wxguy

Can't they jump around the airport taking orders by status, and prioritize them in the galley

sbm12

You do realize that the phone system is connected to a database on the back end, just like a website would be, right? Basically the same thing, but you press the 12 keys on the phone rather than using a full keyboard.

sinoflyer

There are two ways to bid. Both can be used for either work schedules or vacations. Assuming an office of 100 workers, a list of 100 "lines" -- combinations of days off/vacation dates -- is distributed to the employees weeks before the actual bid.

Method #1: Each employee submits their choice(s) by writing down the line numbers in the order of their preference. Employee #1 on the seniority list needs to choose only one line (bid once), because they are guaranteed whatever they want. Employee #2 must submit 2 bids, just in case their first choice is taken by #1. Employee #100 must bid 100 times. The administrator collects all of that paperwork and sorts through the bids, before posting the results ("awards"?) a few days later.

Method #2 is much more efficient. Each person comes into the office or calls in at the appointed time. The administrator can tell the employee what lines are still available with a simple yes or no. But to do that, the employee must be pulled away from their job if they are on duty.

Volga981

If not from the forum, how would the company know the employees are unhappy with the benefits? I personally would prefer not to complain to my boss about that.

FlyingNone

===============
Exactly right.....see Fastair's Post #11.

But I've had panic attacks when calling in at a designated time having met with a busy signal. You just keep dialing back -- to the staff that are working the vacation bids. There's anxiety, but I've never been missed or overlooked. Where I work (not Chicago), they are well aware of people trying to call in and will phone us back if we've missed our queue and they know things are running behind. I only know of 1 or 2 times where people forgot to call in and couldn't be reached and fell to the bottom of the bid......it's usually a person who just doesn't care what they get.

lhrsfo

Reading threads like this reminds me of an old British adage - the management couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery.

sfogate

sCO agents (in SFO) were only allowed to hand in a written vacation bid. As for bidding our work schedules we had three options: bid in person, phone in or submit a written bid.

By the way, we have received a raise and due to the many different amounts and other issues, we have not seen our increase on our paychecks. We have been advised that we will receive these earned monies in January. Our contract was only approved the first week in November.

fastair

The thing with the hand written one is that the combinations of what you want if everything is open is simoke. If things aren't then it becomes very complex To say I want week number 43, 44, 45, amd 46 is easy if all 4 weeks are open. I may add weeks 47, 48, 49, and 50 as backups. Now say weeks 43, 44, 48, and 50 are open, all 4 weeks are covered, but maybe I wanted them consecutivly. Sure, my backups covered the remaining 2 weeks, but if I wanted weeks adjoining and 1 was open, but not the other, without knowing what is open, I don't know how to distribute my backup choices.

Royal, you would really fire an employee for stating that he hasn't received his pay? That's great leadership there, you as a mgmt employee can't get your act together to pay required benefits, but the employee in your world is just supposed to accept the fact that he isn't getting what he is supposed to be paid? I'm guessing the court/arbetration case would go something like this "you lose, now pay the man what you are contracted to, as well as backpay for your wrongful termination. The man had every right to complain when you did not even give him the #1 basic benefit for services offered, the required pay. If you didn't want him to complain, you should have met your end of the obligation."

The person who listed (2) methods <Sino> saying method 2 is more efficient is 100% correct. When you have multiple weeks to bid, it is imparitive to know what weeks are open. In order to do that, you need real time data. You need to know what is currently open so you can modify your choices, otherwise you might end up with 4 individual weeks scattered instead of a 2 or more weeks consecutive.

MSPGabe

We had a station of 20 at PWM and bid by handwritten. We had a week or so to do it.

At Delta, it's all computerized, both for shift and vacation. We get like 10 days to fill it out, and then the computer awards the shifts/weeks of vacation based on seniority. Super easy.

goodeats21

And the service level goes WAY DOWN when it happens.
Careful what you wish for....

morelegroom

You do realize that the "employee as slave" concept is limited to the USA?

LaserSailor

Given that I could write code to do this, and my low level of skill at programming, this would not be hard to implement

Firing someone for complaining about benefits could end up being rather costly, btw.

RoyalFlush

I see you missed the point

zombietooth

You are absolutely right here.

This is a management/IT failure, pure and simple.
There is no fault with the GA's actions.

ronin308

Not even close skippy.

Just look to Asia, the Middle East and Africa and you will find major labor transgressions and inhumane treatment by local, US, and European companies.