What would you do if you replaced Parker?

[Art at ISP]

First of all the ramp in PHL cant be outsourced, it is contractually the IAM Fleet Service works.

Two do you realize ramp service companies pay less and would attract worse workers than US Workers?

Three do you realize a vendor does not care about the flights, as US' own employees do?

If I were CEO, all the unions would have to agree to start from scratch. I will open all contracts, and NO such restrictive language will remain. They will, however, have certain other protections as negotiated. I will bring all outsourced work in house AS LONG AS it is cost competitive. I won't screw you, but you damned well better not screw me......again the golden rule.

If they fail to perform the job, they will not tie my hands to prevent me from getting people who will. The dead wood is going to be jettisoned...like it or not. And if they want to go to court about it or threaten any job actions, I will go right back at them. We either work TOGETHER or we don't work....PERIOD. Anyone who doesn't want to give me a fair chance can walk out the door NOW. The days of unions vs. management NEED to come to an end...We BOTH have a common goal- getting the airline running safely efficiently and profitably. If you don't share the common vision, you don't need to be here. If you SAY you want it to work, then help to make it work.

On the other hand, there will be significant rewards for GOOD performance, which hopefully will make people WANT to work....

JAMAKE, I don't need to hire Landor or any other consultants--I will have a qualified and talented marketing department which will do all the branding internally. I will not spend money on consultants if I can get people to do the job who already work for me.

Regarding your other ideas, they are an expansion of what I had said, and you are DEAD on right. Tell you what, let's talk about you becoming part of my team 😉 LOL.

NOW this thread has some teeth.....I wish there were a way to make some or all of this happen.....

 

[700UW]

No union would agree to that.

And having a CBA does not prevent the company from firing someone, they just have to follow the process, people get fired everyday from US.

Every company that has unionized employees has to follow "Just Cause" that is the standard.

Unions at US have tried over the years to work with the company.

We gave concessions in 92 and 2002 and 2003 only to have the company threaten liquidation, and violate the very concessions both sides agreed too (airbus arbitration).

In 2004/05 we sat with US for three months, they were never interested in a deal, they wanted to abrogate. I have the copy of the IAM proposal we gave them that met their ask, yet they still rejected it.

1. DID MANAGEMENT ADEQUATELY WARN THE EMPLOYEE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS CONDUCT?

__2. WAS MANAGEMENT'S RULE OR ORDER REASONABLY RELATED TO EFFICIENT AND SAFE OPERATIONS?

__3. DID MANAGEMENT INVESTIGATE BEFORE ADMINISTERING THE DISCIPLINE?

__4. WAS THE INVESTIGATION FAIR AND OBJECTIVE?

__5. DID THE INVESTIGATION PRODUCE SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE OR PROOF OF GUILT?

__6. WERE THE RULES, ORDERS AND PENALTIES APPLIED EVENHANDEDLY AND WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION TO ALL EMPLOYEES?

__7. WAS THE PENALTY REASONABLY RELATED TO THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE OFFENSE AND THE PAST RECORD?

 

[SS255]

Art, if you were CEO I would consider quitting my job to work for you....if you would have me!

 

[Art at ISP]

700,

In this world, which is admittedly more fiction than real, there's a new sheriff in town, and the union would have to agree to that. There is always something THEY would want which they would work to get.

I am talking about quantum change--the past is the past, those days are gone. You spew your union rhetoric, and I say there's the door.

Don't go making this about the unions being so righteous--their day as a power in labor is fast drawing to a close--their function or need to exist is evolving.

We will take EVERY and ALL agreements which existed and trash them, and start COMPLETELY from scratch. Like everyone says that management has to change and look at things differently, so do the unions, if they want to survive.

In a perfect world I'd make it such a good place to work that the unions would be redundant and unnecessary. Realizing that would never happen, I would work with the unions, but they would have to get on board and work with me. The alternative for workers is to save their union dues and pocket that money...cause they won't need them.

You need to realize that unions are not as powerful as they were before, and that they are in some ways equally responsible for the troubles which exist in todays business world...Those days are OVER at my airline.

Honest day's pay for an honest day's work.....for management as well as labor....and that's the way it's going to be at MY airline 🙂

.....and then I woke up......

 

[700UW]

Apparently you dont understand the RLA.

All the unions have exsisting CBAs, they dont have to agree to anything until Section 6 Negotiations take place.

All the unions have sacrificed and they are not being rewarded for their contributions to keep US in business, they are the lowest paid of the legacy airlines.

And let them fire someone for "spewing rhetoric", they would have a nice paid vacation, apparently you dont know the RLA, CBAs and Just Cause.

No union will agree to and they dont have to scrap their CBAs as the law is on their side, can you not understand that?

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why are the airlines so heavily unionizied?

2. Why is WN the highest percentage of unionized airlines?

3. Why are WN's Unionized Employees the highest paid?

4. Why has WN been profitable for over 30 years straight?

Makes you wonder huh?

 

[elcantante]

Apparently you dont understand the RLA.

All the unions have exsisting CBAs, they dont have to agree to anything until Section 6 Negotiations take place.

