Us Airways Wants More Concessions From Unions
- Thread starter ClueByFour
- Start date
In a separate but related matter yesterday, the company informed the Communications Workers of America that some of its workers would likely lose their jobs in the fall as the company installs automated gate readers in 22 airports around the country, including Pittsburgh International Airport. The machines will scan tickets as customers board the planes.
Management has already informed us that our June skd will include several junior agents in non bid lines so that IF there are cuts this summer their loss wont affect the remainder of the schedule. Thanks for the warning, you know whats next.
Management has already informed us that our June skd will include several junior agents in non bid lines so that IF there are cuts this summer their loss wont affect the remainder of the schedule. Thanks for the warning, you know whats next.
Kev3188
Veteran
tadjr said:Management has already informed us that our June skd will include several junior agents in non bid lines so that IF there are cuts this summer their loss wont affect the remainder of the schedule. Thanks for the warning, you know whats next.
What an absurd proposition!!!!
They want CWA workers to give even "more" after giving up pay and benefits two times already...
CWA workers are paid even lower than Southwest agents are paid...The CWA workers gave 2 paid holidays to the company to go from 10 paid holidays to 8......CWA members agreed to give them 25% of our vacation pay, to get paid only 75% of a weeks pay, while bills come in at 100%..You can't pay only 75% of your car payment to your bank or 75% to your landlord...Hourly pay was dropped about 2 dollars an hour.....Beginning agents start at about $9. 00 an hour and Northwest Airlines starts their agents at about $11.75 an hr...
And today I see gas is running $1.95 a gallon to fill a car...Nobody's gonna give me a "fuel surcharge" payment to help with that... :unsure:
Higher medical premiums with higher deductables, and reduced medical benefits...
NO PENSIONS FOR CWA WORKERS.!..That was given to the company in previous negotiations...
It is OUTRAGEOUS to talk more givebacks with nothing in return...but threats of layoffs...
CWA MEMBERS ALREADY GAVE WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE DONE TO HELP THE COMPANY!!!!!!....
Ya better look elsewhere..like to the managers who were given bonuses at the time we filed for bankruptcy or who recently were given merit raises by Mr Seigel...
And they also stick it in our face.. that they think some kind of boarding pass type atm machine can replace face to face "customer service" with our passengers...That in return for any more of a give back they lay off more workers.... That is pretty arrogant and short sighted...
How much can a boarding pass reader do other than count the number of tickets fed into it ?... Will it help pax with disabilities? Will it help unacompanied minors? Can it rebook flights for stressed passsengers?... Can it give flight information?
HAVE WE FORGOTTEN OUR CUSTOMER COMMITMENTS???????
Trading in customer service for a boarding pass card reader is...
That's like going to the dentist with a tooth ache and the receptionist handing you a drill, some cotton, silver filling mix, a needle filled with novacaine and a mirror and a book about dentistry, and telling you to fix your own teeth
The vote will be "NO".... case closed.... :down:
(I am not saying I work for this company, by posting here...)
They want CWA workers to give even "more" after giving up pay and benefits two times already...
CWA workers are paid even lower than Southwest agents are paid...The CWA workers gave 2 paid holidays to the company to go from 10 paid holidays to 8......CWA members agreed to give them 25% of our vacation pay, to get paid only 75% of a weeks pay, while bills come in at 100%..You can't pay only 75% of your car payment to your bank or 75% to your landlord...Hourly pay was dropped about 2 dollars an hour.....Beginning agents start at about $9. 00 an hour and Northwest Airlines starts their agents at about $11.75 an hr...
And today I see gas is running $1.95 a gallon to fill a car...Nobody's gonna give me a "fuel surcharge" payment to help with that... :unsure:
Higher medical premiums with higher deductables, and reduced medical benefits...
NO PENSIONS FOR CWA WORKERS.!..That was given to the company in previous negotiations...
It is OUTRAGEOUS to talk more givebacks with nothing in return...but threats of layoffs...
CWA MEMBERS ALREADY GAVE WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE DONE TO HELP THE COMPANY!!!!!!....
Ya better look elsewhere..like to the managers who were given bonuses at the time we filed for bankruptcy or who recently were given merit raises by Mr Seigel...
