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UAX outsourcing UAL MEC response

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UAX outsourcing UAL MEC response

Old 09-17-2010, 07:51 AM
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Default UAX outsourcing UAL MEC response

UAL is conducting an employee education campaign heralding the benefits of outsource lift and labor. It's actually an entertaining piece - except the company appears serious about their assumptions.

Keep the balance high in your strike fund, it looks like that's were the JCBA is headed.

************************************************** **************

September 16, 2010

Dear Fellow Pilot,

In an action that has to be placed at the top of the “What Could They Possibly Be Thinking” file, United Airlines is conducting “United Express Education Sessions” to, as it was stated in today’s NewsReal, “show the important role United Express plays in our business and for our customers.”

In an incredulous display of either ignorance or arrogance, the Company chose a time when management and pilots are deep in the middle of contract negotiations for a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement as part of the United/Continental merger to tout United Express, an aspect of our company that has been an anathema to each and every pilot – those currently working and laid off – on this property.

According to the NewsReal, Cindy Szadokierski, United’s VP-Airport Operations Planning and Mary Movic, managing director of United Express, teamed up to serve as the company’s propaganda ministers to deliver management’s talking points regarding the so-called advantages United Express brings to the mainline operation. The NewsReal mentioned that United Express serves 181 cities in the United States and Canada and has 2,333 daily departures, and that “our largest international mainline flights rely heavily on United Express to fill those flights.” The NewsReal continues to say “42% of our customers on our London flights out of Chicago O’Hare are United Express connections customers.” Well of course they are. We no longer feed hubs with mainline aircraft due to the ill thought out decision to park the entire 737 fleet. How else would passengers connect in O’Hare? Statistics are a funny thing.

Szadokierski even went so far as to say, “There’s a good chance we would have less flights to some of our international locations if we didn’t have United Express.” This implies that United can’t do its own flying. One such attendee of the education sessions believes this Company propaganda, as the NewsReal quoted her as saying “Without (United Express), we wouldn’t be the strong carrier we are today.” Really? Did this employee bother to ask the Company why it believes United Express is the key component to keeping our international routes at their current levels? This is illogical given service levels and quality that do not begin to approximate that of the mainline. Did this employee ask any questions at all, or did she simply accept the Company propaganda as fact?

Did Szadokierski or Movic mention that United Airlines decided to park the entire 737 fleet – the fleet that has historically fed the international flights – in order to outsource that flying to United Express? Did the employee who was so impressed with the Company’s presentation bother to ask what happened to the jobs of the pilots who were flying the 737 feeder carriers? If that employee knew the answers to these questions, would she still believe United Express makes United the “strong carrier we are today?”

The Company’s education sessions on United Express not only are a slap to the face to each and every United pilot and employee, they serve as a grotesque misrepresentation of the facts concerning United Express. Perhaps Szadokierski and Movic should have invited some of the 1,437 pilots who were laid off thanks in large part to the Company’s continued outsourcing of its flying to United Express carriers to provide a different perspective to the “value” of United Express to the mainline operation. Perhaps Szadokierski and Movic should visit Concourse F at ORD – described as akin to a third world country or of an airport design of the 1950’s – more often and ask some of the United Express passengers whether they prefer doing their traveling on a cramped, uncomfortable 50/70 seat SJ or on a more roomy mainline aircraft

What is unclear is whether the Company plans on taking their “United Express Education Sessions” to the passengers of United Express. It would be interesting to know whether the following messages regarding customer options on United Express would be included in their lesson plans:

·The Company outsourcing flying to the lowest subcontracting fee-for-departure carrier whipsaws carriers, one against another, leading to inconsistent service to the passengers as each carrier’s service in a given city pair changes on a daily and even hourly basis..
· Aircraft that fly under the United Express banner are smaller so that passengers bump their heads and must crouch and turn sideways to walk down the aisle to get to their seat or to the one blue room in the rear. Obviously they provide far less comfort for the passengers.
· Passengers can forget about carry-on bags, and should budget their time to allow 15 to 20 minutes to get their bags. They should expect to stand in a cold or hot jetway for this period of time waiting for their carry-on to be delivered. This makes reaching connections even more interesting, especially when Express connections arrive at different terminals.
·Small jets were designed to serve outlying cities with less than a two-hour stage length, not for hub-to-hub or four-hour flights.

