Northwest Airlines tech exodus - wazzup?

[guest]

There's talk in the industry that a large percentage of the techs at the N.W.A. sim shop are leaving or have actually left.

What the heck is going on in the great white north? From what we hear people are bailing weekly, and many more are due to leave this year.

What does this mean for the company and how does it affect the industry in reference to hiring replacements?

Inquiring minds want to know!

[The Pirate]

how many pay cut compensations does one shop need, to want to stay in the frozen tunra of eagan. mn?? a couple years ago in the first bombing of their shop, they lost the whole visual gang. now the company has/will cut the pay to the bone, and now the techs have to read about KLM getting close to combining 2 failing airlines into 1 giant failing airline. i ain't much edjy-kated, but i ain't stupid. if these things were going on in my shop, i'd go back to farmin'!!!scared: urgh: :winkie:



p.s. unless your at work, or are afraid to give you identity, guest post are not as well taken than ones with a username. no biggy to me, but sometimes when there is trouble in a shop, guest post get blasted. beleive me, when we were trying to improve our contract with the self proclaimed "leader in commercial aircraft sales in the world" a lot of guest posts were seen as troublemakers or managers on a fishing trip.
p.p.s. did you sell your airbus stock yet????att:

[Slam1]

It is a terrible thing that is happening at N.W and my best wishes go out to all. I always thought working at N.W. would have been a great thing seeing how I am originally from MN./N.D. That airline has always been a staple of that region of the country. mecry:

But in response to Pirates last bit of his post about Air bus stocks.
I wonder how Air Bus is going to cook the books to show they had a better year than Boeing. Unless they have one heck of a good secound half!headscrat

[The Pirate]

the pot is simmering and gustav is adding vegetables right now, check forbes online for the company responce to 26 point drop as a "media over-reaction"jester: jester: jester: jester: jester: jester: jester: jester:

[little jake]

Slam1, if you don't mind my asking, what part of ND. Just asking because that is the state I was born and raised in.

[guest]

What the heck is going on in the great white north? From what we hear people are bailing weekly, and many more are due to leave this year.

What does this mean for the company and how does it affect the industry in reference to hiring replacements?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Northwest has systematically had the life sucked out of it since the Checci/Wilson leverage buyout. A few ?old airline men? were replaced with a plethora of ?Ivy league MBA?s?. The sim shop was partially immune to changes that were taking place in the rest of the airline because the Flt Ops management was still managed by ?pilot types? and determined to provide a QUALITY training program. That changed a few years ago and Flt Ops is now run from a spreadsheet by MBA?s also. Layoffs, staffing replacements and reorganization by an arrogant and inexperienced management team have lead to a very dysfunctional working environment. Current managment has on many occassions refused to abide by the terms of the current contract. The greivance process has been working overtime to correct these problems.

In their quest to remodel the airline after the Low Cost Carriers, Northwest has demanded significant employee compensation reductions. There have been no pay raises in this shop for 4 years. The current contract has been amendable for over 3 years. Court ordered (BANCKRUPTCY) wage reductions of 19.5% are currently in place. That?s 19.5% off the wages from 4 years ago. Pensions have been frozen (no further contribution) and will be replaced with a minimal Defined Contribution type plan when the company exits bankruptcy.

The next contract will no doubt contain previsions for reduced vacation accruals and holidays. Memorial day (the day we honor our war dead!!) is no longer a holiday in some of the contracts already ratified. Higher medical deductibles, employee paid premiums and generic only/formulary prescriptions plans are some of the changes to the NEW medical plan. The last T/A (rejected) contained an 11.5% wage reduction until 2011, from the base salary of 4 years ago. Generally speaking the compensation package is being raped!!

Speculation and rumors abound about going contract maintenance and after what happened to the mechanics and cleaners it doesn?t seem that far fetched. Mergers are another concern. The last T/A (rejected) eliminated the ?successor and assign clause? from the previous contract. It is unnecessary (of no financial significance) for a concessionary contract, unless something else is in the works.

