UPS Pilot Predicts Pilot Shortage

[UPSFO]

An interesting read, regarding UPS furloughs.

http://www.courier-journal.com/business/news2003/02/11/biz-front-ups11-5058.html

They will compensate for a pilot shortage by flying managers and relying on overtime hours from line crews?

 

[PurpleTail]

I was shocked when I heard that UPS furloughed 19 pilots with another 80 in the near future. Looks like management is drawing first blood in contract negotiations.

Stick together, don't pick up any open or overtime and hold out for the $$$ you guys deserve. Best of luck.

Sincerely-

 

[Steeler Fan]

It seems like SWA earned a lot of pilot loyalty by NOT FURLOUGHING!--I think most pilots would help the company and show them some willingness to play nice, but not when they feel like someone just stuck a knife in their collective back. We're not dogs here...you can't kick us in the teeth one day, then after the contract is signed, say that everything's going to be great and what a great family we are. I'm not a UPS pilot, but it seems like management doesn't care about building a family, only the bottom line...I think what I'm trying to get at is this: Where have all the great leaders gone? People who care about building something great and taking care of the people who helped them build it?

MBA+Nice Suit+Solid Networking does not make for a great leader...where are the people who value people over dollar signs?

I'll get off my soap box...I've been furloughed for 13 months now and I feel your pain and hope you'll get your jobs back ASAP!

 

[Midnight Mike]

Ok, they are requesting that UPS will have a pilot shortage, that would be like a crew scheduler telling the pilot that his glide slope is off.


UPS is making a big mistake with this FURLOUGH, it is just not worth it.



Mike

 

[Wise Guy]

Negociation Tactics 101

Poor Brown is hurting so much they just had to raise the dividend payout from $.19 to $.21, and international volume only grew 17% last quarter. The poor guys only made a few billion dollars profit last year.

I'm all for a lean, efficent, competitive company, but funny, no managers, sorters, mechanics, admin, etc have been let go. But it was essential that the first nineteen be off the property in 30 days. Oh by the way, the scheduling and pay issues of the contract negotiations have been moved up. Its so blatantly obvious its pathetic. I'm sick of hearing about the customer/loyalty/service/competitiveness out of the company propaganda machine. This is about money and power. They don't seem to get it. Poor relations with the pilots will cost them so much more than those junior FE's would have over the next year. This furlough is a legacy they will now never shake and they were so proud of not fuloughing until last week.

They've turned many moderates into militants on the IPA side with this move. Most of the loyalty I felt for the company two weeks ago is gone. The IPA will take care of it's own, and we will get an industry leading contract. Thanks to DAL for towing the line. DAL + 1. Before this furlough I used to think of UPS as We, they have now made it us vs. them.

Regards

 

[Huck]

This all looks like a page from the playbook of our favorite labor law firm - you know, the one that negotiates most big airline contracts. I won't name them here, but do some research.

The next step will be memos from flight management on the necessity for a quick contract and a minimum of disruptions to service. Note that they will use grammar and syntax way more complex than their normal correspondence. That's because it was written by a labor lawyer (actually his mini-skirted clerk, but the $275/hour rate will still apply....)

 

[LiveFreeorDie]

An interesting read, regarding UPS furloughs.

http://www.courier-journal.com/business/news2003/02/11/biz-front-ups11-5058.html

They will compensate for a pilot shortage by flying managers and relying on overtime hours from line crews?

THIS ARTICLE IS PREPOSTEROUS! That Travis Spaulding guy (UPS spokesman) is a buffoon. In the article he states:

"If we could keep this [furlough] out, separate from the negotiations, that's where it belongs," Spalding said. "Our goal for the negotiations is and always has been to reward our employees fairly while maintaining competitiveness" for the company


(Horn playing revellie, people saluting, B.S. flag going up the pole)

What a crock. I hope the union puts it to these guys.

 

[UPSFO]

I'll refrain from further editorials, as I'm sure that Big Brown Brother is watching, and give you a few more facts.

Our union asked what kind of savings they are looking for to prevent furloughs. Specifically, if we early retire 50 "over-60 year old" engineers, who make more than double a junior engineer, can we keep all 100? The answer was no, we want to trim the list by 100 bodies. When asked if those on mil leave will count against the 100 proposed furloughees, the answer was no, we want to trim the list by 100 bodies. So, if 100 guys took mil leave, they would still furlough 100 guys.

The union has developed a program to support all our line pilots on furlough. While UPS is proposing 100 furloughs, the union is budgeting for 200 as a conservative estimate.

