IAHCOPLAT

Due to the news released today, February 16, 2012, by the National Mediation Board..... in addition to the many problems I have read about in this forum (plus from off the record conversations with employees) about PMUA employees being inadequately trained on the SHARES system..... and the very long telephone wait times when contacting CO being reported in this forum ....... it is unclear to me whether the planned integration of the CO and UA reservation systems into the one SHARES system will still take place as scheduled on March 3, 2012.

The purpose of this thread is to just give everyone a "heads-up" to be more closely monitoring the situation in the coming days. Hopefully, there will be FT readers of this thread who will have more intimate knowledge of any potential problems who will be posting here in the near future. Hopefully also, UA management will give us timely notice of any possible delay of the March 3 date by notices posted on both the CO and UA websites.

1,000 ADDITIONAL United Airlines employees have been granted by the National Mediation Board today, Feb.16, the right to vote in the current Passenger Service and Reservation Election. These United employees are members of the IAM union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers). Because of this, the National Mediation Board has extended the voting in the election that is currently underway deciding whether the IAM will represent all similar workers at United in the future. The voting will now be extended and the final tally will be made on March 7, 2012.

Since these employees include 706 Customer Service Representatives who work at United’s line stations who would be working on the merged reservation system (SHARES), it is unclear to me whether the merging of the 2 separate systems will now take place on March 3 as planned and announced by United (Possibly because of limitations of which computer systems union employees are able to use).

In post #21 below of this current thread[/COLOR][/B], fastair, an employee of United who works with the reservations systems, has posted some insights of what is going on from the employees' point of view in regards to the upcoming merging date of March 3. Granted, it is one person's perspective, however it gives us a snapshot of the scrambling that is apparently going on behind the scenes by UA and CO in order to prepare for the self-imposed and arbitrary (my adjective) deadline of March 3 for system conversion. I have heard from other employees of the airlines (off the record) that they do not feel reservations agents will be properly trained and ready for system integration on March 3.

I certainly hope that United is ready and that the computer system will work after system integration into SHARES on March 3. But I urge everyone to be monitoring the situation closely in the coming days as we approach March 3. I am not saying we should panic...just be prudent and mindful that it is a massive undertaking and things could go wrong.

IF there is such a delay of the March 3 date[/I][/B], it will affect not only the reservations,ticketing, and operations, but also the beginning of the new Mileage Plus program. In other words, things will still be in limbo!

We will all have to pay close attention to any official announcements coming forth in the next few days by United in regards to any impact this NMB decision, employee readiness, or computer system problems MAY have on the planned merging date of March 3.[/B]

Here is the link to the announcement on the IAM website:

http://www.goiam.org/index.php/imail...ored-at-united

mdt76

I truly hope this doesn't happen... The only thing that had me putting up with all the current BS has been the fact that the date for integration is almost here.

flyer215

I'm not sure I follow... why would some extension of a voting window have much impact on the March 3rd integration timing?

Isn't a vote cast "at work"? How long can it take?

Or is it something to do with a potential outcome?

wcalvert

I'm confused, why would this cause a delay? If IAM is chosen or not all of the CSR reps will still be using SHARES.

twoaisleplane

I think (not sure) it means the prior union agreement remains in place (pending the results of the new voting) and thus PMUA CSR reps are the only ones allowed to work on United computers. And part of the SHARES transition plan was to have PMCO reps helping and working alongside them on these computers to make sure everything went smoothly.

Xyzzy

I can't see how one can draw any such conclusion or think that anything about the cutover is unclear. I didn't see anything at all in any of the links prvided above that indicate this is anything more than a labor issue. To be more specific, nothing at all was mentioned about the system cutover date.

craz

If my experience at HNL yesterday is in anyway a tell of what is happening worldwide with UA then I can say 100% for sure that everything will be 100% OK and Intergrated on or before March3,2013 (thats no typo)

On avg it took apx 15 mins for them to check people in @ HNL, Mr chicken wouldnt spit out my new BP (was UPed yesterday morn) said see a Rep. That rep had no idea what to do and 2 others came over (sort of like the Umps getting together at a football game over a call)

Long story short the Rep ended up getting me a FC BP even thou she kept telling me Im in caoch, she also was very successful in changing my LAx-IAD seat even thou I didnt ask her to, and giving me a Mgmt BP for my IAD-JFK flight although I had a seat now gone it turns out although 1K desk said Im still in 8B.

