Why?surviving Carrier Empl Suffer

hulagirl said:
There is only ONE savior, and he isnt at America West or US Air.
If you think Doug is your's, you need some R and R.
Pick up some financial threads and read what Doug said about the future of AWA if it had not been for this merger. AWA would be heading down the bankruptcy road (again). Where are you getting this attitude? You are sooooo off base. Leave these people along--they didnt make the merger decision; Please!
This is a business decision that is THE BEST for us at AWA and US Air. Think about the other possibilities--and where all of us at AWA would be had it not been for this merger.
WHERE IS YOUR GRATITUDE?
[post="299742"][/post]​


Go Girl!!!!!!!!!
 
mwa said:
"demanding something that does not belong to you may be supported by organized labor but may not be right."

If you're saying that the years put in by the US Airways employees and their accompanying seniority doesn't belong to them, then tell me: who does it belong to? Are you suggesting that it belongs to you or to your cohorts at America West? The time earned by the U folks is every bit as much theirs as your time at HP is yours.

When I worked at HP from 1988-93 there were no unions. The culture there was very employee friendly and very pro-company. I think the very nature of cross-utilization, and the successful execution of it in those days bespoke of a corporate culture that reveled in, and for a while, thrived in the spirit of cooperative labor-management relations. The late eighties and early ninties were an exciting time for us back then. The annual company picnics, the turbo growth, HNL and Nagoya and the 747s personified the go-go times of that era. Heck, we even had orders for 8 747-400 at the time. And this came straight from the mouth of Mike Conway.

But a funny thing happened along the way on that march toward greatness: Chapter 11. The rest, as they say(and as you know) is history. I was fortunate enough to take a one year CCL(company convenience leave) so I wasn't furloughed. But I had dear friends furloughed who were senior to some who stayed because the company was using merit as a method for determining who was furloughed and who wasn't. No doubt there are some who would agree with this method and some who don't. I didn't. A big part of the HP culture mindset reflects those early days of non-unionism, and I think that that history may be coloring your apprehension to this merger.

When I went to USAir from HP in 1993 I stepped into a totally different world where seniority ruled the day. It was an adjustment, but I have found that seniority is the fairest detirminant in the process. From pass riding, bidding etc., DOH is the fairest arbiter for managing most employee issues. And apparently AFAHP thought so too when it endorsed the AFA Constitutional Bylaws upon its certification into the union. When the perception was out there that HP would be gobbled up by a larger carrier--back in the late 90s and early 00 that speculation centered around US acquiring HP--DOH was the overwhelming favorite of AFAHP. To rescind support of DOH is not only disingenuous, it's woefully shortsighted.

The only thing concrete in the airline industry is the runway. Once this merger is consummated, there is nothing out there to suggest that another merger won't occur with the New US Airways. You never know what's around the corner, but with DOH you'll better know where you stand in another merger if it were to happen. Besides people, most US flight attendants do not want to leave the east. Let's face it: US flies all over Europe and the Caribbean. Most of the flight attendants flying Barcelona, Paris, Venice and Madrid will not be so quick to trade those trips for ONT, SMF, BOI or even HNL. There is a whole new opening up for you folks at HP that will more than make you forget the nightmare that was Nagoya. Don't worry about Phoenix. You're safe there. Is it possible that you also don't want DOH so you can have your way in PHL with all of it's great trips?
 
acmech said:
Exactly. Why should the AWA employees be so afraid of the merger? It is sicking to read some of the comments by US Air people. Us Air is not the surviving company, only the name. Sort of like TWA and American. American was the surviving company.

Better yet, FED EX and Flying Tigers. Fed Ex being the younger of the two merged companies, yet the Flying Tiger folks did not get DOH like so many of the US people are screaming about. Seniority integration there was a dove tail.
[post="299455"][/post]​

If you would care to look at the court filings you would see that USair group is the new holding company and the stock is USair stock. AWA is suppling in part the management. So I really don't see where AWA is the surviving company. AWA stockholders are getting US stock. It seems to me that it is more of a consolidation of two airlines than a takeover. The End
 
You can try to explain to people til your blue in the face that it's a true merger and they will still look at you with pinwheel eyes saying, "It's a buyout, It's a buyout, It's a buyout". This can go on forever and ever but even the ones that don't like to admit it know it's a true merger. Better off without US would HP be? Theres a good one for a stand up comedian to use. Us would be no better off either, before I hear about that. LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, :lol:
 
ok, but riddle me this - in the immediate future their will be downsizing in the fleet and employees. it will undoubtedly be the junior employees ala AWA that get the street. the excess is obviously on the AAA side - so should the AWA people be the first out the door in this scenario???
 
