Webcast Media Reports Start Coming In
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4merresrat
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Wow, that article was real informative! Can any one give any details, all I'm reading is complaints, no specifics, or did he give any specifics?
BoeingBoy
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4merresrat,
You can watch the webcast at any time - don't know how long it will be available, but would think a few days at least.
Here
I see that broadband is now available.
As fas as specifics, they are pretty much covered in the other thread - just have to root out the nuggets among the posts.
Jim
You can watch the webcast at any time - don't know how long it will be available, but would think a few days at least.
Here
I see that broadband is now available.
As fas as specifics, they are pretty much covered in the other thread - just have to root out the nuggets among the posts.
Jim
ITRADE
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Wow. Broadband, very good quality video.
Dont call me Shirley
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Webcast not available from any work station in a certain US "forcus city". Tried to see it via the Hub on a worksation with a soundcard (one of the few). One needs internet, not just intranet, access.
Couldn't get it to work from the dial up connect at the crash pad, either.
Couldn't get it to work from the dial up connect at the crash pad, either.
BoeingBoy
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US Airways: Survival At Stake In Philly
POSTED: 5:38 pm EST March 24, 2004
McLEAN, Va. -- US Airways' survival is at risk without major concessions from labor groups now that the airline is bracing for competition at its Philadelphia hub from low-fare king Southwest Airlines, US Airways President David Siegel warned Wednesday.
Article
Jim
POSTED: 5:38 pm EST March 24, 2004
McLEAN, Va. -- US Airways' survival is at risk without major concessions from labor groups now that the airline is bracing for competition at its Philadelphia hub from low-fare king Southwest Airlines, US Airways President David Siegel warned Wednesday.
Article
Jim
usairways85
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i fail to see how this latest statement is any different than the others that have been made. All of them repeatedly state that US needs to fight hard in PHL, that measures have to be taken to be more cost effective, and concessions might be necessary.
It's the same old thing every time. Not once have i heard any specifics about how the airline actually plans to go about doing these things.
So they need to fight hard in PHL...so what are they doing about it??? Rumors have been going around that PHL will be rolled, but when, if ever?
They keep saying they want more point to point service...Where??? They've had plenty of opportunity to do this in LGA and BOS. BOS is now being invaded by Song, Airtran, and Jetblue and LGA has been invaded by Airtran and soon JetBlue. So where does US exactly plan to add this point to point service. They will face major competition at DCA, LGA, and BOS.
How long will it take for them to actually develop a plan and give some hope that there actually is one. Better do it quick because i can't see them lasting much longer in their current state of disorganization.
It's the same old thing every time. Not once have i heard any specifics about how the airline actually plans to go about doing these things.
So they need to fight hard in PHL...so what are they doing about it??? Rumors have been going around that PHL will be rolled, but when, if ever?
They keep saying they want more point to point service...Where??? They've had plenty of opportunity to do this in LGA and BOS. BOS is now being invaded by Song, Airtran, and Jetblue and LGA has been invaded by Airtran and soon JetBlue. So where does US exactly plan to add this point to point service. They will face major competition at DCA, LGA, and BOS.
How long will it take for them to actually develop a plan and give some hope that there actually is one. Better do it quick because i can't see them lasting much longer in their current state of disorganization.
28yearsnojob
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I have been saying this for months that in order for U to make it ,you have to have a 30 % cut in payroll and get the managers to manage . You have to change work rules to produce. You cant have agents standing around and readingnewspapers all day and covering overtime when it is not needed.
Dont end up like me with a 100% cut in pay. I would rather be working than watch
a contracter load the same planes I did for 28 years.
BoeingBoy
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Associated Press
US Airways Braces for Southwest Battle
Wednesday March 24, 7:30 pm ET
By Matthew Barakat, AP Business Writer
US Airways CEO Says Company's Survival Is at Stake in Pending Fight With Southwest
Article
Reuters
UPDATE - US Air CEO says low-cost carriers threaten survival
Wednesday March 24, 7:42 pm ET
By Meredith Grossman Dubner
(Recasts, adds details, union comments, byline)
Article
Jim
US Airways Braces for Southwest Battle
Wednesday March 24, 7:30 pm ET
By Matthew Barakat, AP Business Writer
US Airways CEO Says Company's Survival Is at Stake in Pending Fight With Southwest
Article
Reuters
UPDATE - US Air CEO says low-cost carriers threaten survival
Wednesday March 24, 7:42 pm ET
By Meredith Grossman Dubner
(Recasts, adds details, union comments, byline)
Article
Jim
US Airways: More cuts coming
CEO tells workers slashing costs, and quickly, needed to survive Southwest Airlines' entry to Philly hub
TED REED
Staff Writer
US Airways is fighting for its life, chief executive David Siegel told workers Wednesday, because Southwest Airlines is "trying to kill us and take our franchise away."