Approach any job offers for this shop with EXTREME CAUTION!!!att:

[The Pirate]

you got that right. also, isn't paifa in part of that shop still???screwy: gurn:

[The Farm]

Is paifa still doing the scheduling up there? Must have been renewed after I left Cincy.innocent:

[reprob8]

Northwest has systematically had the life sucked out of it since the Checci/Wilson leverage buyout. A few ?old airline men? were replaced with a plethora of ?Ivy league MBA?s?. The sim shop was partially immune to changes that were taking place in the rest of the airline because the Flt Ops management was still managed by ?pilot types? and determined to provide a QUALITY training program. That changed a few years ago and Flt Ops is now run from a spreadsheet by MBA?s also. Layoffs, staffing replacements and reorganization by an arrogant and inexperienced management team have lead to a very dysfunctional working environment. Current managment has on many occassions refused to abide by the terms of the current contract. The greivance process has been working overtime to correct these problems.

In their quest to remodel the airline after the Low Cost Carriers, Northwest has demanded significant employee compensation reductions. There have been no pay raises in this shop for 4 years. The current contract has been amendable for over 3 years. Court ordered (BANCKRUPTCY) wage reductions of 19.5% are currently in place. That?s 19.5% off the wages from 4 years ago. Pensions have been frozen (no further contribution) and will be replaced with a minimal Defined Contribution type plan when the company exits bankruptcy.

The next contract will no doubt contain previsions for reduced vacation accruals and holidays. Memorial day (the day we honor our war dead!!) is no longer a holiday in some of the contracts already ratified. Higher medical deductibles, employee paid premiums and generic only/formulary prescriptions plans are some of the changes to the NEW medical plan. The last T/A (rejected) contained an 11.5% wage reduction until 2011, from the base salary of 4 years ago. Generally speaking the compensation package is being raped!!

Speculation and rumors abound about going contract maintenance and after what happened to the mechanics and cleaners it doesn?t seem that far fetched. Mergers are another concern. The last T/A (rejected) eliminated the ?successor and assign clause? from the previous contract. It is unnecessary (of no financial significance) for a concessionary contract, unless something else is in the works.

Approach any job offers for this shop with EXTREME CAUTION!!!att:

When your most senior techs - guys who've been there up twenty years - are bailing, you know how fucked up and clueless management is up there. Since the airline filed for Chapter 11, none of the dozen or so techs eligible for recall have accepted a recall notice.

Like Pete Seeger sang, "Waste deep in the big muddy, and the big fool's leading them on."

[JarHead]

Like Pete Seeger sang, "Waste deep in the big muddy, and the big fool's leading them on."
Possible correction:
Pete Seeger:
"Waste deep in the big muddy, and the big fool says to move (push) on."

Looks like the 'big fool' was not in the lead.
Just like NWA leaders.

Please correct my bad / innacurate lyrics.

[reprob8]

Possible correction:
Pete Seeger:
"Waste deep in the big muddy, and the big fool says to move (push) on."

Looks like the 'big fool' was not in the lead.
Just like NWA leaders.

Please correct my bad / innacurate lyrics.

Sorry. My pornographic memory is not what it used to be.

[noodles]

Misconstruing Pete Seeger lyrics are forgiven. Who wants to burn a bong?

[The Pirate]

bong me!!! and don't bogart!!!burnout:

[reprob8]

http://picayune.uclick.com/comics/nq/1996/nq960531.gif

[wayne-bob]

Great Post Reprob,you hit too close to home now pass that bong burnout: burnout: burnout:

[reprob8]

Just make some brownies out of mine.

[little jake]

Puff... ha, ha, ha, puff... ha, ha, ha, ha, oh man, give... ha, ha, ha. Don't ah, ah, ah, oh man, just pass it already. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. What's the subject?

[reprob8]

Dave's not here, man.

[The Pirate]

what? dave who, man?

[The Pirate]

hey man, i got some labrador, man!!!!

[little jake]

Was that dog freaked with you following it with a baggie when it pooped? I wonder what great dame is like? By the way, man how's my driving? And don't take the aspirin!!!

[The Pirate]

no, man, my dog ate my stash and i had to follow him around for a week. its kinda harsh, but has a good finish, man. wwoo, man, did you see that???
whoa: blinkey: pdfdf:

[guest]

What's currently going on at NW? Been awhile since the last update.

[The Pirate]

look in the main forum, andy updated it a couple days ago, with the tech union comp's, etc.