The last time I checked the unions were represented on United's board and= these contracts would have been approved by the board. Sure the other p= ilots got there first but the other unions were just waiting for their tu= rn at the trough. I never said that the front line employees should feel all the pain. Man= agement needs to feel it's share of the pain as well. The cuts need to g= o all the way to the top. Sometimes you need to take a step backward in = order to take a step forward. The unions can't see the forest because th= e trees are in the way. No one wins if UA is liquidated. Why should any= one at United have job security? This is 2002, no one has job security a= nymore. Even in Japan where you traditionally worked for the same company= from cradle to grave, job security is a thing of the past. I have seen = far too many situations where people who should have been fired on the sp= ot have had their jobs saved because of the union. It makes me sick. WAGST@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 12/19/2002 6:51:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, mgreenw= ood@telus.net writes: > > > Management shouldn't have to negotiate in a crisis situation. Labour = costs > > are probably UA's biggest expense at the moment. Bring those in line= and > > everything else will follow suit. I say fire every last one of them = and > > then hire back the ones who are willing to work for what the company = is > > willing to pay. Unions had their place in the 19th > > century, they are way > > past their expiry date in the 21st. > > > > Mark > > "Management shouldn't have to negotiate in a crisis situation"?? Y= eah mark,the same management who put this company in the hole it's in now= =2E.. > Mechanics,the guys who keep those flightcrews, cabin attendants and mil= lions of passengers safe on multi-million dollar metal tubes, Ramp servic= e employees who bust their asses in all climates to ensure the frieght, m= ail,luggage etc. gets loaded on the aircraft.. Customer service employees= that are the front line employees representing the United Airlines ima= ge at the ticket counters and gates making sure that the CUSTOMER is prop= erly tended to regardless of weather, overbookings,cancellations etc. Res= ervations agents that man the phones 24 hrs. a day to sell the United pro= duct. Flight Attendants that ensure the safety of those on board while pu= tting up with rude drunken passengers. These are just a few of the Union = represented employees that had not seen a raise of ANY kind for 7-8 years= =2E.. While management employees were getting very gracious raises during= the same time during something called "Vison 2000". Some of these manage= ment employees received almost double their salary! > Let it's the fault of the unions????? > Who agreed to let the ALPA members get their massive raises? manag= ement.. > Who spent MILLIONS and MILLIONS in an obviously futile attempt to = buy US Airways? management... > Who spent another pile of dough on the idea of buying private jet= s for business travelers instead of promoting the United Airline product?= management... > I could probably go on for a few more pages listing the same kind = of crap that management has done that has put this comapny where it is to= day.. > Now the Union employees have to take drastic cuts in pay, benefits= and job security to help save this great airline...And I think that they= will, which is why I think now is the time that they need the Union the = most. While I think that most of the Union represented employees will giv= e up pay and benefits, they also have the right to have an organized labo= r Union make sure that they don't get put back into poverty, or get treat= ed like second class citizens while management continues with their mindb= oggling selfcentered decision making. It's one thing to give back pay and= benefits, but what the hell is the reason for giving up job security? > I hope that the Unions and Management come together rationaly, and= work out a fair and equitable solution to this unbelievably complex issu= e, and I fully support the IAM and the AFA in their quest for protection = for the poor front line employees at United... > Tom