thing. Look at who I am, PSA1979. That is the airline I started with and the year I started. We were on a 55 hour guarantee for years. U didn't buy us until 1988. And I still have a pay stub from my first pay check. It was $9.42 per hour.

 

[PITbull]

Ok PSA, I stand corrected with your start up. My apoligies to you.

But for the f/a here at U, life on reserve in the "old days" was pretty much what it is today. Only difference, you stay on reserve for pretty much your entire career. Some of the reserves in the upper seniority list got to have secondary lines and have somewhat of normalcy in their lives...however now, they are back on reserve. We shall see how Pref bid pans out as far as building more blocks. Hopefully, it will create lines for many that went back on reserve. For those in the middle and at the end....hell for sure to endure.

U labor enjoyed fair and equitable contracts then, and with the mangements, it was an even exchange of give and take. Mangement worked along with Labor as a team. When there was a downturn, labor always steped up to the plate. No one should sit and say we rode a "gravy train" because we were able to secure good contracts in good times. It made for careers in the airline industry to be "born". And this was good for all and made for loyal employees who loved what they do and absolutely loved the company we worked for because it was all about employees being able to support their families, and protecting the co. that afforded them standard of living.

Now, things have changed. This management has declared "war" on their employees. The co. is positioned to give empoyees very little benefits and a wage, while senior execs reap all the profits, perks, future bonsuses from this co. that we the employees built through OUR sacrifice, loyalty and dedication.

This to me is a sad time. And we will make sure the co. does succeed for our future battle. We will prepare for the battle in 2009 to bring integrity back into these careers..all of them.

 

[Dilligas]

This to me is a sad time. And we will make sure the co. does succeed for our future battle. We will prepare for the battle in 2009 to bring integrity back into these careers..all of them.

PITbull,

It's beyond sad. I share your sentiments on the lot of the workforce.

However I strongly disagree about 2009. In my opinion, we are working under the final contracts and the final management team. There is not going to be any remnant of U long before 2009.

I would hope employees and furloughees are facing this and making plans accordingly. This career path is over, imho.

 

[usacrew3]

When we signed up to fly for U sure we knew we would be on reserve for a period of time and sure we knew what the guarantee would be. We sacraficed and paid our dues hoping that at some point we would have a block and have some kind of normalcy returned to our lives.
Now we are still on reserve, on duty for 15 hours a day and getting paid for 5 hours. Working flights where we were once proud to represent our new worldwide carrier now we wake up people at three in the morning and offer them a donut that looks like a turd and has Daves name on it. Sorry but the lack of service is a disgrace.

 

[USAirBoyA330]

Our service levels are atrocious! How cute...a turd shaped donut with the name "Dave" on it. Seems rather befitting.

 

[Teflon]

American Recalling 390 F/As

http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/031010/1042000538_1.html

 

[Light Years]

Thats great news for those AA (and lets hope TWA as well) FAs. Best of luck to them.

As for us, a friend that has 17 years said she heard over a thousand are LEAVING in December- 500 that are qutting, the rest retirements etc... and that they would have to recall, yes actually RECALL actual US AIRWAYS flight attendants to work at US AIRWAYS....

That number sounds high to me, perhaps its a guess about people quitting because of the reserve system? Or perhaps this person just has thier wires crossed about returning voluntarys?

 

[USAirBoyA330]

Light Years:

Rest assured...they got wires crossed. U won't be recalling anyone except to MDA anytime soon. But, the new reserve system will be a commuters nightmare and if the company gets their way (through lying and stealing) it will be "percentages" and not "time balancing" like we agreed too. People are in for a rude awakening but it will take a few months under the new system for some to quit.

 

[Colby]

Light Years,

A friend of mine going to BNA heard 350 recalls from an agent in PHL... All I have to say is I'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT>.......


"DEJA MOO~ Heard this Bull Sh.. Before "


I told him the 350 was probably the 350 Furloughed F/A's that'll be called to Mid Atlantic.... <_< <_<

 

[Light Years]

Well we all know they arent growing the mainline or anything, the only way there could be recalls is people quitting. And unfortunatly, that seems to be the only way we will ever get our job back (so we probably never will, those people never leave).

If I had the same seniority at any other major airline, give or take one or two, I would be flying right now. Silly us for thinking US Airways was a major airline or on its way to becoming one. Its turning back into Allegheny Airlines and its on its way to having the same workforce, just years older.

 

[330JETSTEW]

Time to move on ;-)

 

[Light Years]

mmmm

 

[wmjb2002]

Does anyone know how many f/a have left since 2001; general attrition? Is the attrition rate zero because of all the voluntary furloughs?
There were 11,279 flight attendants working before 9/11. I believe there are about 5,500 working today. Are all those on furlough?
5,779 flight attendants furloughed??? That's 50%. The initial number to be furloughed was 2800.
If MDA is starting up January, when do they plan on recruiting flight attendants? In December?

 

[Light Years]

According to the hub, there are 10,470 US Airways flight attendants currently on the seniority list, and yes, I believe only 5,500- 7000 are actually active (anyone know for sure?). So maybe a thousand or so have actually quit?

It really is sad to think that there are more furloughed flight attendants than working ones. All of the Express carriers are hiring flight attendants as they take the place of our former routes.

As for MDA, I'm starting to think its just smoke and mirrors and they'll find a way to give those jets to someone else.