SWA culture!

[flynvixen]

Vixen, please, take a breath. I think maybe in your rapid rise to the top you have forgotten what life used to be like. Where I work, rarely is a ramper, cleaner, caterer, mechanic, gate agent or ticket agent an employee. No more familiar faces or voices. Just the next under-cutting outsourcing company. So who would we help. Step in and lend a hand and now you are hurting those people(with their struggle to be paid more than minimum wage)not helping. 12 years ago it was not that way. We all stepped in and helped but as wages have decreased to 1980's levels and the cost of benefits has risen ahead of inflation there is little incentive to help. The corporation is experiencing unprecedented profitability but that has only driven the outsourcing to new highs. They have managed to shed nearly 1/4 of their employees in that time. All the while they take home top awards for performance. They realized there was far more to gain by focusing on the business of the corporation then the business of the airline and Wall St. rewarded them with stock prices north of 50 dollars a share making all of them quite wealthy.
You are fortunate and lucky ,vixen. Only a small part of that is attributable to anything you have done. I would venture that in the short time that you have actually been in the "game", SWA has been the winning lottery ticket. And because it is a lottery, only very few will ever win it. I tried twice but no longer have the drive or the desire. So, while I still have the same work-ethic and drive away from the corporation, I find it to be of little or no use at the corporation. Enjoy your winnings but be humble to the vast majority of us who have not enjoyed your luck and good fortune

Tico,

Well said I must say,

We live in a free market based system, (at least for a few more years if we can get the current dumb A$$ and chief off the golf course and into private life in about 18 months,FYI he's played 70 rounds since being in office Bush played 12 so much for the work ethic??)

It is not a perfect system but its the best one out there. There will always be winners and losers in the game. The government and unions will never be able to overcome that fact. There was once a place where everybody had a house, a job and equal pay......you would not want the pay the house or the job but every one had one.......it was called the Soviet Union and look how happy those folks were.

The facts are the war on poverty has been going on since the mid 60's and we still have the same % of poor people today as we had back then. The same rings true with labor fighting the company. Everybody is looking for the work to get done at the lowest price. We all do it every day with gas, grocery's ect......the company's are going to do the same. Once the union fighting starts with the company it never ends well.

That's my final rant of the day.

Staple Staple

 

[Black Sheep]

The facts are the war on poverty has been going on since the mid 60's and we still have the same % of poor people today as we had back then. The same rings true with labor fighting the company. Everybody is looking for the work to get done at the lowest price.

Staple Staple

Interestingly Vixen you are aware of this fact. So how about trying to help the poor and unemployed and give them a chance to get a job to service your cabin, push some chairs and load some bags ?

You said "everybody is looking for the work to get done at the lowest price" and I could not agree more. But by continuously doing what you are doing, you are not doing it for a low price, but you are doing it for free.

And by the way: I too started on the ramp many years ago, got my hands dirty and know what it's like outside of my flight deck. And it's not about helping out once or twice, it's not about "I'm better than the other folks".

You and many others go the extra mile, without a doubt with the best intentions, but how far are you willing to go ? How many extra miles are you willing to take ? What's next ? Fuel your own aircraft, make your own flight release, help out with the boarding process ? Where does it stop ?

You have been accusing me and some others here of being "better" or "above" or whatever you wrote. Well Sir, have you ever:
cleaned or will be willing to clean your aircraft's lavatories one of these days, just to help with an on time departure ?
I bet I know the answer. So far for "elitist thinking".

Have a good night and lighten up. BS.

 

[tico]

Hey Vixen, it is not a rant if it is based in truth and it is the best you know....I admire your grip on life. I once had that. When you get on the hotel van, I know that while my companies stock is worth 4 1/2 times yours, your company values you 4 1/2 times more than mine does me. I have adjusted my expectations south of expected and am at peace with my journey. Do me just one small favor: delete the Staple, Staple....you are better than that and have much more to contribute without that. Have a good one...

 

[waveflyer]

Vixen- I think you work for a company started, and still highly influenced, by a capitalistic democrat. And you have to reconcile that.

The others are working for less than stellar men.

Politically Vix doesn't speak for all Swapa pilots either-

As for the others- I'm an ayn rand democrat if there is such a thing- I do not argue for any looter. And republicans/conservatives/tea baggers would have a lot more credibility if they'd acknowledge that a large percentage of the wealthiest in america have not been productive or acting morally in the "free" market to attain their wealth.

Really? Soviet union rants??- how 1989 of you...millions in this country need to get off re propaganda pipe and know their constitution and their history.

But for the naysayers- remember that slippery slope is considered a logical fallacy. And not everything is relative- if there were time, and my job were to go fuel- I would. Turns out there is not and doing so wouldn't work in the system- which is handle your duties first- then go help- even if that means running for Wrecks at Potbelly's -
But the reason I get paid more than a fueler or a dispatcher - is bc I can do their job- while they can't do mine.
And for the poster who said I'd be helping out the poor by "creating" a job by refusing to do extra.....? I think you need to study poverty a bit more- mother nature sets a tide- and we all have to contribute enough to overcome the tide, or drown. Or be poorer than we could. If I can clean up a bit- that frees others to be productive in another area, increasing the population's wealth.

 

[Fubijaakr]

Its funny how a Union pilot can rationalize taking work from other people. I guess that's a reflection of today's generation.

In my day a Union man never took work from another person.

 

[catIIIc]

Its funny how a Union pilot can rationalize taking work from other people. I guess that's a reflection of today's generation.

In my day a Union man never took work from another person.

Its amazing how many "union pilots" were in support on what was going on in Wisconsin, thats the problem with our industry.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

When you get on the hotel van, I know that while my companies stock is worth 4 1/2 times yours, your company values you 4 1/2 times more than mine does me.

What company has stock worth 4 1/2 times Southwest? I don't think a company like that exists in the airline world.

 

[27 driver]

What company has stock worth 4 1/2 times Southwest? I don't think a company like that exists in the airline world.

ALK is trading around $67 a share.

 

[miles otoole]

ALK is trading around $67 a share.

yeah, but it's not worth 4.5 times of what SW is. That's like saying the peso is worth 10 times the dollar because you can 10x more.
The worth is the market cap or share price times number of outstanding shares.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Yea, your one share of ALK is worth 4 1/2 times more than my one share of LUV. But ALL the Southwest stock is worth 3 times more than all the ALK stock.