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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsReich @RBReich: Surprising no one, United will lay off its workers after receiving a $58 billion
Link to tweet
How in the world Trump has any supporters who are working class is dumbfounding to me. These people are crooks, period.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)You hand over $58 billion to some of the greediest motherfuckers ever to walk the planet, without any pre-conditions or requirements, and they'll just pocket it? I'm gonna need a minute . . .
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)was their freedom fighter, would not bail out banks etc? His supporters, unless they are wealthy the ones, are getting crap.
gibraltar72
(7,500 posts)SoonerPride
(12,286 posts)LastDemocratInSC
(3,647 posts)SoonerPride
(12,286 posts)I coulda sworn that was in the CARES Act.
No?
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)About 20% of the staff have already signed up for temporary unpaid leaves, but Munoz and Kirby also said buyouts, which they termed "voluntary separation programs," will be offered.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/business/united-schedule-staff-cuts/index.html
MFGsunny
(2,356 posts)FoxNewsSucks
(10,428 posts)Most of which ended up getting nothing since that fund ran out earlier today
fleur-de-lisa
(14,624 posts)as a condition for accepting CARES Act funds, non-hub primary airports and large, medium, and small hub airports must, through December 21, 2020, continue to employ at least 90% of those individuals which it employed as of March 27, 2020. The Secretary of Transportation may waive this requirement if it is determined by the Secretary that the sponsor is experiencing economic hardship as a direct result of this workforce obligation.
I don't know about AIRLINES, but I would assume that such restrictions apply to all industries.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)First off, it's 5.8 not 58.
But, more importantly, yes, United has to keep the employees, and is keeping them for the term covered (through September).
Reich is simply and completely wrong.
SoonerPride
(12,286 posts)BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)That is a screw job.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)There is zero demand for air travel right now.
The airlines can do one of two things:
1. Fire everyone and close up shop, or
2. Use this money to keep the payroll going until October and see if things look better.
What is it you want them to do?
If no one is flying in October, then how would you propose that the airlines keep writing paychecks and paying for overhead on their pricey capital investments in planes, equipment, real estate etc. (and all the ancillary beneficiaries of those things)?
You would rather they throw everyone to the curb right now. Is that it?
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)Airlines are begging for a bailout, but they've used 96% of their cash flow on buybacks over the past 10 years. It highlights an ongoing controversy over how companies have been spending their money.
Some experts argue that these companies should have instead used those proceeds to build themselves a financial cushion or address labor issues. Tim Wu, a Columbia University professor, targeted American Airlines in a recent New York Times op-ed.
"It could have stored up its cash reserves for a future crisis, knowing that airlines regularly cycle through booms and busts," Wu wrote. "It might have tried to decisively settle its continuing contract disputes with pilots, flight attendants and mechanics."
He added: "It might have invested heavily in better service quality to try to repair its longstanding reputation as the worst of the major carriers."
Read more: An investment chief whose ETF has surged 24% during the coronavirus meltdown details his strategy for profiting during stock-market crashes
Going beyond academia, the prospect of an airline bailout also prompted a wave of criticism from prominent Democrats, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
"96% of airline profits over the last decade went to buying up their own stocks to juice the price - not raising wages or other investments," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter. "If there is so much as a DIME of corporate bailout money in the next relief package, it should include a reinstated ban on stock buybacks."
Even some Republicans came out against the idea of the government coming to the rescue of the battered airline industry.
"I do not believe in the bailouts for the companies, period ... They are smart people and will figure it out," Florida Sen. Rick Scott said.
A historical precedent for frustration
Disdain for buybacks and companies' propensity to do them as much as possible is hardly a new phenomenon. Following the GOP tax plan that went into effect in 2018, corporations across all industries came under fire for how they spent their proceeds.
Led by the tech and finance sectors, buybacks peaked to a record in 2018, according to a according to JPMorgan. For many, the takeaway was simple: These companies were electing to enrich shareholders, rather than invest in their businesses and labor forces.
The pending airline bailout will also likely remind many of the financial relief provided to major Wall Street banks in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Congress' $700 billion legislative package was known as the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) and it set up a mechanism for the federal government to buy mortgage-backed securities that had gone bad.
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TARP invested around $426.4 billion and ultimately recouped $441.7 billion, making a profit for taxpayers. But critics of the program argued it came with no strings attached and rewarded Wall Street for its bad behavior.
Some current lawmakers are learning from the past and pushing for different bailout terms compared to a 12 years ago. Sen. Elizabeth Warren demanded tougher conditions on Tuesday, saying any bailout should require a company to maintain existing payrolls and refrain from buybacks, dividends, and executive bonuses for at least three years.
There's ultimately a crucial distinction to consider, according to Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union.
"We won't let this to look like the bank bailout of 2008, nor can you compare the two," Nelson wrote on Twitter. "The airline industry didn't cause the pandemic and money should come with significant conditions to help workers and keep planes flying, not enrich shareholders or pad executive bonuses."
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/airline-bailout-coronavirus-share-buyback-debate-trump-economy-aoc-2020-3-1029006175
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)You keep talking about the previous bailout, which did not include that condition.