And they also stick it in our face.. that they think some kind of boarding pass type atm machine can replace face to face "customer service" with our passengers...That in return for any more of a give back they lay off more workers.... That is pretty arrogant and short sighted...
How much can a boarding pass reader do other than count the number of tickets fed into it ?... Will it help pax with disabilities? Will it help unacompanied minors? Can it rebook flights for stressed passsengers?... Can it give flight information?
HAVE WE FORGOTTEN OUR CUSTOMER COMMITMENTS???????
Trading in customer service for a boarding pass card reader is...
That's like going to the dentist with a tooth ache and the receptionist handing you a drill, some cotton, silver filling mix, a needle filled with novacaine and a mirror and a book about dentistry, and telling you to fix your own teeth
The vote will be "NO".... case closed.... :down:
(I am not saying I work for this company, by posting here...)
robbedagain
Veteran
IT is VERY OutRageous that this outfit mgmt has the nerve to ask the employees (those that are still left on this property) for more give backs when they have given over 7million to two clowns who have left the company a week apart, tell the cwa that there will be layoffs, outsource the airbus thing and wont negotiate the inhouse maintaince (where it BELONGS) and have turned several cities into the mainline express circus! ABSOLUETLY NO MORE GIVEBACKS until mgmt actually gives up more than half of their paychecks! lets see them work on a 13.00 an hr and see how they can pay bills
Having had some experience with the automated gate readers (we had them at AA from before I started working in Sept. 2000), and when there was an extra f/a on a flight, the extra was expected to operate the gate reader during boarding to take some of the load off the gate agents, I would like to ask...If U plans to reduce gate staffing with the installation of the readers...tadjr said:
1. Who handles the situation when there is a seat dupe? I still don't understand how seat dupes occur in a computerized check-in system, but they do.
2. Who resets the reader when its limited memory jams and you have to clear and reload it from the podium terminal?
2. If the only agent is working the gate reader, does that mean there will be no last minute check-in/upgrades at the gate for FFs who can't be (and shouldn't have to be) bothered by standing in long lines at the ticket counter?
3. Since the FAA says that the flight attendants can't get off the plane once boarding has begun, who runs down the jetway to check on the bag stowage situation?
4. Who comes to check with the lead flight attendant to see if the catering is correct? I can't tell you how many times the gate agent saved my butt by calling catering for me when I had 22 F/C passengers and only 17 meals for a 4 hour flight to Seattle. (Catering didn't show up until after boarding had begun and did not wait for me to inventory the carts before they disappeared.)
5. Who gets the wheelchair passengers and the unaccompanied minors on board the a/c, and gets general boarding started on time?
Just my opinion, but gate readers do make the boarding process more efficient (most of the time), but they do NOT reduce the need for human beings at the gate.
This was sent out rather timely, but again, dont believe everything you read on a Chat Board.
PLEASE POST AND DISTRIBUTE TO YOUR CO-WORKERS
ADDITIONAL STORIES ARE ON WWW.CWA.NET
5/12/04
CWA Update: Union/Management meeting on the impact of new technology (kiosks and card readers) on passenger service employees. CWA'ers met Wednesday, May 12, with management from labor relations, passenger service and operations to discuss the implementation of new technology (installation of card readers and additional kiosks) and to seek ways "to minimize the impact of such changes on affected Passenger Service employees," as provided for in Article 2 Section I (page 7) of our contract. Management's plan for technology changes:
Card readers will be installed at gates in 22 cities; Card reader installation will begin in July and should be fully implemented by September; An additional 87 kiosks will also be installed; Reductions in Force resulting from the automation will take place in September Management projects they will reduce staff by the equivalent of 200 Full Time Agents system wide (it could be a combination of FT and PT). They estimate that those September reductions will complete the staffing reductions due to this technology.
Implementation:
The card readers will be installed right at the gates, at the jetway door, and the check-in podium will be eliminated. Two computer terminals and printer from the check-in podium will be moved over to the gates along with the (bar code) card reader. The gate position will retain "full functionality" according to management. Management went to lengths to state that, "...rumors and on-line speculation in 'chat rooms' that the card readers would eliminate the need for Agents is incorrect. The positions will be staffed by agents."
Management stated that the card readers will produce labor savings primarily in eliminating duplicate seat assignments, overboarding, and other errors, and in processing and transmitting the data related to the boarding. They also stated that US Airways is the last of the large carriers to implement card readers at the jetway, and that the other carriers had been doing it for some time.
