As the busy summer travel season gets underway, commercial aviation is severely disrupted across the nation because — this is a recurring problem — large numbers of people who have purchased tickets from the airlines are showing up at airports expecting the airlines to actually transport them to their intended destinations. “They keep giving us their money,” states a baffled airline-industry executive, “and we frankly have no idea why.”
Southwest has its own self-generated problems:
Southwest Airlines has declared a state of operational emergency at Denver International Airport (DEN). This started late on December 21, and applies until further notice. Long story short, the airline doesn’t have nearly enough rampers at the moment, which is causing huge issues. ... In a memo to employees, the airline reports receiving “an unusually high number of absences.” The airline states it has an obligation to customers and to fellow employees to safely and efficiently run the operation, so the airline has declared a state of operational emergency.
What does this entail?
- Employees alleging illness will be required to provide a doctor’s note on the first day they return to work, indicating when the doctor was seen, and confirming that the employee was unable to work on the days of the claimed illness; telemedicine appointments don’t qualify, and failure to comply with these requirements will be considered insubordination, and will lead to termination
- The company is denying any requests for personal absence, and ramp employees will be required to work their usual shifts; failure to comply will also result in termination
- The company will apply mandatory overtime, regardless of an employee’s status; if an employee refuses to work overtime, they’ll also be terminated,
Because nothing says "we love our employees" like mandatory overtime and forcing them to get a doctor's note if they have had a cold. The commonsense rule of "if you're sick, stay home" doesn't work for SWA, which doesn't seem to care if the rest of its emplouyees and the traveling public get sick.
This, boys and girls, is why cmpanies get unionized.
8 comments:
My last flight I was pretty daring, only masking up when in the crowd at TSA, when the aircraft ventilation wasn't yet running ... and walking down the tube. [well, and the men's room but...] That tube is as dangerous as just about anywhere.
I'm not flying anywhere soon, maybe in June ...
Antitrust law, anyone?
So let’s consider the Company’s view. In order to serve the customers, the Company needs employees. In order to serve the stockholders, the Company has to be profitable. The simplest way to accomplish both missions is to fulfill the maximum workload with the minimum number of employees, right? Problem solved!
But the bean counters don’t take into account the human factor. Illnesses occur, and occur more often when the body is weakened; say perhaps from overwork. There is also family personal care and burnout to consider. But the powers in the towers see only that workers are not on all the shifts and the workload is not getting completed. But instead of advertising for more workers (with a fair pay scale and maybe a signing bonus) they instead elect to break out the whip and threaten the workforce with termination if they don’t show up for work. So now the workforce is alienated, and begins to consider other options. For instance, the same job at a different company or even job in a completely different industry.
So now the Company is losing an experienced workforce, and has to replace them with people that do not have the experience or knowledge skills to complete the required workload. So they place managers into the workforce to bring the newbies up to speed, and at first things look promising. But once again the workers are overloaded with tasks, weakening their bodies, and inviting illnesses. And the cycle repeats itself, this time with middle managers also becoming fatigued and fed up with the Company.
After an undetermined amount of time, the Company finds itself no longer to accomplish the productivity nor profitability all because the guys in the corner offices didn’t really care about the Company, only their own compensation package. The Company eventually either folds or has to reconfigure its work model to stay viable.
Foresight never seems to be used when then situation is beginning. The Company only sees a problem and tries to fix the symptom, not the root cause. Air travel is an expensive endeavor. When the airlines raise prices, it makes it easier for general aviation to justify the purchase and use of personal aircraft. At least that’s what I’ve been telling my bride for the last 25 years.
Dale
Dale, most of what you could apply to most big companies, including the once biggest auto manufacturer which I retired from. The farther up in the company they got the less they had to actually know except cutting costs any which way and saying "Yes, right you are, sir" and "it's that other guys fault". Just like politicians.
30+ years ago, Southwest was small and hungry…”The Company Plane”…the pilots would do anything we asked, knowing that we needed it, and we’d make it worth their while. If a Southwest plane was tied with United, American, Delta, TWA, anybody, the Southwest got the first chance cause they’d firewall the throttles if we needed it, and make a restriction everyone else would say was impossible. 20 years ago it started getting a little more common that SWA sometimes couldn’t do it anymore. 5 years ago, they started getting treated like everyone else because they had got too big and too many rules. Herb Kelleher, RIP, had to see this happen to the little airline that could, I’m sure it broke his heart.
Dan, I tried to be generic when typing that scenario. But it has applied to the automotive industry as well.
CP, I worked 8 years at ZHU before transferring to DTW. Southwest pilots were the most accommodating, then Transtar (RIP), and last was Continental. I blame Frank Lorenzo for the decline of that company. He was one of the first to chop salaries to keep the profits. He and Carl Ichan started the decline of the prestige and glamour of airline travel. Now it seems no better that flying in a bus.
Dale
DTWND, ZFW ‘88-‘21, working Waco, Acton, Abilene and Midland plus highs at various times.
Southwest has destroyed their reputation due to an old (phone based) scheduling system. Hell, they bused people from LGA to HOU (40 hours!) in an attempt, but it’s not enough. I suspect that SWA may never fully recover from this, there are too many people who will never trust them again.
I was ZHU from 83-90 working Austin hi, Cugar, CLL, and Bergstrom. I’m sure we talked once or twice. Went thru the academy with Tom Thornridge. I think he made Supervisor at ZFW.
Dale
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