sfozrhfco

What about the people that live next door to the office and walk there in a few minutes? They are still forced to work 15% more for the same amount of money. If UA is saving money by not having an office, they should give the employees a raise for using their own electricity, heat, air conditioning, etc not a cut.

sbm12

Those would not do as well with the change. Though I'm betting there aren't too many under those circumstances. There doesn't appear to be much in the way of residential development right there.

I didn't say it was a positive for everyone. I simply noted that there are scenarios by which it can be, depending on the circumstances.

And given that at least some of the SLC-based agents were already working from home (and have been for many years) this actually isn't all that big a change for customers.

But here on FlyerTalk instead of focusing on what is actually happening we get many posts bemoaning the loss of all those agents (not happening), claims of a 33% pay cut (not happening) and other crap which makes no sense at all.

channa

And don't forget that we also see that an $8,000 annual pay cut is a good thing.

sbm12

Has there been any corroboration of how many people will be seeing a cut of that magnitude?

channa

What magnitude of a pay cut is acceptable?

unavaca

The magnitude that lets someone spend more time with their kids/SO/pets, lets them spend less time commuting, less money on a car, fuel, maintenance, etc.

Some will win, some will lose. Something something mountain mole hill.

sbm12

To me as a customer, to the employee (and their Union representation) or to the company?

I took a 30%+ pay cut a few years ago on purpose. One of the smartest things I ever did.

tom911

Maybe UA should offer that, then, and sell the employees on the benefits that come from even bigger salary cuts. In fact, the flight attendants and mechanics and pilots should also be included in the salary cut campaign so they can reap the benefits, too. Why stop at just call center employees? Let them all be enhanced.

So should UA determine compensation based on how far you live from work? Those employees that live further away can afford bigger pay cuts, while those that live closer to work will have smaller pay cuts? A pay cut is a pay cut no matter where you live or commute from. Every employee loses.

sbm12

Except the amount of time they spend unpaid getting to and from work, right? Because they gain that back.

It is not a black-and-white loss for everyone across the board.

fly18725

United should determine compensation based on the market. If the going pay rate for this skill set and level of experience has declined, why would any employer pay more?

I believe call center employees are represented by the IAM, so any change to the terms of employment would have been negotiated with the union.

tom911

Certainly an employee that lives farther away from work will gain more personal time back than one who lives across the street from work. That's the employee's decision on where to live - maybe there's better schools or lower home prices an hour out, while others will be quite happy to live in the same neighborhood as the call center.

tom911

It's about how you value your employees. Cutting their salaries does not send a strong signal that they're a valuable part of the organization. I'd be worried about UA outsourcing those jobs to the lowest bidder if it's strictly based on what the market will bear (they've already done that at a bunch of ground stations). More of that "shrinking to profitability" at work.

Did UA have the union in the corner here, though? We close down the center and you lose all the jobs, or you take pay cuts and can work at home? Would be great to have a UA SLC call center employee contribute to this thread as to what was exactly on the table there before pay cuts and working remotely came into play.

fly18725

I understand what you're saying, but I'm struggling how a company would justify spending more on salaries or office infrastructure than economically or competitively viable in order to make someone feel better.

That would be good insight. In my experience, the IAM is a very, very tough negotiator.

fastair

Was.

COGal

Just attempting to make lemonade out of lemons. The remote pay scale has always been lower than working in the office. The rationale behind the lower wage has changed over time. In the beginning it was to recoup the set up costs of the remote program, I'm not sure what those costs were. Then it changed to, "we have a waiting list to go remote, so seems that everything will stay status quo."

Once the union got involved, they negotiated a 5% remote increase for remotes. We have been given choices about our future, you can move to another office...Houston or Chicago, you can work remote, you can take a furlough with a severance package, or you can retire if you have the years and age. The only option that works for me is remote. I'm happy to have this opportunity, I am not in a position to move. I have aging parents and two children at the university. As far as extra hours being available, there's never a shortage of hours to pick up from other agents. Picking up from home for an hour or two is a lot easier when you just walk into your office, instead of getting up, dressed and drive into the office.

I am not going to post my income here for in a public forum. Since I am a Rates agent, believe me when I say that I have been running the numbers. Many people take pay cuts for a variety of reasons. Layoffs, career transitions, a job with better benefits.

My grandma had a saying, "Some days you are the dog, and others you are the hydrant" My fervent wish is the the new UA can somehow dig out from this massive hole its in. Just when I think it might be turning, it turns out that we have digging deeper. I know that several of you have an idea what might turn this around, and I have a few of my own. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

On my years working on web support, I have spoken to a lot of you. I remember when I stumbled across this site almost 9 years ago. It has been an invaluable tool for me not only for the mileage programs but to check the pulse of then CO. I continue learning everyday, and wish to thank you all!