I called theh 1k Desk to get back my LAX-HNL seat and was told only the airport can do that. So off the gate I go, turns out that rep ended up seting up 2 new PNRs for me all on the same flights. Butw a stold I had to deal with the IAD-JFK @ IAD. Landed early went to a CS station and the rep said Im in 8D, I said liek heck, she says all the seats are the same , I said if so then why does UA allow seat selection at any time? When I asked for a supervisor, she ends up giving me back the seat I chose well over a month ago.There were no aisle seats avaialble. The guy seating in 8B wasnt too happy when I boarded and asked tos ee his BP which had 8B crossed out and 8D written in , in ink

I can say teh main raeson is due to a very Stupid thing CO (Jeff & Comp didnt do) they should have made sure taht at least 1 reg CO rep was always at teh UA counters to be atrouble shooter for when they still havent grasped what they were taught in the classes. At HNL they said the CO reps do walk over teh few feet to the UA area when they are there and needed

I called UA Cs to suggest this and was told but they know theres an 800# they can call for help, I said how many times would you call knowing every time its probably noted whos calling. too many calls = goodbye job, besides no one is there in the flesh to show them whats what


End Result extremely long check-in lines and very frustrated Passengers and Employees. And teh main UA hubs needs a few CO employees

IAHCOPLAT

Others who are more knowledgeable about the fine print in these negotiations will need to give you some specifics here. From what I have heard, it has to do with what reservations systems employees are and are not allowed to work with, contracts, negotiations, etc. I'm certain there are many members of FlyerTalk who have a better understanding of all of this who will be making posts in this thread in the near future.

That is why we all need to be watching more carefully in the next few days to see how all of this shakes out. The vote was originally supposed to have concluded well before the March 3 date. There may not end up being any delay in the March 3 date!.
This thread is just to give a "heads-up" for all of us to be paying attention more closely in the next few days.

Dr_Adventure

I'm assuming the first line is Sarcasm?

sbm12

Even if the voting had concluded at the previously assigned date, there is no way that any renegotiation of a CBA to integrate the two staff groups would have happened in the next couple weeks. I simply do not see how the delay in the vote tally being finalized will affect anything in the PSS consolidation.

craz

yep , after what I went thru and seeing over 1/2 dz UA counter agents like a deer looking into oncoming headlights of a car, often repeating I know they mentioned something in the class about this.. I just dont see that by 3/3/12 everything will be running smoothly

Im sure HNL is not the only station having its share of problems

mkr

sbm12,

Thanks for your feedback. However, I have seen crazy, unanticipated events occur with other companies involved in labor-management negotiations. I thank IAHCOPLAT for giving us a "heads-up" on this situation and am heeding the advice to pay close attention in the coming days in the event the unforseen occurs and there is a delay of the March 3 date.

It took some guts to start this thread, in my opinion. But IAHCOPLAT is also echoing comments I have heard from UA personnel who don't think the training will be sufficient to have enough qualified personnel ready in time for the planned date of March 3.

I don't think IAHCOPLAT is trying to scare us, just advising us to be watchful in the coming days. Who knows, the whole computer system could crash, making another reason for the delay.

Hopefully, everything will go as planned. But I will be watching FT and the United and Continental websites more closely in the coming days just to be prudent! I am glad I am not traveling that weekend if they do switch over to the new SHARES system then. I can see long lines and likely many problems.

love_to_travel

Oh man I'm flying out of HNL tonight, I hope everything goes smoothly. I was there last Saturday trying to get a gate pass, the check-in area was swamped with lines going out the building. Needless to say I didn't get my gatepass.

LAXOGG

Please report back on your experience. !

plj496

craz is talking about one year from now, so perhaps the post is, in fact, sincere.