Us Airways Special Bulletin

[PITbull]

Ditto!

 

[PITbull]

Bob,

You made me smile when you said to "gently educate you". I won't yell.

There was absolutely no orchestrated job action by IAM or AFA. We are so aware of how "critical" the situation is for our airline.

WE are in crisis.

All of labor knows this, and trust that the IAM knows this as well. Nonetheless, we can not just throw ourselves over the bride to save a few jobs or senior managment, and acquiese to every single provision the company demands. If we did, there would be no profession, no job worth getting up in the morning for. Managment, in their zealous attempt to bring costs down to the lowest in the industry, just don't recognize this.

AFA was able to achieve some flexibility in the most concessionary proposal of all the laegacies and in our history. This took CHAOS strike authorization for the " USAirways Board room" to lift an eyebrow. CWA did this as well. Desperate people do desperate things. Bronner started it in August with liquidation threats and BK did not help "consumer confidence". Neither did labor. We recognize this, however, if we could not achieve some kind of semblance of "balance" in these proposals, then it didn't matter if the company ceased to exist in our mind's eye.

Regardless of new agreements, shattered morale will continue to plague this airline.

This cancer has no possibility of remission without the proper chemotherapy.

Would we purposely, or deliverately hurt our customer base? For what means? AFA has a T/A that I believe is ratifiable. The company has placed themselves in such a "tight position", that one slight bump in weather or staffing jeopardizes the entire operation. This is ludicrous to operate an airline in this "mode".

On top of this, we have an apathy problem system wide.

I've told senior management this repeatedly and Bronner that no matter whether this company achieves the exact amount of cost savings they sought out from labor, beating the employees will only make them apathetic and less productive or rather NOT productive. Once loyalty and allegence to the company has eroded, the company spirals down into the abyss. We are a "people business"; good strong morale is everything in this business and the key element for success in the airline business.

The company must have a credible plan that the employees can part-take in with measurable gains for the employees for their sacrifice. Not a prediction or pretax profits and receiving this money at the end of a year with the "hope" of meeting the targets. Not when employees can't pay their daily living expenses to exist.

Won't work out.

Management needs to make some major changes in the morale arena with tangible, measurable goals in the near future...or a change in senior management is needed.

Watch the loss report this quarter...it will go through the roof. Is it worth having a "tight staffing" that a few sick calls upsets the entire balance and operation? How much money did we lose during this holiday? And if the company would have had the adequate staffing in all labor groups, would, and could the operation, inspite of weather, and a weekend holday, make the difference in lessening any losses this holiday.

Who would dare make the analysis or calculate this? Not managment.

Rest assured, they will blame labor to the stakholders and creditors, and the judge, then rather state some assumptions, and some what-ifs in making sure the staffing was adquate to handle the increase in traffic over the holidays.
Shame on all of us.