Friday, 02 May 2008 17:30
LEC-9
Inside this issue: - FASC Feedback
- Retirement Planning Seminar
- This Week in DEN
- Staffing Cuts
- AFA Dues Increase / Discount
FASC (Service Center) FEEDBACK Should you experience any issues with the Flight Attendant Service Center (positive or negative), please use DIS*49900 to provide valuable feedback to that department for ONSL/OFSL issues, non-op SK issues, pay, etc. Also, for Crew Scheduling issues, "if" there is ever any question or issue that you are not able to resolve with a crew scheduler during a phone conversation, you may then ask to speak with the "controller" on duty, who oversees the crew schedulers. Always try to present your issue in as professional a tone as possible and ALWAYS make note of the name of every person with whom you speak should further follow-up be necessary. If there is a contractual issue involved, also request the specific section of the contract that is being referenced. THIS WEEK IN DEN
THE WEEK PAST - The MEC Officers and LECPs met once again on our weekly conference call. We continue to recognize the importance of sharing with each other the various input we are each receiving from our respective memberships regarding the 'roller-coaster-merger-ride' we are all enduring. As the daily news reports guess as to the viability of a variety of merger partners, we are no closer to knowing who may or may not be UAL's 'dance partner'. What we DO know is that the same MISmanagement team who managed our company INTO bankruptcy .MISmanaged our company OUT of bankruptcy with a 'plan' based on $50/barrel of oil (when, at that time, oil was trading in the $60+/barrel range) and is 'trusted' to put together a deal with another partner who HOPEFULLY wants to run an airline and who recognizes the value of their employee workgroups pulling in that direction. So far that goal has remained mysteriously elusive to the MISmanagement team who has been most vocal and most obvious in wanting this game of merger-dominoes to happen! Considering that with all the cuts that our UAL employee groups have taken supposedly for the 'good of the company', the recently announced 2007 compensation package for our CEO seems a little out-of-balance...by at least $10 Million! Just a thought as to where our attention and anger should remain focused.
Friday, 25 April 2008 21:07
LEC-9
Inside this issue: - Y-ME NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
- THIS WEEK IN DEN
- DRUG/ALCOHOL TESTED? CHECK YOUR DFAP
- IST REMINDER
- DAYROOM SCHEDULED 3:01-4:00?
Y-ME NATIONAL BREAST CANCER ORGANIZATION
Ensuring that no one faces breast cancer alone! Y-Me's 'Denver Walk to Empower' Walk Day Details: Non-Competitive 3-mile Walk
Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, 2008
Check-In Begins: 7:30 a.m.
Walk Begins: 9:00 a.m. @ City Park, Downtown Denver·
Check the Y-Me Denver website for more details. Locally, at the airport, please join in for a Y-Me Bar-B-Que, April 28th-May 2nd, 1000-1800 daily. A $5 donation will get you a plate of hamburger or sausage, chips and drink. Also available are water or candy for a $1 donation. There are $1 raffle tickets for great prizes. Check the domicile for more details. THIS WEEK IN DEN
THE WEEK PAST - I traveled to Chicago for a one-day meeting with the MEC Officers and LECPs. Considering the current volatility of our industry, and specifically the anticipation surrounding potential merger partners with our Company, your representatives continue to pursue strategic discussions in order to be prepared for any assortment of events that may unfold. At this point there is no further information to share; however, we remain aware of our responsibilities to the membership and the frustration felt by all of us in what continues to be very trying times.
- UAL announced a first-quarter loss of $592 million.
- Recognizing the size of the above-announced loss, it is important to keep not only the loss in perspective but also the circumstances surrounding this figure. Many analysts and employees alike have questioned the 'wisdom' of a $250 million payout to UAL shareholders during a period of extreme financial volatility due to the price of oil.
- At the same time, as reported by the AP: United Airlines has signed an agreement with the Chicago Bears that gives the Chicago-based carrier naming rights to the former Cadillac Club lounge at Soldier Field. The seven-year marketing arrangement takes effective immediately. Financial terms weren't disclosed, but it's believed to be a multimillion-dollar deal. That makes it one of United's largest investments in marketing since the airline exited bankruptcy in 2006. The new United Club will encompass the airline's Rhapsody advertising theme with artwork depicting the city of Chicago, the Bears and United. The club is a 47,000-square-foot, three-level lounge area that's available to fans who hold club and executive suite tickets. (Copyright 2008 Associated Press). (***My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.have you gotten yours yet???)
- On the subject of the price of oil..again, a little perspective. By UAL's own analysis, each $1 increase in the price of a barrel of oil raises UAL's fuel cost by $60 million. Therefore, the $592 million loss (and yes, most airlines normally experience a loss in the first quarter, so that part is not unusual) equates to roughly a $10/barrel fluctuation in the cost of oil. So, considering that oil is at record highs, and is currently trading in the range of $115-$120/barrel..IF oil drops to $105-$110/barrel, STILL ABSURDLY HIGH by 'normal' standards, then there would not have been a loss in the first quarter..and should oil drop BELOW $100/barrel, then the airlines, including our own, are positioned for extreme profitability (ok, except for the shareholder bonuses, executive perks, and future naming rights for who knows what.).
- All that being said..don't panic by what is being touted as 'record losses' in what may be an attempt to forestall appropriate employee anger at a management team which has shown poor planning abilities for everything except their own financial gain.
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