Jeff @ CAL and merger stance...

[densoo]

More like greedy, unethical, and selfish. Contrary to the aforementioned and typical "cop out" argument, the job of management is NOT to rape, pillage, and piss of its' employee groups in exchange for $$$. Competent, successful, and ethical managers understand the importance of their "co-workers" and treat them with TRUE dignity and respect. They understand that fellow coworkers hold similar if not a greater interest in the company and its' well being than stockholders, upper management, etc.

In a completely free market it is management's job to make the most profit for the least cost. There is no greed, ethics, or altruism. There is only money. The "true dignity and respect" that you speak of is simply a tool to gain greater productivity at a lower cost. Until they get the employees to work for free--and be happy about it--they've failed at their job. Everything else is socialism.

Unless the employees realize this, they will always be taken of advantage of. There are many fine individuals in the workplace, bosses and peers alike. But this can't be confused with the company. The company as an entity is amoral. It exists to make money for the owner or shareholder and the employee is an obstacle to that goal.

There are no more secretaries because the computer could replace them. There are no more FEs because black boxes could replace them. When they find a way to replace a human being with a machine, they do and they will. People are a necessary evil in a company. If they can be replaced, they will be. When they can convince the traveling public that a single pilot airliner is safe, they'll do it. No pilot, they'll do it.

A CEO's latest statement: "there is no money to pay you."

 

[CiFIknow]

In a completely free market it is management's job to make the most profit for the least cost. There is no greed, ethics, or altruism. There is only money. The "true dignity and respect" that you speak of is simply a tool to gain greater productivity at a lower cost. Until they get the employees to work for free--and be happy about it--they've failed at their job. Everything else is socialism.

Unless the employees realize this, they will always be taken of advantage of. There are many fine individuals in the workplace, bosses and peers alike. But this can't be confused with the company. The company as an entity is amoral. It exists to make money for the owner or shareholder and the employee is only a necessary evil to accomplish that goal.

Thus the irony in the term "co-worker". Insulting to those who look beyond the fluff don't drink the "secret sauce".

 

[mamba20]

Make no mistake about it, Jeff is no friend to pilots. Right now, he is our sworn enemy.

 

[HHH]

In a completely free market it is management's job to make the most profit for the least cost. There is no greed, ethics, or altruism. There is only money. The "true dignity and respect" that you speak of is simply a tool to gain greater productivity at a lower cost. Until they get the employees to work for free--and be happy about it--they've failed at their job. Everything else is socialism.

Unless the employees realize this, they will always be taken of advantage of. There are many fine individuals in the workplace, bosses and peers alike. But this can't be confused with the company. The company as an entity is amoral. It exists to make money for the owner or shareholder and the employee is an obstacle to that goal.

There are no more secretaries because the computer could replace them. There are no more FEs because black boxes could replace them. When they find a way to replace a human being with a machine, they do and they will. People are a necessary evil in a company. If they can be replaced, they will be. When they can convince the traveling public that a single pilot airliner is safe, they'll do it. No pilot, they'll do it.

A CEO's latest statement: "there is no money to pay you."

We do not live in a completely free market. The best economic system ever devised by man is capitalism. However, because people are inherently flawed, pure capitalism needs certain boundaries. Unfortunately, as those operating within the system drift away from a moral compass there needs to be greater boundaries enacted to protect the integrity of the system. BTW Socialism is NOT the solution.

Most if not all successful companies treat their employees with dignity and respect and as an essential member of the company. Those that have not figured this out (and operate within your oversimplified paradigm) are in a continuous cycle of struggle and hardship. As I always encourage those that believe in the false hope of liberalism - just look at the facts of history.

BTW Your first paragraph sounds like the pathetic mantra of current corporate leadership. Sorry, but that simply does not and has never been a viable and successful long term strategy. More importantly, those societies that fall away from ethics and morals always end up becoming insignificant.

 

[NEDude]

Unless the employees realize this, they will always be taken of advantage of. There are many fine individuals in the workplace, bosses and peers alike. But this can't be confused with the company. The company as an entity is amoral. It exists to make money for the owner or shareholder and the employee is an obstacle to that goal.

That is the mindset of failing companies. Most successful companies, that I have seen anyways, tend to view their employees as the tools by which they make money. This is espescially true in customer service oriented companies. Unfortunately they do not teach this in most MBA programs now. Which is why most truly succesful and innovative companies are founded by, and run by, people with little to no formal business education.

BTW I think it would be interesting to compare the decline of the American business to the rise in MBA prgrams. I bet there is a link.