Another interesting question to pose to Szadokierski and Movic would be, “Does United CEO Glenn Tilton and Continental CEO Jeff Smisek hop on an Express carrier when flying between Chicago and Houston, or do they prefer to travel First Class on a mainline aircraft?”

And perhaps Szadokierski and Movic should explain to those attending United Express Education Sessions how a frequent UAL passenger discovered that the flight she thought she had booked with United was actually a subcontracted United Express carrier flight. This passenger, who contacted ALPA, was disturbed when she learned she would be traveling on an aircraft other than what she thought was a United airplane, flown by a United crew. This passenger emailed UAL customer service and received the following response:

Dear (name withheld):

The decision to use United Express service on some routes was meant to
allow United to operate efficiently and cost-effectively based on the
demand for our different routes. The pilots for United Express receive
the same thorough training through our Denver facility which is the top
training facility in the world. The military trains at our facility as
well. United Express pilots must follow the strict guidelines all our
pilots do such as the number of flying hours prior to being hired.

United and United Express are striving to provide you with the best
service in the industry with safety as our number one priority. We're
committed to meeting your expectations, and we hope you will give us a
future opportunity to restore your confidence and support. Your business
is important to us.

Regards,

Cherie Stevens
United Airlines Customer Relations

Anybody notice United Express pilots wandering around the halls of TK lately? Seems Customer Relations doesn’t even know the facts, but they are convinced that this is a good thing. What Ms. Stevens failed to mention in her letter to the passenger is that United Airlines, when booking an unwitting passenger on a United Express flight, is misleading the very loyal and trusting customers who expect to be flown to their destinations by an industry-leading professional crew flown by United pilots on a United mainline aircraft.

Going by today’s NewsReal, it is apparent that United management does not understand the importance of scope in the current Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. The pilots of United and Continental certainly do. I encourage your professional feedback consistent with the ALPA Code of Ethics to the points raised in the SkyNet article. This is accomplished by clicking on the link “Post a Comment” at the bottom of the article. Please refer to the “Guidelines” link also located at the bottom of the SkyNet article before submitting your comment. The Company can waste their time conducting such United Express Education Sessions, but they must understand: Scope is an unwavering issue to the pilots. The sooner management understands that fact, the sooner the Company will realize the advertised synergies from the United/Continental merger.

Fraternally,


Captain Wendy Morse
Chairman, United MEC
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Old 09-17-2010, 08:32 AM
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Angry grrrrrrrrrrrr

Man, my blood was boiling when I read that UAX propaganda on Skynet. I was about to put in a comment, but they removed the link from the front page, but it it is still in the "Newsreal" section.
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Old 09-17-2010, 09:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Monkeyfly View Post
Man, my blood was boiling when I read that UAX propaganda on Skynet. I was about to put in a comment, but they removed the link from the front page, but it it is still in the "Newsreal" section.