Do the facts lead you to conclude that this is about money?

 

[Spur]

While in SDF last week I got a look at the letter UPS Mgmt sent to pilots regarding the furlough... It was pretty blantantly an anti-strike threat -- it blamed the current furlough on lost business due to previous strike/threat of strike... UPSFO can you post the letter here?

 

[socalpilot]

I worked for UPS for 10 years as an aircraft loader before moving on to my regional job. I remember when we went on strike and the pilots showed up to walk the picket line with the rest of us. I was so impressed that these guys took the time to come out and show their support. I would hope that the Teamsters will stand behind the pilot group in there time of need. You would think that UPS would have learned their lesson from the last strike. Seems to me like the IPA and the Teamsters should start talking in case this turns ugly. Good luck and stay united!

 

[UPSFO]

Here you go Spur. I've edited the names from this letter...

Airline and International Operations Manager

A stagnant global economy and the modernization of the UPS fleet have compelled us to adjust our crewmember staffing levels. As many as 100 of our 2,515 pilots could be affected by the end of 2003.

We have discussed alternatives with the IPA, including a Voluntary Separation Plan and a Voluntary Leave of Absence Program. We will provide details of both programs next week. We hope a sufficient number of crewmembers will accept these offers so furloughs may not be necessary.

However, furloughs remain a reality. Depending on the success of the separation and leave of absence offers, 19 crewmembers could be furloughed immediately. The first 19 crewmembers could be furloughed by the displacement bid posted on February 7, 2003. Barring an unforeseen upturn in business, another 20 could be furloughed by a bid posted in March, and 61 more could be furloughed by September. These dates are subject to change.

The decision to adjust pilot staffing is based on very real and serious business issues. UPS air express package volume is significantly depressed. We first started noticing the decline in our business during the summer of 2001 as the economy began to cool down. Then terrorists attacked our country on 9/11, and the economy did not improve during the remainder of 2001. Nor did it improve during 2002.

To make matters worse, we suffered setbacks to our business during negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) last summer when our non-union competitors lured customers away by reminding them of our strike in 1997. Even though we successfully negotiated a contract with the IBT without any service interruption, we lost a significant amount of business to these tactics. In spite of our best efforts, we've only recovered about two-thirds of that lost volume.

We have responded to lower-than-anticipated volume in a number of ways. Throughout the company, we have cut costs, collapsed districts, restructured regions and business units, laid off drivers and hub workers, retired aircraft and deferred aircraft deliveries. By the end of 2003, we will have parked or retired 34 aircraft. All of those aircraft were three-crew aircraft. As we've replaced them, the new substitutes have been more efficient two-crew aircraft.

We sincerely wish adjustments in pilot staffing were not necessary. We have delayed this decision hoping for some type of rebound in economic conditions. Unfortunately, no rebound has occurred, and we must act to help protect the company?s overall competitive position.

 

[UPSFO]

Ok, they are requesting that UPS will have a pilot shortage, that would be like a crew scheduler telling the pilot that his glide slope is off.

Midnight Mike....If I'm reading your post correcting, you are questioning the credibility of the IPA to forecast crew manning requirements. While I understand the IPA's position is biased, it is based on a Crew Forecasting Model that has historically proven to be highly accurate. The model was developed by an IPA crew member. The only way the IPA model would be inaccurate is if the company is holding back some pertinent piece of info that would affect the strategic direction of this company.

 

[nightrider]

Its amazing

We are so overstaffed that I and all my friends are getting J/A calls on 80% of our days off.

100% IPA
N

 

[Midnight Mike]

Midnight Mike....If I'm reading your post correcting, you are questioning the credibility of the IPA to forecast crew manning requirements.

UPSFO, if we are talking about the math, 100 pilots out of over 2000 pilots is too small of an amount to be impacted by the furlough. UPS is manned at "10" crews per airplane"?? Losing a 100 total pilots is too small of an amount to be impacted.

To say that I question the wisdom of the IPA? Well, actually, I am questioning the wisdom of both the IPA & company

Laying off "100" pilots is only going to piss off the pilots *BAD* for employee relations.

For the union to come back & say that they are in jeopardy of cancelling flights, is only going to upset the stock holders, bad for business relations.

UPS made a tidy profit, come up with other creative idea to save money rather than letting the junior pilots hit the streets. Would rather see UPS cancel the program of letting UPS Captains return as F/E's? This would certainly save the company money...