Would this work at US Airways?

EMBFA

Veteran
Mar 1, 2006
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Wonder if US would ever do this or if wages at all levels are so low it doesn't matter.



Southwest offers buyouts to workers

03:07 PM CDT on Tuesday, July 17, 2007
By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]

Southwest Airlines Co., a low-cost airline which has one of the best-paid workforces, has offered buyout packages to 8,700 operations employees in hopes of enticing some early departures.

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The packages were sent the eligible employees Monday, Southwest spokeswoman Beth Harbin said, with replies required by Aug. 10.

The offers were sent to higher-paid employees who work as flight attendants and those who work in customer service, the airport ramp, provisioning, operations, freight and reservations, including supervisors.

Ms. Harbin stressed that the buyout is entirely voluntary, and that no one is being pressured or forced to leave.

“The goal is reduce our labor costs, but in a very Southwest way, which is to provide a really nice package that recognizes the contribution that they’ve already made to the company, again keeping it on a voluntary basis,â€￾ she said. “If this is not the time for them to leave Southwest, then this is still their home here.â€￾

Southwest Airlines Co 15.59
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Southwest, which has never furloughed employees since it began flying June 18, 1971, offered buyouts to employees in 2004. About 1,000 employees accepted the package then, Ms. Harbin said.

Southwest historically had lower pay rates for pilots, flight attendants and other employees than the older network carriers. However, Southwest was one of the few large carriers not to cut pay rates after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and employees have continued to receive pay raises.

According to figures presented at a June investment conference by American Airlines Inc., Southwest had the lowest non-labor unit costs of the 10 largest U.S. carriers in the first quarter. Its costs excluding labor were 2.7 cents per airplane seat flown a mile, compared to 4.5 cents for Continental Airlines Inc., the highest-cost carrier, and 3.6 cents for American.

But Southwest had among the highest unit costs for labor – 2.6 cents per seat mile, third highest among the 10 largest carriers and below only American at 3.1 cents and Alaska Air Inc. at 2.9 cents.

Low-cost competitors AirTran Airways at 1.7 cents and JetBlue Airways Corp. 2.3 cents undercut it, as well as large network carriers who have lowered costs in bankruptcy court, including Northwest Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

Ms. Harbin said the package includes $25,000, continued payment of health insurance and other benefits for some time and flight privileges.

Southwest currently has about 33,000 employees
 
Are you kidding, they beg daily for people to work....Remember that Southwest is actually an airline people want to work for, and for good reason...Now US is like a bottom feeder, they must stoop to new lows every day just to hire someone and those usually last only a short time once they get a taste of the way this company treats its employees...

I know for a fact that in the Fleet negotiations the company won't even entertain the the thought of most of the senior experienced workers leaving in droves, when hell they get us all at rock bargain wages and benefits just to have to replace us with a bunch of new generation, lazy kids with no work ethics.....

The thought was nice though!
 
It is not so much the amount of money that is offered but the benefits. Offer some benefits and see if any will bite.
 
Thats part of the problem we have now. We had 19 people take the leave about 2 years ago. Company said we were still overstaffed so they didnt hire anyone. Now they're trying to play catchup with all the new people. Some days and shifts there are only 2 or 3 people that have worked here more than 2 years. It isnt a pretty sight.
 
Thats part of the problem we have now. We had 19 people take the leave about 2 years ago. Company said we were still overstaffed so they didnt hire anyone. Now they're trying to play catchup with all the new people. Some days and shifts there are only 2 or 3 people that have worked here more than 2 years. It isnt a pretty sight.
I wish this company would do something. We have to many old timers here, that need to go into retirement soon! I don't know why you keep tourching yourselves....go! ;)
 
I wish this company would do something. We have to many old timers here, that need to go into retirement soon! I don't know why you keep tourching yourselves....go! ;)


I wish they would go too. The reason the old timers stick around so long is because they never planned for their retirement and they can't afford not to work. It is sad!
 
I wish they would go too. The reason the old timers stick around so long is because they never planned for their retirement and they can't afford not to work. It is sad!

sky high states: Actually, what is sadder, is someone who will stick around for OVER a decade on RESERVE. Now, that is sad. Got any BETTER plans?

And, WCT, who's getting tortured????? If you have any seniority, then you have your desired days off, what shift you want, topped out pay, better vacation days..etc..etc.
:down:
Why you REALLY WANT THEM to LEAVE is to get their benefits from their LONGEVITY. :down: Aint happening, kids.

only stating opinions.

