Comair to Cut Flight Attendant Wages

[Judi Lynn]

Comair to Cut Flight Attendant Wages
By LISA CORNWELL , 10.10.2006, 12:57 AM

After failed negotiations with the union, Delta subsidiary Comair will unilaterally cut wages and change work rules for its 970 flight attendants on Nov. 15, the company said.

The flight attendants have threatened to go on strike if the regional-jet airline imposed concessions, and the company said Monday that it will seek an order to prevent the union from engaging in any type of work action, such as a strike or a work slowdown.
(snip)

"We have lots of options at our disposal, including court actions and other things, and we will continue using every one of them," said Connie Slayback, president of Local 513 of the flight attendants union.

Comair's action comes more than two months after a federal bankruptcy judge gave Comair permission to throw out its contract with the flight attendants. Comair was seeking concessions of $7.9 million a year as part of a package of cuts from its flight attendants, pilots and mechanics.
(snip/...)

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/entremgmt/feeds/ap/2006/10/10/ap3078096.html

[Erika]

1. The middle class wages slashed once again

There will be the filthy rich CEO's and the ailing working class. W's America.

[Bozita]

2. -enter advertisement here for Thom Hartmann's new book, "Screwed"-

http://www.amazon.com/Screwed-Undeclared-Against-Middle-Currents/dp/1576754146/sr=8-1/qid=1160458864/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9434626-3814545?ie=UTF8&s=books

Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class -- And What We Can Do About It (BK Currents) (Hardcover)
by Mark Crispin Miller (Foreword), Thom Hartmann (Author)
(14 customer reviews)    


Amazon review:

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

Briliantly Weaves History and Constitutional Vision with Contemporary Politics and Economics, August 28, 2006

Reviewer: Robert Kall "Rob Kall of Opednews.com" (Newtown, PA) - See all my reviews
     
Thom Hartmann has hit another grand slam homerun. This book nails the truth about how the right wing-- in both parties-- have been screwing the American people, except for the one hundredth of one percent who earn over $6 million a year.

The book walks through so many of the big lies (taxes, big government, trickle down economics) of the faux conservatives-- which he calls, so appropriately-- "Cons."

As a publisher of a progressive website, I kept reading stretches of chapters and saying to myself-- "Wow, that would make a great article." While the book is a non-fiction book, it started off in the first two pages touching my heart, bringing tears to my eyes. (watching inconvenient truth brought tears too.) It is a very fast, smooth read. You do have to put it down every now and then, to deal with outrage build-up.

As usual with Hartmann's books (amazingly, Amazon lists over 200 results in a search for Thom Hartmann) he offers great solutions as well as unique, insightful perspectives on the problems.

I'm recommending this to my readers (300,000 unique visitors a month) at opednews dot com as the best book they'll see this year.

[sandnsea]

3. Avg salary, $29,950

"and the average pay cut is $2,250."

My husband and I were making $30,000 a year back in 1986 and having a hard time making ends meet. These salaries are just nuts. Webb was saying that the Senate has had that much in raises in just 12 years or so. I really hate it when Congress says "everybody gets raises" to justify giving themselves raises that are more than the median salary.

[The Anti-Neo Con]

5. That's bad.

Yeah, $27K a year is not too far above poverty level for a family of four. I guess management won't be happy until everyone is making $5.15 an hour though.:thumbsdown:

[peacebuzzard]

8. I bet that figure is overinflated.

I also work for a bankrupt airline--Northwest.
(by convenience, bankrupt----this airline slashed our wages, fired all the mechanics and other personnel to a whopping 20,000 total less than in 2002)

The airline is now busy buying new aircraft to be flown and serviced or outsourced by a workforce at cheaper wages.

and $ 27,000 would be a better wage than what our reserve f/a's are receiving now. Reserve attendants currently have 8 to 15 years seniority.

Gone are the days of good and interesting jobs for the flight attendants.

Part of the new world order. Oh, and now everyone can obtain the cheap airline tickets. (That is one commodity that has not suffered inflation in over 30 years)

[DemoTex]

4. Gorgie-Porgie took an ax; he gave the airlines forty wacks.

And when he saw what he had done, gave airline-labor forty-one.


No friend of the airlines (9/11 LIHOP).
No friend of airline labor.

[Eurobabe]

6. Does that mean no more pretzels?

They might as well put robots on those planes now...Bring on Rosie from the Jetsons.

[Marrah_G]

7. sad but true

My boyfriend works for Delta. He has been there for 27 years. Now he is 52 years old and in the last few years his paycuts have put him back to the wages he was making in 1983. His pension may well not be there in the end.

History shows it's going to take the people rising up against the corporations before things change. Never pretty, never bloodless, and never fun. But it is reality. When things get bad enough, the workers will fight back.

[donsu]

9. have you ever watched the reality show Airline?

I recently started watching it and it makes me hope never to have to fly.

it's totally bazaar what goes on in large airports.

it's a wonder that people who work there don't go crazy (maybe they do).

and many american travelers defy description. they are more then or different then ignorant/stupid/strange. I can't find the words to describe them.

[Parche]

10. airline

I love that show, (I cant stand reality shows) I call it a docudrama!!!!

There are so many ignorant people, who want and want, for nothing.
Southwest is one of the if not the best airlines in the US.
And what they go thru everyday with those ignorant people.
They cant control the weather, mechanical they can, but people seem to
think they are owed something when there is a weather delay.
I love when they say, "I am going to call my lawyer"

[Megahurtz]

11. It's totally beyond me how they are allowed

to take away wages that have already been given.:banghead:

[Marrah_G]

13. You would think it wouldn't be allowed

Unfortunately it is happening more and more. Plenty of new workers out there ready to replace them at sub standard wages. What do you do when faced with pay cuts? It's not as if there is anywhere else for the long time employees to go. They have health care, pensions, mortgages, college tuiton for the kids etc to worry about. They end up just eating it so they still have a job and hope to get by until they can retire. Then they pray their pension is still there.

[judaspriestess]

12. wages is what made me stop being a flight attendant

I thought wages were more like 18,000 to 22,000 a year. that was about six years ago.