In an hourlong Internet broadcast, Siegel told the airline's 28,278 employees (including 5,736 in Charlotte) that he must cut costs again for the airline to survive. He must work fast, he said, because low-fare king Southwest will begin flying to Philadelphia, US Airways' most profitable hub, in May.
Siegel said everyone must participate. Formal talks with unions will begin in April, with new labor agreements needed by summer. More employees will be furloughed, he said, though he didn't specify a number.
US Airways will also revamp its Web site and study whether to remove first-class seats on all its planes, and Siegel himself will take a pay cut.
The cuts are part of a plan to reduce the nation's No. 7 airline's costs by 25 percent. Its cost to fly one seat one mile, now about 10 cents, must fall to about 6, and management wants about half the reduction coming from workers. The airline is still losing money despite having spent eight months in bankruptcy protection and cutting costs by about $1.3 billion annually, including $1 billion from labor.
"We're not going to do any temporary fixes," Siegel said. "We've tried small fixes. We know those don't work. Everybody's going to participate in this, no exceptions."
Siegel makes $650,000 annually in salary alone. He said he is prepared to take an unspecified cut to the level of a low-fare carrier's CEO, and he will not take advantage of a contract clause allowing him to walk away in April with a $4.5 million parachute.
In the webcast, Siegel said employees who find the cuts "too painful" should nevertheless approve them because without them there will be no airline.
In the International Association of Machinists Charlotte union hall, a half-dozen members stared cheerlessly at the screen showing Siegel's webcast. As Siegel strode back and forth, they clutched waters or soft drinks, and occasionally joked or cursed.
Afterward, the workers provided varying answers to the only question that really matters: Will you accept more concessions or will you let the airline shut down?
"I'd rather all of us walk out together with our heads held high," said Fred Coors, 50, a fleet service worker for 30 years. "I don't want them to dismantle the airline one person at a time."
Coors said he has already sacrificed. He once worked for California airline PSA, but moved his wife and four children from Burbank to Charlotte because USAir shut PSA down after buying it in 1988. Because he works Sunday through Thursday, he and his family must celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday.
In the past two years, Coors has watched his salary fall from about $50,000 to about $42,000 annually. He said that Siegel can afford a pay cut, but that cuts of $2 to $3 an hour for fleet service workers "won't save the airline."
Mike Christenbury, a 48-year-old veteran with 25 years as a fleet service worker, said he isn't sure what to think. He said he understands that the airline needs to reduce costs, but he doesn't think so much should come from employees. Even with 25 years of experience, Christenbury still doesn't have enough seniority to get Saturdays off.
Union leaders are in a difficult position, also. John Carr, vice president of Charlotte IAM Local 1725, said, "As a worker, I'm unwilling to take any concessions." But as a leader, Carr said, he has a moral obligation not to force a shut down.
Southwest will start in Philadelphia with four gates, with plans to expand to eight. "They go to eight and it's over," Siegel said, noting that with eight gates in St. Louis, Southwest was a principal contributor to the failure of hub carrier TWA. "I refuse to follow that same path," Siegel said. "I'm prepared to lead this fight against Southwest."
Past Cuts
Since 2001, US Airways' employment has fallen from 46,738 to 28,278. Workers have absorbed $1 billion worth of pay cuts, benefit cuts and work rule changes. Here are examples.
PILOTS
The salary for a Boeing 737 captain has fallen from about $180,000 annually to about $150,000. Because of cuts in the number of airplanes, many captains have become first officers, making about $100,000 annually. Pilot pension benefits have been cut sharply.
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
Top pay for flight attendants has fallen from nearly $50,000 annually to between $37,000 and $42,000 annually.
