BearX220

From "As Pay Falls, Airlines Struggle to Fill Jobs," Page A1 of the Wall Street Journal, May 16:

"Pamela Lopez-Lewis, a Northwest flight attendant for 28 years, says she started working a second job as a bartender... to make up for what she estimates is a $15,000 drop in pay imposed by the arirline... 'Everybody is reaching their breaking point,' she says of her colleagues. 'Morale is so low. You've been insulted by the pay you've been getting. You're not feeling happy. I think absolutely it affects service. Apathy prevails.'

"[Andy] Roberts, the Northwest executive vice president [of operations], says: 'Morale is certainly severely tested. It's hard to keep people enthused.'

"... in Minneapolis, where the airline has a hub, 'you can hire on the ramp for $9 an hour' and work bad shifts out in the cold weather, or 'you can work inside a Target for $11,' said [Stephen Gordon of the International Machinists Union]. Northwest confirms that it is having hiring difficulties..."

The article discusses staff issues and shortages at all the majors, connects them to delays and cancellations, and quotes Doug Parker at US as saying: "It's the reality of the business and what the consumer has told us they want."

Sub req'd: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1179...hpp_us_pageone

coachrowsey

Folks airline jobs aren't what they use to be for sure. There was a time when I was proud to be an airline employee. Now I refuse to wear anything outside work that even hints where I work. When I fly NO WAY will I tell any one I'm an airline employee.

mersk862

Same thing for me. Last year, I was offered a CSR position for a summer job with one of the legacy airlines. It would have paid $9.17 an hour, crazy hours (one day I might have to work the opening at 330 a.m., the next day I might be waiting for late-night flights to come in and close down), a 45 minute drive to the airport each day, etc. My job from the previous summer at a retail store offered me a pay raise above that, I could work days and have every Sunday off (which is nice since I like to teach taekwondo at night and play golf on Sundays), only a 20 minute drive, and the people there were much closer in age to me. Overall, returning to my previous job was a much better deal than working for the airline, as retail store beat the airline on pretty much everything (yeah, non-revving would have been nice, but in the middle of summer out of a major city would have been difficult).

ksandness

I only saw the headline of today's WSJ (it was in a newsstand box), but my immediate reaction was, "Well, duh!"

MisterNice

Welcome to the wonderful world of ground based corporate employment reality.

MisterNice

3Cforme

Airlines forced down wages through bankruptcy or threats of bankruptcy, with the idea that wages were well above 'market' levels. That presumed a large supply of workers willing to spend a lot of time away from home who were helpful, pleasant, and willing to serve, all at the much lower wages the airlines wanted to pay. Now we'll see.

Memo to NWA Human Resources: Fly CX, JAL or (insert airline name here) and see what helpful, pleasant and willing to serve means.

NWAFA

The length of service regarding new hires at NW can now be measured in weeks. Just long enough to get that first paycheck, see the bottom line and leave. Others last only one trip, get back to base only to quit on the spot. Still others are fired for refusing a trip because they are exhausted.

Yes, the executives have certainly earned their pay.

PVGMSP

But their FAs are Hong Kong, Japan or (insert any country but US here) citzens.

sany2

And NW tried to hire said workers, who will provide good service for the wages they pay, but the unions refused to allow it.

ksandness

Because U.S. employees are not, by and large, young women under 30 who live with their parents. That is why Japanese (and presumably Hong Kong) FA's will work for less.

Why are U.S.-based employees not deserving of a living wage? It is THEY who determine what the customer's flight experience will be like on a day-to-day basis.

If CEOs and other executives "deserve" huge bonuses for bringing the company out of bankruptcy, frontline employees are even more deserving of wages that will attract loyal, competent people dedicated to customer service. If you keep hacking away at wages and benefits so that FAs have to take second jobs to pay their bills, your good people are going to quit.

It would be a different story if the executives were willing to make a few sacrifices, but apparently, they think that they're too high and mighty and that only peasants should make sacrifices.

Oh, and although I'm not a union member and never have been, the constant union-bashing on these threads--bashing done mostly by people who went straight from college into management positions, I would imagine--is really sickening. The executives have the board of directors (made up of other executives) rewarding them handsomely. Why shouldn't the rank-and-file workers have someone advocating for them, or are they just supposed to be good little slaves and take whatever Master dishes out?

It's as if the top brass are saying to the employees, "We're going to eat out at expensive restaurants three times day, but we're also going to reduce your bread and water rations."

fromYXU

Go figure! They did not want to have their jobs out sourced!!! Totally unjustified...

NWA_5479

Pamphlet aquired through a friend regarding work as a baggage handler (ESE):

Northwest Airlines is seeking committed, energetic, hard working, customer service oriented individuals interested in working...


Station Locations: MSP, SEA, ANC, BOS, PHL

Employment Dates: College work assignments will begin on or about Mid-May and end on or about the end of August.

Tuition Incentives: Upon completing the summer temporary assignment, the student will be eligible for $1000 in tuition assistance. Upon completing the winter temporary assignment [3 weeks over Christmas], the student will be eligible for $250 in tuition assistance.

At conclusion of summer temp assignment, the student will meet with his/her manager to discuss part-time work availability and desire to return to work part-time during winter breat (typically mid December to mid January). During the school periods the student will be eligible for pass travel only if they return to work for the winter break.

Wow, sounds like a great deal to me. Travel bennies during school!?

JetBlueFA

I just met a NWA new hire flight attendant at IAD the other day who told me she hates it there and has her application in with JetBlue, AirTran, and Soutwest. I haven't been on NW is quite a while now but is it really that bad over there?

divrdrew

It's a shame that NW will leave bankruptcy with such bad blood. DL left and you can see a great attitude from those employees.

I've had to fly DL quite a bit recently due to my move to TPA (DL has waaayyy more flights than NW from here and better fares) and there is a significant difference in attitudes from the FAs. I wish there were a way that NWA could do something for the FA and rest of its employees to soothe the nerves.

Also, even though some of you have posted that pay was better elsewhere, let's not forget the perk of flight benefits for the employee (and usually immediate family). That can add up to a lot of $$ if used (although I doubt that FAs will want to fly around on their time off).

That said, I think that the attitude is improving at NW. I flew it last minute to CMH last week for a funeral and the FAs were very nice and pleasant. Didn't even moan in the galley like they used to ;-)

motytrah

My understanding from one of the FAs on MSP-NRT is it's the Chinese out of HK that really worry them. Japan has a very high cost of living that tends to temper a lot of the concerns.