Sunday, March 14, 2010

No way AFA - Union No Way! Long post - sorrie!

I normally don't speak up about this topic or try to convince people to vote either way.  However, I am seeing an increase in the AFA tags due to this delay they are dragging out.  I feel like during this delay it is helping them and giving them more time to "scare" us into more votes...

So I have started talking more about this topic...because I truly cannot understand or see any benefits that comes out of us having a union.  I welcome any comments to try to convince me otherwise or to change my mind...

I am going to list out in plain terms so its easier for those of you who have been scared to the other side, to understand why I think the way I do.

  • MONEY!  I mean come on, isn't that why we go to work?  Do we not pay enough witholdings and taxes and insurance and all the other I don't even know what that comes out of our paycheck?  Must we really add another expense to the list? 
  • Flexibility - Are we not working where we're working because we love our flexibility?  Do you realized that we will lose this?  Just wanted to make sure ~~ no longer going to be able to fly as much or as little as you want to ~~ maximum hrs is 85...so all of you out there who are flying 100, 110hrs or more a month ~ poof! no more...are you going to be ok with losing some income?
  • Job protection...Really?  They can promise all that they want right now when they are wanting to land our hard working money into their pockets!  But there is never going to be any job protection guaranteed EVER!  Why would you even believe something like that?  When Northwest Flight Attendants threatened to go on a strike, instead of "working it out" with them like what's supposed to happen, they were just going to hire a new batch!
  • Trip going illegal - a lot of you have expressed your concerns about scheduling making you feel guilty or what not when you have reached the drop off point of your trip.  Your reasoning for AFA is that with them, if you've reached the illegal drop off point, you're taken off the trip, no ifs or buts.  My rebuttal to that ~ With no AFA - YOU hold the choice!  So what if scheduling is making you feel guilty or trying to convince you to go?  If you don't want to all you gotta do is say NO!  Have you considered the many instances where your illegal point happens to be your last leg of the day and you're working to go home???  What then?  With AFA, guess what?  You're not going home!  So sorry...but there is no ifs or buts...is that what you want?  No stretching room whatsoever or do YOU want to have control?
  • Are you emotionally attached to your sick days, MTOs, PPTs?  Well, guess what? Say good-bye!  With most other carriers, you have 5 occurrences and you are FIRED!  Signing in late even 1 minute counts as an occurrence!  No more calling scheduling  or talking with your manager to try to explain that 5 cars pileup that caused your moment delay...there are no gray areas, remember?  There goes your Job Protection!
  • You need help?  You need some answers or something done right away?  Well make sure you call from your home phone because you're dialing a 1-800 number!  And when you finally go through all the prompts and tried to reach a person, sorry, our office is now closed, please try back during normal business hours.  Do you not get enough of this from your credit card company, your cable company, or your telephone company?  No thank you, I think I will take my walking right in to see my manager or calling the OCC manager any day!
Bottom Line is why would I PAY you to TAKE AWAY my options???  Just look at everything and you'll see that it's obviously not worth it for those few times you've been mistreated out of the decades that you've worked!  Please do your research, don't just listen to them scaring you!  What other carriers out there that have a union LIKE it???  Tell me that?

To me, I think that we work here at this airline because we like the culture, the way that we're established differently than everyone else, the way we can change our schedules to accommodate our lives.  If you wanted structure, black and white rules, no way of changing your schedule you could have well picked another carrier or another job.  When you got hired, did they not emphasized FLEXIBILITY?

I'm going to end with this personal story and if you still don't get it; Like I said, I welcome your comments and debates to try to convince me. 

My grandmother was ill last year and the hospital called to tell us she's likely not going to make it.  She lives halfway across the world and it takes 2 days just to travel to go see her.  We wanted to go see her right away so we could see her before she passed.  I received the news late at night when my normal manager was not available.  I called the OCC manager and he got rid of my trip right away (He didn't make me feel guilty or none of that!).  He not only got rid of my trip but proceeds to help me with my booking reservations so I can receive the emergency pass and make sure that I would be able to get on the flights. 

I got to my destination and got to see my grandmother.  She did passed away and her funeral was not until a week and a half later.  I didn't want to travel back and forth and have to spend another 2 days to fly there again for the funeral.  I called my manager and told her about it, and she took care of my other trips for me.  I asked her if it was going to affect my file in any way negatively.  She reassured me that it won't and that it was important that I spend time with my family then, that that's whats more important and for me not to worry about anything.  I thanked her and basically was able to attend the funeral and everything that I needed to.  That to me is HUGE! 

She was able to understand my situation and act accordingly....if we already had a union then?  I would have had 2 days family leave off...that's it!  It takes 2 days to travel there!!!  What would I have done then?  I would have missed the opportunity to see my grandmother for the last time...To me that is PRICELESS and its situations like this that offsets the few other mistreatments with scheduling that I would MAYBE have and MAYBE not have in the duration of my career.

You cannot replace Personal Relationships with a contract.  I don't need a piece of paper to dictate my life.  So please, I urge you to make the right choice, for your sake, for my sake, for flight attendants as a whole.



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am printing this off right now to save for future use, in the event something happens to me or other flight attendants, in situations similar like this. I am glad you posted this on the internet for all to see...I hope you don't get in trouble for this, since there is an internet social policy, and since you are only trying to help. According to you there is no favoritisms and we will all be treated equally like you with their family emergencies. Thanks for this and for your help.

Anonymous said...

I am printing it also because I want to remind myself how stupid some of my co workers are. Talk about mis information