The CWA proposal to lessen the impact on passenger service employment:
End all airport subcontracting of passenger service and passenger service related jobs and assign that work to US Airways employees. Even at lower paid classifications, those positions would save some jobs at affected airports.
A. Non-TSA ticket verification positions at security checkpoints should be performed by US Airways passenger service employees;
B. Any curbside check-in should be performed by passenger service employees as soon as existing company-to-company contracts can be amended to relieve contractual obligations to existing skycap companies.
Encourage senior employees to volunteer for early retirement by instituting the following "early out" offer at airports where staffing is expected to be reduced by the implementation of new technology:
A. Eligibility: employees age 50 or more with 15 or more years of service.
B. Offer:
i. Normal retiree healthcare coverage;
ii. Normal retiree lifetime travel privileges;
iii. An amount equal to the employee's normal furlough allowance plus $15,000
C. Status: An employee accepting this offer will be placed on retired status with no right to recall.
Note: Every top-scale agent or rep who is replaced by a new-hire saves the company almost $130,000 over 5 years. A buy-out plan like this, if instituted two years ago, could have saved the company millions and resulted in a much lower-seniority workforce.
Offer a Voluntary Furlough package to employees at locations where there will be force reductions due to the new technology:
A. Ability to remain on voluntary furlough for up to two years, with the right to return to former position each six months;
B. No furlough allowance to be paid, but company will not contest Unemployment Compensation;
C. Medical coverage to continue, with the employee paying the normal premium for active employee.
In addition, CWA'ers made the following points about management's eagerness to eliminate passenger service jobs:
Executives' statements that kiosks and card readers are being installed to "enhance the airport experience" for passengers are not accurate - eliminating agent positions is clearly the primary goal.
There is a huge resentment in the workforce over management's attitude that the employees who made this airline are expendable. Over 3,000 Agents and Reps have already been furloughed, and hundreds of others part-timed or reduced to Express Agent.
Management continues to invest scarce capital in automation designed specifically to eliminate jobs. It's one thing when jobs are eliminated due to 9/11 and restructuring...it's something else when management is eager to invest in plans that eliminate employees.
Where is the humanity in this company? When do our executives acknowledge that their drive to furlough employees has caused lifetime damage to thousands of people and their families. Where is the commitment to put employees' interests on a par with the interests of executives and investors?
The relentless drive to cut passenger service agents and reservations agents will come back to haunt US Airways. Customers who have paid several hundred dollars for a product do not want to be herded, put on hold, told to use a machine when they want answers, or face an endless line because a position is understaffed. There will come a day when airlines will again compete on quality and service and US Airways will be way behind the curve.
Management has our proposals and will review them, cost them out, and respond to us in another meeting. Management also agrees to set up a meeting to discuss the impact on our MDA passenger service jobs due to the Pilots' recent agreement allow aircraft slated for MidAtlantic to be delivered to other airlines.
We'll keep you informed.
CWA Local Officers and Staff
PLEASE POST AND DISTRIBUTE TO YOUR CO-WORKERS
ADDITIONAL STORIES ARE ON WWW.CWA.NET
5/12/04
CWA Update: Union/Management meeting on the impact of new technology (kiosks and card readers) on passenger service employees. CWA'ers met Wednesday, May 12, with management from labor relations, passenger service and operations to discuss the implementation of new technology (installation of card readers and additional kiosks) and to seek ways "to minimize the impact of such changes on affected Passenger Service employees," as provided for in Article 2 Section I (page 7) of our contract. Management's plan for technology changes:
Card readers will be installed at gates in 22 cities; Card reader installation will begin in July and should be fully implemented by September; An additional 87 kiosks will also be installed; Reductions in Force resulting from the automation will take place in September Management projects they will reduce staff by the equivalent of 200 Full Time Agents system wide (it could be a combination of FT and PT). They estimate that those September reductions will complete the staffing reductions due to this technology.
Implementation:
The card readers will be installed right at the gates, at the jetway door, and the check-in podium will be eliminated. Two computer terminals and printer from the check-in podium will be moved over to the gates along with the (bar code) card reader. The gate position will retain "full functionality" according to management. Management went to lengths to state that, "...rumors and on-line speculation in 'chat rooms' that the card readers would eliminate the need for Agents is incorrect. The positions will be staffed by agents."