The downsizing of the airline and subsequent layoffs is a management decision. The issues pertaining to seniority rests with the unions. The AFA Constitution shouldn't take a hit because of management decisions. If there are layoffs--God forbid--they will occur because management deemed them necessary. The DOH policy is designed to protect the interests of labor, not to undermine it.
 
mwa said:
ok, but riddle me this - in the immediate future their will be downsizing in the fleet and employees. it will undoubtedly be the junior employees ala AWA that get the street. the excess is obviously on the AAA side - so should the AWA people be the first out the door in this scenario???
[post="300193"][/post]​

mwa,

Funny that you seem to think that US bring nothing to the table.

Why then did they select the USAIRWAYS name and not America West?

Why was the Bruce Lakefield kept? What is his background ;)

I bet the heavy US aircraft was hard to deal with. Look at the new orders for ac!

Bottom line is that both sides are bringing a lot to the table.

I am looking forward to working the AW people and yes we do have some a$$holes on our property. Just like you . Most of the folks here just want to be proud to be of their place of employment and feed their families.

Pick your friends but not apart!
 
Just FYI......the downsizing has already started occuring at US.....there are 60 A/C leaving the property by February.....that's why soo many people with up to 23 years are back on Reserve at US. Seems as though US employees are taking the brunt of the cutbacks only. That is why there have been buyouts and separations offered with another buyout coming the beginning of next year! So it's the US employees feeling the pain ALREADY from downsizing. <_<
 
There is also one factor that seems to be not spoken of. That issue is the US Airways is still under the watch of the bankruptcy court. Under bankruptcy law all collective barging contacts can be set aside. Also all leases for facitilities and aircraft can be ended or renogicated.

I have not seen or read the POR that US Airways has presended to the bankruptcy court. So if anyone has read it and seen it please post a link to find the information. The court hearing is Thursday September 15th.

Those of us at AWA shoud be thankful that Doug Parker is still at the helm of the new USAirways. His comment today at the AWA shareholders meeting is to bring the SPIRIT of the AWA employees to the new company. It is the employees of AWA that have kept AWA flying. Not that USAirways people have not done the same, but those of us who have been here 15 years or longer have put our heart,soul and MONEY into AWA to make it the only carrier to survive deregulation. We don't want to see our work go down in vain.
 
"So it's the US employees feeling the pain ALREADY from downsizing"

Excellent point!!!!!!!!!!!!! :up:
 
Collective Bargaining Agreements cannot just be "set aside", the company would have to follow Section 1113 C of the bankruptcy code and file a motion for abrogation then the judge by law has to order the parties to negotiate, if they fail to reach an agreement a trial takes place and the company has to prove that the abrogation is necessary to emerge from bankruptcy and meet all the criteria put forth in Section 1113 C, we have all ready been through this, and US is emerging before the end of the month.

And in Court all ready US has affirmed all the concessionary Collective Bargaining Agreements.

Don't let the facts get in your way!
 
mwa said:
ok, but riddle me this - in the immediate future their will be downsizing in the fleet and employees. it will undoubtedly be the junior employees ala AWA that get the street. the excess is obviously on the AAA side - so should the AWA people be the first out the door in this scenario???
[post="300193"][/post]​
If the above scenario came to fruition, the bottom of the seniority list is furloughed first. This is obvious. If there were to be some unforeseen problem, with or without the merger, the most junior would be furloughed. Don't tell me you are proposing a change to that policy as well?
 
my point is - before the ink is dry on the agreement, the damage is done to the AWA group. They are going to be sacrificed for those 23 yr AAA employees.