American Airlines may cut up to 15,000 jobs
- Thread starter Oxman
- Start date
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
The price of oil wasn't anywhere near what it is now when they agreed to those concessions, either....
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
Jesus, stand up for your livelihood by causing the collapse of an airline that employs 80,000 people? What do you think that'll do to the middle class then?
Repeat after me: You're only worth what you negotiate, not what you think you deserve because you sit in the front end of an airplane and wear a tie.
Gonzo
Well-Known Member
I think that is the idea. The union is not using the courts to get something out of the company it is the other way around. The company agreed to terms aka negotiated and is now not living up to their end.
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
I'm not denying that, or wishing to weaken the union's position in any way; I'm simply responding to the idea that the pilots should let the company fail in order to take a stand.
Best of luck to AMR employees.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
So, would you rather the union cave, then watch as everyone else re-does what they did a few years ago to bring their contracts into line with the "new standard" that would be AMR's new deal? I'm sure every airline manager out there would LOVE to get rid of monthly guarantee. Those guys and gals flying highspeeds get paid more than they fly every month. AMR's deal would open the door to the rest of the airlines ditching that. I agree with subpilot. There's a time to bend and go with the flow, but there's a line where you have to put your foot down and say "Enough is enough." AMR's proposal, IMO, crosses that line.
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
No, I wouldn't rather the union cave. The union should do what it's supposed to do: Negotiate for the best deal, while ensuring that its membership continues to have a place to work. The company's first proposal is always some lowball piece of crap, as we saw that at my company with our first tentative agreement (which we overwhelmingly rejected). Putting a line in the sand with a company that's consistently profitable is one thing; AMR lost almost $2 billion last year, and is bankrupt.
Honestly, one of the things that annoys me most about this career field is the prima donna attitude, as well as myopic view many pilots have toward their own livelihoods and airlines. I mean, are there really people out there who'd rather take a 100% pay cut, putting tens of thousands out of work, just to take a stand? What does that do for anyone?
Again, nobody is saying that the union should crumble (though, I'm sure I'll get several people who'll accuse me of saying that), only that they should protect the membership from job loss and negotiate to the greatest extent possible. I see my union dues as payment for a service; that service being to protect my interests and keep me employed. I don't pay them each month so they'll try to get my pilot group to put the company under. Guess who loses in that scenario?