I hear that all comments that don't tow the party line are removed anyway. Obviously you just need to be re-educated
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Old 09-17-2010, 09:19 AM
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Go Wendy!!!!! We ALL have a dog in this fight, glad to see the UAL MEC (and CAL MEC by extension) standing firm on this issue.
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Old 09-17-2010, 09:42 AM
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Originally Posted by HSLD View Post
I hear that all comments that don't tow the party line are removed anyway. Obviously you just need to be re-educated
************************************************** *****
Well, EXACTLY What do you think Cindy WOULD say?? Isn't she the VP in charge of UAX operations?? Take NOTE that she's ALSO remaining AFTER the merger and there's a CAL person taking over the combined Express Operations. You Didn't REALLY think they were going to stop the UAX operations becase you don't like them do you?? They ALREADY KNOW that. And they've got 10 years to GET you TO like it! Or at the least tolerate it so that you guys will allow the 130 seat airplanes that SKYW is drooling over. But rhetoric ain't gonna get it! They forced this in during an 1113 hearing in Bankruptcy!! The mainline pilots WILL be sacrificing SOMETHING to get rid of it. Many Airline Non-Pilots believe that you guys should Negotiate a pay scale that fits what they're cooking. and add your OWN "sauce" to make the contracts come under your auspices, and because that's going to bring a LOT of new pilots on board it's going to have to be a goodly amount of "Sauce" too.. This issue will be FAR thornier than the 1113 hearings of that I'm sure. BUT! If you guys want it? You can get it!
But the question IS?? What are you willing to do FOR IT??
What you do in this next Year will determine where ALPA goes for the next 30 years. ALPA is United, and United IS ALPA. Everybody else? Well..
I truly hope you guys get some "Killer instinct" and start putting some Pilot types Lawyers into the fray The ENTIRE Air transport Association is already lined up against you and what you do NOW will make Everybody well, Because if you Sneeze??
EVERY other airline in America and possibly th World (Including American's APA) Will be getting the FLU!! You guys are on the verge of Making HISTORY! Don't Mess this UP! God Bless all...
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Old 09-17-2010, 10:11 AM
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To say the least, interesting post.....

I just hope this press release/propaganda "stokes the fire" just enough to induce a full blown back-draft in the face's of Mgt on their desperate attempt to gain the public's support of present/or increased UAL feed on mainline flying/jobs.

The NEW UAL JCBA SCOPE needs to be NOTHING South of CAL's present POS Contract '02 provisions....Hold the line, and ALL improvements North.

Any UAL painted jet = UAL Pilot's in the cockpit......Period.
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Old 09-17-2010, 10:13 AM
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Originally Posted by HSLD View Post
Obviously you just need to be re-educated
Sarcasm meet strfyr51, strfyr51 meet sarcasm. I completely understand Ms. Szadokierski's role.

Originally Posted by strfyr51 View Post
You Didn't REALLY think they were going to stop the UAX operations becase you don't like them do you??
No, I don't think I'm going to do anything on my own, fortunately the majority of UAL/CAL pilots understand just how important scope is in a JCBA. Without substantial improvements to scope in the ALPA contract, there will be no JCBA. See America West/US Airways for the blueprint on how that goes.
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Old 09-17-2010, 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by HSLD View Post
Sarcasm meet strfyr51, strfyr51 meet sarcasm. I completely understand Ms. Szadokierski's role.



No, I don't think I'm going to do anything on my own, fortunately the majority of UAL/CAL pilots understand just how important scope is in a JCBA. Without substantial improvements to scope in the ALPA contract, there will be no JCBA. See America West/US Airways for the blueprint on how that goes.
************************************************** ******
Nobdy does it on their OWN, But you guys have the CHANCE to do it and do it Right! It Can Be done!
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Old 09-17-2010, 11:10 AM
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Originally Posted by HSLD View Post
I hear that all comments that don't tow the party line are removed anyway. Obviously you just need to be re-educated
the non-party line comments aren't removed. they just come "TALK" to you about them. Didn't you know?? they're the BORG!! I hate Airbus.
said so for YEARS. every now and then the send someone to talk to me. to see if I'll change my mind. Wait till we get the A350, I haven's said ANYTHING YET!! That Airplane is a LOSER and it hasn't even flown yet!! A 777 in composite construction, or maybe Aluminum-Lithium?? it'll beat that thing Hands down That's why G.E. NOR Pratt and Whitney will field an Engine on that "SOW"..
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Old 09-17-2010, 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by strfyr51 View Post
************************************************** ******
Nobdy does it on their OWN, But you guys have the CHANCE to do it and do it Right! It Can Be done!
Thanks for the support and it's not lost on pilots that there used to be 15,000 highly skilled professional mechanics on the property and now there are roughly 5,000. Outsourcing is not just a pilot issue, it affects every labor classification at the airline. We're in it together.
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