All the unions have sacrificed and they are not being rewarded for their contributions to keep US in business, they are the lowest paid of the legacy airlines.

And let them fire someone for "spewing rhetoric", they would have a nice paid vacation, apparently you dont know the RLA, CBAs and Just Cause.

No union will agree to and they dont have to scrap their CBAs as the law is on their side, can you not understand that?

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why are the airlines so heavily unionizied?

2. Why is WN the highest percentage of unionized airlines?

3. Why are WN's Unionized Employees the highest paid?

4. Why has WN been profitable for over 30 years straight?

Makes you wonder huh?
[/quote}
makes me wonder
Why don't you go work for wn?
because they probrably won't hire your ass.

 

[IluvLOA93]

Why are the airlines so heavily unionizied?

Right on! This guy understands unionization.

So does Parker, and that's he wants to destroy it.

 

[Old PSA]

I kind of like this one!

Just about everything that has been said I agree with to some degree. I have personally heard similar statements from the current top US management. The difference is in the execution. The real problem is the BOD and money. Will they go along with big spending for theoretically revenue improvement. Tough call and a gutsy one.

Now, the money US makes starts in the Northeast. It goes to the Southeast, West and Europe. US flies lots of routes and many do make money but the real heart of US's money is in the Northeast. So, among the other projects, fix the Northeast operation.

First, hire the best lobby firm to start working on Congress and the FAA to implement slots at all NYC (and PHL) airports. Make the number of slots realistic which means decreasing the number of slots at LGA. Also, convince the Administration that more airspace needs to be opened in the Northeast to commercial traffic. That's what these firms get the big bucks for. If necessary, start an advertising campaign to get the public involved. Basically, be proactive and propose solutions, not complain about the problem. Challenge the government and other airlines to come up with better solutions and to start acting instead of studying and talking. Put the issue into play. Along with this remind the Federal government who is suppose to be in charge of commercial aviation. Override the New York State and New York Airport authority and drop the distance rule out of LGA and the recent "Flyers Rights" law.

Second, as quickly as possible drop or move Air Wisconsin west and replace them with Mainline flying at PHL and LGA. Bring on the larger turbo-props and get rid of the DH-8-100s. Make all Express (non-owned) risk sharing partners rather then fee based departures. Create an operations czar position in Operations Control who would oversee all operations under US code. Delays and cancellations would flow through this position out to the express operators.

Third, vertically integrate the company. Other carriers are selling their owned Express carriers. I say go the opposite, make all the flying and all the employees, US mainline employees. US mainline would then fly everything from DH-8-300/400 up to A340s. Let's get everyone working together in the same unit.

 

[700UW]

elcaliente

Such an intelligent reply.

Maybe next time you should stick to the facts and hold an intelligent debate.

 

[elcantante]

elcaliente

Such an intelligent reply.

Maybe next time you should stick to the facts and hold an intelligent debate.

whatever dude. get a life and stop sitting behind a computer arguing with other people all the time.

 

[Art at ISP]

700,

What part of things change, don't you get? The old union mentality like yours has no place in the current workplace. That is a good part of the problem. Until the unions realize they no longer have the power, and they have to adapt to survive, they will continue to contribute to the downfall of this country.

You have to have labor AND management thinking out of the box here. The same ole same ole WILL NOT work and is unacceptable.

Stop the denial my friend, those days are over.

 

[elcantante]

700,

What part of things change, don't you get? The old union mentality like yours has no place in the current workplace. That is a good part of the problem. Until the unions realize they no longer have the power, and they have to adapt to survive, they will continue to contribute to the downfall of this country.

You have to have labor AND management thinking out of the box here. The same ole same ole WILL NOT work and is unacceptable.

Stop the denial my friend, those days are over.

don't waist keystrokes with this one my friend.

 

[beachboy]

Art,
I am usually with you 100% but I have to say the idea of opening our contract for a 4th time to give anything up just will not happen. I will go to Home Depot and help board up the gates & jetways before I did that. Americans must draw a line in the sand with corporate greed and I will be happy to draw that line even if it means loosing my career. They have taken too much already and have proven they can't negotiate fairly. Anyone that would inherit the "new" USAirways inherits that deep seeded mistrust. Sadly, the damage is too great to trust openeing up our contract at this point.
Not one more dime. The raped and then squandered our last concessions.

 

[Art at ISP]

Beachboy,

You missed the point. This was a hypothetical exercise in regards to what one would do if selected to replace Parker.

I said what I would do, and stipulated that labor and management would have to find a way to work together. It would not be about more givebacks, it would be about exchanging one thing for another. You get more money, I get workrule changes. It is give and take, not just take.

Of course with current management in today's real world, unfortunately I have to agree with you 100%. In a perfect world, however, had I been at the helm, I promise you things would be different.

Like I said,

....and then I woke up.......

 

[700UW]

Still avoiding the questions poised to you?

Seems two years of straight profits, nothing needs to come from labor, labor needs to be rewarded for saving this company three times since 2002!

Maybe labor should go to the BOD and demand Dougie and his band of thieves take pay and benefit cuts like labor has!