I am, what you might call, a “cock-eyed optimist.” I try to see the good in every situation, especially challenging ones. But I am no “Kool-Aid” drinker either. I’m too “long-in-the-tooth” for that sort of nonsense anymore. So where should I stand when it comes to my professional career? Let me elaborate…
On Monday, May 3, 2010, my employer, United Airlines, announced a multi-billion dollar merger with Continental Airlines to form what will become the world’s largest airline. On the surface, this news excites me…it has been building up within me that I may soon be part of something amazing and exciting. I see the potential for a world-class operation with people who are near and dear to my heart…my airline family.
It’s funny how airline people really are. They are some of the most talented, diverse folks I know. And they take a sense of pride in their airlines to a level rarely seen by any other commercial enterprise in the free world. There is something about belonging to an airline family that, once it gets in your blood, is difficult to part from. Some would argue that the attachment that we airline people have is more in line with a “battered spouse” syndrome or “Stockholm” syndrome rather than one of mutual respect, understanding and admiration. “Oh, to dream bigger,” seems to be the general consensus.
When I was a young buck at Federal Express many years ago, I learned very rapidly what it was like to work for a company that truly had the frontline employees best interest at heart. Our input was encouraged and taken seriously. Every innovation, automation, procedure and tool used there was the product of an employee’s idea and look where FedEx is today…still one of the best places to work in the USA. I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t regret my decision to leave them, at times.
Still, I knew in my heart of hearts, that the airlines was where I wanted to be ever since I took that very first jet liner flight from San Diego to Chicago to attend my aunt’s wedding. I still remember asking if I could visit the pilots on that trip, and how the stewardesses made that possible. I still remember being greeted by the Captain, First Officer and Navigator in the tiny space at the front of the plane, being invited to come forward and sit behind the steering mechanism on the Captain’s lap and looking over the edge of the cockpit window overlooking the earth and the clouds. And I still remember the wings that he gave me, taken right off his own uniform encouraging me to come back and see them on another flight. That was a different era and a different level of mutual trust.
Sadly, recent human events have forced us to lock down the industry in such a way as to limit access to those in the airline business alone…of which I am happy to say I am a part.
Ironically, on the very first day of my new life as an elite member of the airline family, I was warned on Day One to watch my P’s & Q’s, don’t step out of line, airline management is on a witchhunt and looking for any excuse to dismiss you from your career…in other words, “Watch your back!” I was amazed at the level of mistrust and suspicion that accompanied this job. And it wasn’t without merit. Sadly, history is strewn with the carcasses of former airline personnel who thought they were doing the right thing or who had kept every hair in place, only to find themselves on the outside looking in, and with hardly a valid reason.
It’s a curious culture, to be sure. Those who run the airlines know that, of almost every other career available, working at an airline is still considered one of the most desirable, and you only need show up to any “cattle call” looking to hire pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents or mechanics and the lines to get in the door seem almost endless. On my first day of F/A training, I remember listening to a speech given by the training domicile manager, who told us that for each person sitting in the room on that day (there were 62 of us in my class), the airline had literally sifted through 6,000 applicants! Sounds like an audition for American Idol!
They were trying to make a very specific point, however: That we should feel privileged and lucky to be there, therefore the expectations for each of us was held in the highest levels possible. But we were warned right then and there that there was no tolerance for insubordination, a disregard for the rules or for anything less than the best. That was constantly drummed into our heads as we learned our evacuation commands, were instructed on the finer points of in-flight service or were given procedure and protocol on passenger handling. Anything less than superior would be grounds for immediate dismissal.
Then, another dynamic was thrown into the mix. I was exposed to my first encounter with unions and “collective bargaining agreements.” The message from this new direction was that management were not to be trusted, that they could not be counted on for anything and that they only thing saving your job at the airline were the protective arms of your union. It seemed like a good thing on the surface, to have an organization dedicated to preserving my quality of life and preventing my company’s management from doing what they would at their own whims. The message was loud and clear: Union good, company bad!
Do not suppose that I am, in any way, anti-union. I believe in the concept of union organization and representation. But I emphasize: the CONCEPT! The reality is that history has proven that, while many good things have come from unions, there are just as many things to be concerned about. Cronyism is a major problem and is alive and well in today’s present situation. And suddenly I feel like I’m back in high school, an outsider and NOT a member of the inner circle of the cool kids. Sure, they throw me a bone from time to time, promising me this or that, but in the long run, if I don’t eat, drink or sleep “union” philosophy, then I shouldn’t expect anything extraordinary or much more than status quo.
Over time, I have volunteered my time and services to the union, but I have also witnessed the back-door deals, shady alliances and the back-stabbing that goes on in the halls of the “almighty” union. I have seen the division they have wrecked upon the whole when they appear to only really represent the upper 20% in seniority, forcing the rest of us to fight for the scraps left behind and make us feel lucky to have that. It’s a culture that rubs me the wrong way, yet it’s a fixture in the airline industry that cannot be denied nor ignored.
So that’s where I find myself, trying to float in a self-imposed bubble of “middle grounded-ness” and not knowing if either side truly has my best interest at heart. My union leaders are too busy fighting for position within the organization, while my company managers are only concerned with the bottom line for the shareholder and their own personal bank accounts. And like many of my co-workers, I stand on the sidelines of the gym floor, in the dark, wondering which of the two evils will dance with me…and whether or not I want to dance with them…
As you may be aware, there has been a push to get Congress to act on a Passengers’ Bill of Rights over the past several years. In the past few years, the DOT has increased fines levied against airlines for extended delays, but there hasn’t been much in the way of actual laws that govern the treatment of passengers by the airlines. Today’s bill contains a large number of provisions that will require both the FAA and the U.S. Airline industry to change, limit or prohibit certain former practices that have made airline travel torturous, at best.
A major setback for airline consumer advocates was the exclusion of the “three-hour tarmac delay” restriction, which many saw as a punitive measure against the airlines. However, the DOT plans to keep its current regulation in place, despite it being struck from the bill.
Another issue that was tagged onto this bill was a change in how unions can organize on airline properties, one that isn’t setting well with union leaders nationwide. It requires unions to provide 50% PLUS 1 of the total workgroup population to sign union cards in order for an election to be authorized. The current rule is 35%.
