It's not me, it's you. In not so many words, Union chief and pilot, Mark Bathurst, delivered his assessment of UA's current state of business. Read the Chicago Tribune article for more details.
In a direct quote from the article, of a quote from his letter, Bathurst says: "United, is not in a good place." But despite its troubles, he said, company officials appear content to let UAL remain stuck in a "fog of mediocrity.""
I'm not really sure what all of this would have to do with re-opening contract negotiations though. Do the pilots want to give back more money so UA can buy more planes, or invest in more onboard/airport amenities? I doubt that. Though I would agree to a certain extent that it seems UA is getting stale. Many things have been made internally of the push to increase customer service/experience, but the work, and the ability to change employees attitudes, is slow at best. Can you collectively bargain for a smile and a friendly attitude? The constant us-vs-them mentality of management-vs-unions continues.
One of the final quotes in the article, (not the one about demanding a new management; that might cut this blog short), is this: "United, Bathurst told Tilton, has "reached a crossroads. You can either take bold, dramatic steps now to reverse the decline or stand by and watch things continue to deteriorate.""
I'd echo this sentiment with a classic quote from a fellow Chicagoan: "Make no small plans; for they lack the magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble and logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing." ~ Daniel Hudson Burnham (1846-1912); Architect and Planner of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
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3 comments:
Three thoughts:
1. This should have been done in a board meeting not in broad daylight. This just reduced his effectiveness inside the BOD considerably.
2. He signed off on all these plans as a board member.
3. The pilots union wanted no pay-at-risk during the bankruptcy (I believe the number was 2%, mgmt was something like 96%). The whole risk reward thing applies. Now if the union wants another go, kick in the money and lets go buy some planes...maybe things will come up rosy again.
Good points. It's unfortunate that UA must "air it's dirty laundry" in public. What I continue to hear is that management is out of touch with the unions. I won't deny that personally because I have no contact with the unions, but I wonder if there are any US companies with good management/union relationships?
The point that Bathurst was making about management is that with all the givebacks that the employees have made, United continues to provide lack-luster performance and is behind all the other legacy carriers in direct comparison. Your comment that the pilots should give more back to be able to buy airplanes is ridiculous. United's Management has given themselves and their salaried employees multiple pay raises since they left chapter 11. They have increased there bonus program known as "success sharing" to the point that senior management gets 35% bonus' while the union employees get a mere 1%. The issue at hand is that while United is rewarding the management and salaried employees, they are holding the union employees to their contracts. They are failing to use the money already given up to grow the airline. Continental Airlines which didn't take the cuts United did, has been growning and has ordered aircraft and is growing in the international arena. Glen Tiltons only plan for United is to merge with another airline. The question for Mr. Tilton and his management team is what is his plan should United not find a merge partner? At the current time, United is whithering in mediocrity, while it's management team increases their salaries and bonuses.
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