Originally Posted by
Jay5150
Buzz:
FWIW, I'm in the same furlough group as you, and I didn't take Scambo's posts the same way you did. Seemed to me he knew guys were out, in general, a good, long while. He was just saying that IF a furloughee were out from an airline for only a couple of months and never came back, that might be a meaningful stat as it related to the desirability of his/her airline for employment. However; once you start racking up the furlough years, especially 5, 8, 10 etc, it is less indicative of the desirability of the company, and more because that guy has had to move on with his life and his current gig is good enough to not leave.
Having said that, I agree with everything else you said. My little anecdotal story:
A few years into our furlough, I'm riding as a paying pax on DAL. I don't know if we still had those furlough I.D.s (remember those?) I stopped by the cockpit to say hello and mainly to see if there were any good rumors. After I gave my quick intro including the fact I was a DAL furlough, the captain wheels around in his seat and says "I didn't know we still had guys on furlough!" The number was still above 1000 at that point. I remember the green slips as well. I also remember the COBRA payments, and that was much appreciated. You get this large of a group and you're gonna have all kinds.
Jay,
Thanks. Your first paragraph was exactly what I meant. Just the same, while I am not the most empathetic tool in the shed, Buzz makes some good points. When LD was furlough coordinator, I sent him job leads and mil re-entry info...it was stuff he probably already had, but one thing I think Buzz is correct about
: The rank and file did not generally keep the furloughees in their hearts and minds...generally....broad brush.