This article is from a weekly columnist with the Arizona Republic Newspaper:
PHOENIX
AIRLINE PAYS PEANUTS TO SOME
Jan. 29, 2004 12:00 AM
Now that we've cleared up that Bowling Alley Vixen situation, I've got another dilemma.
My Southwest Airlines flight attendant friends have been banging on me to champion their labor cause. Seems the gals (and a few scattered guys - henceforth known as FSGs) have been flying blind without a contract for going on two years.
Evil management types are said to be Scrooging them, offering the FAs a few grains of extra salt on the peanuts they're already being paid.
I pretty much ignored their pleas until one lady looked at me with big, earnest downtrodden eyes and said, "It's gotten so bad many of us have to work as strippers and prostitutes to make ends meet!"
That certainly grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, I couldn't similarly grab my tongue. "And that's a bad thing?" I responded.
Hey, I'm as attracted to bone-thin, pallid, track-marked crack addicts as the next guy, but it seems that tossing a few hundred well-fed, educated, moonlighting stewardesses into the adult entertainment mix is a bonus for society!
Similarly, should the battle at Southwest get ugly and the FAs walk out, that would produce a buyer's market for strippers and prostitutes and up the quality considerably!
You can see where getting behind the gals and FSGs on this issue might be self-defeating.
On a more serious note, my original problem with supporting the union is that Southwest is a great airline that has done wonders to keep costs down and prices low for travelers. Their strong presence and fiercely competitive nature keeps America West and other fliers on their toes.
Upsetting that apple cart would hurt us all.
My FA friends counter that other Southwest employees have won solid wage bumps without ticket prices going up, and the FAs shouldn't be the ones taking the entire hit.
I'll buy that.
The FAs also wail about the huge doctor/nurse-like salary chasm that afflicts many trades. They realize the pilots have more training and education but feel the difference in salaries is too far out of line.
In fact, the FAs tell me they're not even paid in dollars! They're given something called "Trips," which appears to be some form of airline industry currency used to confuse and oppress non-pilot crewmembers.
If you think Trips are simple routes, guess again. Apparently, they're segments of routes determined by NCAA Bowl Championship Series computers. Phoenix to New York one way, for example, constitutes four Trips - but not in the Associated Press poll.
The FAs say they've been offered only a paltry 50 cents per "Trip," giving them a whopping $2 for the Big Apple jaunt. That's not even enough to tip a snooty NYC bell captain.
Upward of 1,000 Southwest FAs call Maricopa County home, a solid chunk living in the East Valley. An additional 500 or so use Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as their base and commute from nearby cities and states.
An FA working three days a week - harder than it seems because of the out-of-town down time - makes about $16,000 a year. A determined FA with no need to spend much time home can double that by staying airborne and hotel-bound five to six days a week.
My Bambi-eyed friend said something else that made a strong impression (though not as strong as the strippers-with-wings image). She pointed out that with Internet ticket purchases, computer-punch check-ins, machine-operated baggage carousels both outgoing and in and elitist pilots locked behind reinforced doors, the only living, breathing human the public encounters are the FAs.
It's probably not a good idea PR-wise to have this be the one group that's the most upset.
Dary Matera is an author who lives in Chandler. The views expressed are those of the author. He may be reached at [email protected].
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/eastvalleyopinions/articles/0129matera0129.html
Gives flying the friendly skies new meaning...
PHOENIX
AIRLINE PAYS PEANUTS TO SOME
Jan. 29, 2004 12:00 AM
Now that we've cleared up that Bowling Alley Vixen situation, I've got another dilemma.
My Southwest Airlines flight attendant friends have been banging on me to champion their labor cause. Seems the gals (and a few scattered guys - henceforth known as FSGs) have been flying blind without a contract for going on two years.
Evil management types are said to be Scrooging them, offering the FAs a few grains of extra salt on the peanuts they're already being paid.
I pretty much ignored their pleas until one lady looked at me with big, earnest downtrodden eyes and said, "It's gotten so bad many of us have to work as strippers and prostitutes to make ends meet!"
That certainly grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, I couldn't similarly grab my tongue. "And that's a bad thing?" I responded.
Hey, I'm as attracted to bone-thin, pallid, track-marked crack addicts as the next guy, but it seems that tossing a few hundred well-fed, educated, moonlighting stewardesses into the adult entertainment mix is a bonus for society!
Similarly, should the battle at Southwest get ugly and the FAs walk out, that would produce a buyer's market for strippers and prostitutes and up the quality considerably!
You can see where getting behind the gals and FSGs on this issue might be self-defeating.
On a more serious note, my original problem with supporting the union is that Southwest is a great airline that has done wonders to keep costs down and prices low for travelers. Their strong presence and fiercely competitive nature keeps America West and other fliers on their toes.
Upsetting that apple cart would hurt us all.
My FA friends counter that other Southwest employees have won solid wage bumps without ticket prices going up, and the FAs shouldn't be the ones taking the entire hit.
I'll buy that.
The FAs also wail about the huge doctor/nurse-like salary chasm that afflicts many trades. They realize the pilots have more training and education but feel the difference in salaries is too far out of line.
In fact, the FAs tell me they're not even paid in dollars! They're given something called "Trips," which appears to be some form of airline industry currency used to confuse and oppress non-pilot crewmembers.
If you think Trips are simple routes, guess again. Apparently, they're segments of routes determined by NCAA Bowl Championship Series computers. Phoenix to New York one way, for example, constitutes four Trips - but not in the Associated Press poll.
The FAs say they've been offered only a paltry 50 cents per "Trip," giving them a whopping $2 for the Big Apple jaunt. That's not even enough to tip a snooty NYC bell captain.
Upward of 1,000 Southwest FAs call Maricopa County home, a solid chunk living in the East Valley. An additional 500 or so use Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as their base and commute from nearby cities and states.
An FA working three days a week - harder than it seems because of the out-of-town down time - makes about $16,000 a year. A determined FA with no need to spend much time home can double that by staying airborne and hotel-bound five to six days a week.
My Bambi-eyed friend said something else that made a strong impression (though not as strong as the strippers-with-wings image). She pointed out that with Internet ticket purchases, computer-punch check-ins, machine-operated baggage carousels both outgoing and in and elitist pilots locked behind reinforced doors, the only living, breathing human the public encounters are the FAs.
It's probably not a good idea PR-wise to have this be the one group that's the most upset.
Dary Matera is an author who lives in Chandler. The views expressed are those of the author. He may be reached at [email protected].
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/eastvalleyopinions/articles/0129matera0129.html
Gives flying the friendly skies new meaning...
Seems like this is what they are always looking for.