I wish this company would do something. We have to many old timers here, that need to go into retirement soon! I don't know why you keep tourching yourselves....go! ;)

....earn your seniority, like EVERYONE else did.

only stating opinions
 
Why you REALLY WANT THEM to LEAVE is to get their benefits from their LONGEVITY. :down: Aint happening, kids.

Thanks for the compliment, I enjoy being a kid!!! :p



....earn your seniority, like EVERYONE else did.

only stating opinions
[/quote]

I am happy where I am at on the West. Let's hope we negotiate in good faith for everyone! :D
 
You know what SKY it's our union in the past that has padded the blockholders a$$ that has KEPT reserves where they are for 10 years. What do many of the senior folks have invested with usairways besides TIME. Thats about it. Anything else? Hmmmm I'd say not much. It's pathetic ALL THE WAY AROUND.
 
You know what SKY it's our union in the past that has padded the blockholders a$$ that has KEPT reserves where they are for 10 years. What do many of the senior folks have invested with usairways besides TIME. Thats about it. Anything else? Hmmmm I'd say not much. It's pathetic ALL THE WAY AROUND.


That reminds me of a f/a I flew with last year. He was really rude to everyone. The whole crew could not stand to be around him he was so mean. He would get so mad when we were nice to the passengers too. Every other sentence he would mention that he had been a f/a for 28 years. Then he would complain about US Airways, complain about his wife, complain about everything, call me a kid (and I went off on him for that), then say he had been a f/a for 28 years again. It got on my nerves so bad that I finally looked at him and asked "Is that all you can say for yourself? You've been a f/a for 28 years? Is that the only thing you have accomplished in your whole life? If that is the only thing you have going for you, I feel really sorry for you. I just can't believe you haven't done anything else or accomplished anything else besides acruing 28 years of seniority. I hope when I am your age that I will have accomplished more in my life than having 28 years of seniority." I've probably accomplished more in my short life than he has and he is twice my age.
 
That reminds me of a f/a I flew with last year. He was really rude to everyone. The whole crew could not stand to be around him he was so mean. He would get so mad when we were nice to the passengers too. Every other sentence he would mention that he had been a f/a for 28 years. Then he would complain about US Airways, complain about his wife, complain about everything, call me a kid (and I went off on him for that), then say he had been a f/a for 28 years again. It got on my nerves so bad that I finally looked at him and asked "Is that all you can say for yourself? You've been a f/a for 28 years? Is that the only thing you have accomplished in your whole life? If that is the only thing you have going for you, I feel really sorry for you. I just can't believe you haven't done anything else or accomplished anything else besides acruing 28 years of seniority. I hope when I am your age that I will have accomplished more in my life than having 28 years of seniority." I've probably accomplished more in my short life than he has and he is twice my age.

That is really sad... :( We have some grinches and witches like that on the west side too. And it is usually the ones that work 130hrs a month. This company is there whole life. Sad.
 
i dunno , you guys sound like the people you talk about , cause you KNOW it's the one's crying about the folks who have been here too long who are going to be the ones staying for 40 or so years , and yes , someday you'll be the grumpy one's saying "i've been an F/A for the last 23 years and i STILL can't get weekends off .
 
i dunno , you guys sound like the people you talk about , cause you KNOW it's the one's crying about the folks who have been here too long who are going to be the ones staying for 40 or so years , and yes , someday you'll be the grumpy one's saying "i've been an F/A for the last 23 years and i STILL can't get weekends off .
Gosh I really hope and pray you adapt to our flexiblity out on the West. Not have wkends off for 23yrs?? Good grace. Or even Christmas. And by the way, we are not giving up our vacation wks either. You guys need to gain some over there big time! Plus, we don't have people on reserve for 10 plus years. I hope we can get a happy medium going on, so we get the best of both sides. :)
 
If the company offered a generous buyout package like Southwest is to their employees, the senior mamas would be gone in a skinny minute.

So many were planning to leave yet ending up staying after the company yanked their pensions out from underneath them and discontinued medical health benefits for retirees. You have no idea how expensive health insurance is.

Don't judge the senior f/a's on this one. They want to retire, They just can't because their plans got shot to hell in Bankruptcy. :down:
 

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