TICKET AGENTS
In 2002 negotiations, agents kept their top pay at $20.05 hourly. But they gave up two paid holidays and 25 percent of vacation pay, while annual sick days fell to five from 12.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ted Reed: (704) 358-5150; treed@charlotteobserver.com
CEO tells workers slashing costs, and quickly, needed to survive Southwest Airlines' entry to Philly hub
TED REED
Staff Writer
US Airways is fighting for its life, chief executive David Siegel told workers Wednesday, because Southwest Airlines is "trying to kill us and take our franchise away."
In an hourlong Internet broadcast, Siegel told the airline's 28,278 employees (including 5,736 in Charlotte) that he must cut costs again for the airline to survive. He must work fast, he said, because low-fare king Southwest will begin flying to Philadelphia, US Airways' most profitable hub, in May.
Siegel said everyone must participate. Formal talks with unions will begin in April, with new labor agreements needed by summer. More employees will be furloughed, he said, though he didn't specify a number.
US Airways will also revamp its Web site and study whether to remove first-class seats on all its planes, and Siegel himself will take a pay cut.
The cuts are part of a plan to reduce the nation's No. 7 airline's costs by 25 percent. Its cost to fly one seat one mile, now about 10 cents, must fall to about 6, and management wants about half the reduction coming from workers. The airline is still losing money despite having spent eight months in bankruptcy protection and cutting costs by about $1.3 billion annually, including $1 billion from labor.
"We're not going to do any temporary fixes," Siegel said. "We've tried small fixes. We know those don't work. Everybody's going to participate in this, no exceptions."
Siegel makes $650,000 annually in salary alone. He said he is prepared to take an unspecified cut to the level of a low-fare carrier's CEO, and he will not take advantage of a contract clause allowing him to walk away in April with a $4.5 million parachute.
In the webcast, Siegel said employees who find the cuts "too painful" should nevertheless approve them because without them there will be no airline.
In the International Association of Machinists Charlotte union hall, a half-dozen members stared cheerlessly at the screen showing Siegel's webcast. As Siegel strode back and forth, they clutched waters or soft drinks, and occasionally joked or cursed.
Afterward, the workers provided varying answers to the only question that really matters: Will you accept more concessions or will you let the airline shut down?
"I'd rather all of us walk out together with our heads held high," said Fred Coors, 50, a fleet service worker for 30 years. "I don't want them to dismantle the airline one person at a time."
Coors said he has already sacrificed. He once worked for California airline PSA, but moved his wife and four children from Burbank to Charlotte because USAir shut PSA down after buying it in 1988. Because he works Sunday through Thursday, he and his family must celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday.
In the past two years, Coors has watched his salary fall from about $50,000 to about $42,000 annually. He said that Siegel can afford a pay cut, but that cuts of $2 to $3 an hour for fleet service workers "won't save the airline."
Mike Christenbury, a 48-year-old veteran with 25 years as a fleet service worker, said he isn't sure what to think. He said he understands that the airline needs to reduce costs, but he doesn't think so much should come from employees. Even with 25 years of experience, Christenbury still doesn't have enough seniority to get Saturdays off.
Union leaders are in a difficult position, also. John Carr, vice president of Charlotte IAM Local 1725, said, "As a worker, I'm unwilling to take any concessions." But as a leader, Carr said, he has a moral obligation not to force a shut down.
Southwest will start in Philadelphia with four gates, with plans to expand to eight. "They go to eight and it's over," Siegel said, noting that with eight gates in St. Louis, Southwest was a principal contributor to the failure of hub carrier TWA. "I refuse to follow that same path," Siegel said. "I'm prepared to lead this fight against Southwest."
Past Cuts
Since 2001, US Airways' employment has fallen from 46,738 to 28,278. Workers have absorbed $1 billion worth of pay cuts, benefit cuts and work rule changes. Here are examples.
PILOTS
The salary for a Boeing 737 captain has fallen from about $180,000 annually to about $150,000. Because of cuts in the number of airplanes, many captains have become first officers, making about $100,000 annually. Pilot pension benefits have been cut sharply.
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
Top pay for flight attendants has fallen from nearly $50,000 annually to between $37,000 and $42,000 annually.
TICKET AGENTS
In 2002 negotiations, agents kept their top pay at $20.05 hourly. But they gave up two paid holidays and 25 percent of vacation pay, while annual sick days fell to five from 12.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ted Reed: (704) 358-5150; treed@charlotteobserver.com