Management stated that the card readers will produce labor savings primarily in eliminating duplicate seat assignments, overboarding, and other errors, and in processing and transmitting the data related to the boarding. They also stated that US Airways is the last of the large carriers to implement card readers at the jetway, and that the other carriers had been doing it for some time.
The CWA proposal to lessen the impact on passenger service employment:
End all airport subcontracting of passenger service and passenger service related jobs and assign that work to US Airways employees. Even at lower paid classifications, those positions would save some jobs at affected airports.
A. Non-TSA ticket verification positions at security checkpoints should be performed by US Airways passenger service employees;
B. Any curbside check-in should be performed by passenger service employees as soon as existing company-to-company contracts can be amended to relieve contractual obligations to existing skycap companies.
Encourage senior employees to volunteer for early retirement by instituting the following "early out" offer at airports where staffing is expected to be reduced by the implementation of new technology:
A. Eligibility: employees age 50 or more with 15 or more years of service.
B. Offer:
i. Normal retiree healthcare coverage;
ii. Normal retiree lifetime travel privileges;
iii. An amount equal to the employee's normal furlough allowance plus $15,000
C. Status: An employee accepting this offer will be placed on retired status with no right to recall.
Note: Every top-scale agent or rep who is replaced by a new-hire saves the company almost $130,000 over 5 years. A buy-out plan like this, if instituted two years ago, could have saved the company millions and resulted in a much lower-seniority workforce.
Offer a Voluntary Furlough package to employees at locations where there will be force reductions due to the new technology:
A. Ability to remain on voluntary furlough for up to two years, with the right to return to former position each six months;
B. No furlough allowance to be paid, but company will not contest Unemployment Compensation;
C. Medical coverage to continue, with the employee paying the normal premium for active employee.
In addition, CWA'ers made the following points about management's eagerness to eliminate passenger service jobs:
Executives' statements that kiosks and card readers are being installed to "enhance the airport experience" for passengers are not accurate - eliminating agent positions is clearly the primary goal.
There is a huge resentment in the workforce over management's attitude that the employees who made this airline are expendable. Over 3,000 Agents and Reps have already been furloughed, and hundreds of others part-timed or reduced to Express Agent.
Management continues to invest scarce capital in automation designed specifically to eliminate jobs. It's one thing when jobs are eliminated due to 9/11 and restructuring...it's something else when management is eager to invest in plans that eliminate employees.
Where is the humanity in this company? When do our executives acknowledge that their drive to furlough employees has caused lifetime damage to thousands of people and their families. Where is the commitment to put employees' interests on a par with the interests of executives and investors?
The relentless drive to cut passenger service agents and reservations agents will come back to haunt US Airways. Customers who have paid several hundred dollars for a product do not want to be herded, put on hold, told to use a machine when they want answers, or face an endless line because a position is understaffed. There will come a day when airlines will again compete on quality and service and US Airways will be way behind the curve.
Management has our proposals and will review them, cost them out, and respond to us in another meeting. Management also agrees to set up a meeting to discuss the impact on our MDA passenger service jobs due to the Pilots' recent agreement allow aircraft slated for MidAtlantic to be delivered to other airlines.
We'll keep you informed.
CWA Local Officers and Staff
Gee, how surprising...
Another poster (sorry, I forgot who) said it best:
New conductor
Smaller orchestra
Same tune
Another poster (sorry, I forgot who) said it best:
New conductor
Smaller orchestra
Same tune
Pacemaker
Senior
- Sep 3, 2002
- 475
- 0
*** another $800 million in additional cuts from labor.***
*** perhaps as much as $400 million, is expected to be identified as potential cuts for the pilots union***
***At last week's meeting, US Airways Chief Executive Officer Bruce Lakefield emphasized that fairness would be a key part of the upcoming negotiations, saying that "one employee's group cannot subsidize another's uncompetitiveness***
*** perhaps as much as $400 million, is expected to be identified as potential cuts for the pilots union***
***At last week's meeting, US Airways Chief Executive Officer Bruce Lakefield emphasized that fairness would be a key part of the upcoming negotiations, saying that "one employee's group cannot subsidize another's uncompetitiveness***
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