What do you want to do with their employees? Waiting patiently for your answer, consisting of your thoughts, and not simply copying and pasting non-responsive stuff from elsewhere.
That's how a human conversation works, incidentally.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)I posted his tweet, although he was non-specific in the amount allocated for United A. reflects a bailout he believes is unnecessary. It is tax payer funds, his position is that the airlines can stay in business by borrowing at low rates using assets as collateral. The union on the other hand is declaring a victory, and from their perspective what they accomplished is historic and they believe it can work as a template for workers in the retail industry and beyond. I highly doubt Reich disagrees with that victory which depended on the political influence of Democrats, but his position as I said, is fundamentally different.
jorgevlorgan
(8,285 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Second the grants and loans require United and other airlines to keep most employees on through September, even though demand for flights is essentially zero.. United is saying it would have to lay off worker after September, not now, if conditions continue. Thats likely the case for most business in this situation.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/business/united-schedule-staff-cuts/index.html
Reich has a point about needing to help workers, but hes flat out inaccurate here, like he often is. Maybe thats why most candidates shun him nowadays.
uponit7771
(90,323 posts)The U.S. government set aside $50 billion in aid to get airlines through the crisis in the bailout package known as the CARES Act. At least 10 carriers have received payroll assistance funds, including $5 billion for United. As a condition of the aid, airlines cannot involuntarily furlough or layoff staff through Sept. 30.
Once those protections lift, Oct. 1 stands to be a dark day for many airline employees across America.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)US airlines and the Treasury Department reached an agreement in principle on Tuesday over up to $25 billion in payroll assistance, part of the $50 billion coronavirus bailout for the airline industry.
https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-delta-united-jetblue-reach-agreement-on-coronavirus-bailout-2020-4
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)The less than $6 Billion in grants and loans wont cover two months, much less the 5.5 months to October. trumps gonna have to come up with more money or another plan if he wants to keep them, and workers, afloat.
uponit7771
(90,323 posts)... and stupid ass'd Trump is going to make sure stuff breaks without a nation wide test / isolate compaign.
uponit7771
(90,323 posts)... thought this shit would be ending by Mid May - ish IE Red Don wanting to open back up the economy by then.
Without a nationwide TIC campaign this thing is going to go on beyond Oct with yo yoing into more death
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)Some experts argue that these companies should have instead used those proceeds to build themselves a financial cushion or address labor issues. Tim Wu, a Columbia University professor, targeted American Airlines in a recent New York Times op-ed.
"It could have stored up its cash reserves for a future crisis, knowing that airlines regularly cycle through booms and busts," Wu wrote. "It might have tried to decisively settle its continuing contract disputes with pilots, flight attendants and mechanics."
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/airline-bailout-coronavirus-share-buyback-debate-trump-economy-aoc-2020-3-1029006175
uponit7771
(90,323 posts)... cause their industry is very volatile
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)away with it. Since Reagan I have watched the theft of a nation. I have zero patience for Republicans.
Hope you are well and safe!
ProfessorGAC
(64,955 posts)Took tax reduction & bought stock. Did not enhance their position in cash & performing near cash.
I posted about United some short time ago.
I looked up all their financials and was underwhelmed given they spent all that liquidity on their own equity.
They also had an above average Debt/Equity ratio. Even for high capital investment industries.
I don't believe any airline is too big to fail. Someone will come along to fill the void.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)The Treasury had previously suggested that airlines would be required to pay back 30% of the grants, effectively making them loans. Labor unions and lawmakers objected to those terms, saying the money was intended for the benefit of workers in the struggling industry, not the airlines themselves, and that the repayment requirement could discourage airlines from applying for the aid.
"Unfortunately, Secretary Mnuchin decided to play games with this aid, rather than deliver it in the way Congress intended in the bipartisan deal," Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union, said in a statement. "Now we must fight to keep aviation intact to protect our industry and ensure our economy lifts off again when the virus is under control."
https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-delta-united-jetblue-reach-agreement-on-coronavirus-bailout-2020-4
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)flow on buybacks over the past 10 years. It highlights an ongoing controversy over how companies have been spending their money.
But there's a catch. Over the past decade, major airlines including Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest have used roughly 96% of their cash flow on stock buybacks, according to Bloomberg. By reducing share count, these repurchases have pushed stock prices higher.
In the process, they've drawn criticism for how they've boosted shareholder returns without directly helping businesses. The activity is central to a broader discussion about how companies use their cash and whether they should be doing something different.
Some experts argue that these companies should have instead used those proceeds to build themselves a financial cushion or address labor issues. Tim Wu, a Columbia University professor, targeted American Airlines in a recent New York Times op-ed.
"It could have stored up its cash reserves for a future crisis, knowing that airlines regularly cycle through booms and busts," Wu wrote. "It might have tried to decisively settle its continuing contract disputes with pilots, flight attendants and mechanics."
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/airline-bailout-coronavirus-share-buyback-debate-trump-economy-aoc-2020-3-1029006175
Mordred
(154 posts)Kidding...
According to Chicago Tribune, about $3.5B is a grant and the remaining $1.5B is a low interest loan.
Additionally, United is hoping to borrow $25B from the treasury which is part of that $450B pool that Mnuchin is overseeing.