Carnage Matey, you must be reading different BASSA missives to me. I don't know where this idea has sprung from that the breakdown in IR is a recent event and we haven't been banging our heads against a brick wall for years. As you well know, with our flying schedules and the fact that many of us commute or live quite a distance from the airport, it is very rare that we are all able to attend these meetings. That is why we have the BASSA forum and noticeboards on the internet. We feel safe and secure enough to raise our concerns with our reps (who, as you know, are also crew and, therefore, share the same concerns.) I have never been led blindly by my union and have always made my own decisions based on information I can glean from the tools at my disposal. I have never been militant in the slightest, but if even a reasonable person such as myself, is contemplating strike action, then there must be something wrong with picture. I feel very let down by the management. I agree some crew were not informed about what they were voting on, which is why a newsletter was dispatched and, while it may not be in the tone you or I (being reasonable, rational people?) might correspond, that is what we pay them for: on the one hand I have my management telling me lies and reneging on agreements, and on the other I have reps baying for blood. So I stand in the middle and read both sides, draw on my own experience and then make my decision. Too many of us in the crew community feel the same for it to be dismissed as a militant few.
Regarding the EG300, BASSA did not tell me which way to vote but asked us to read all the facts carefully before voting. Which I did, according to my conscience. Ooh, gosh, I think I may have contributed to saving the company some money there. Careful! Now the management has reneged on their agreement (something that I believe the flight crew community also has issues with. I flew recently with a 747 Captain who said, "The day the first Flight Crew is dismissed under EG300, is the day I strike". Maybe that was just his opinion, though.) and people like me who are genuinely ill, feel compelled to come to work no matter how unprofessional we appear to our passengers or how it may affect our cabin and flight crew colleagues down the line. (c/f my SFO)
The removal of Nos. 16 and 11 was another cost-saving we agreed to in the light of BA heading for bankruptcy post Sept 11th. They promised to bring them back when we were back in the black again, but now, only because of pressure from our union do we have them re-instated on 10 of 73 747/777 destinations. And the reason given was due to those flights being incredibly taxing, rather than anything to do with seat configuration. Let's be clear, though, that removing World Traveller seats does not equate to less work. They replaced those seats with Club seats, albeit less seats. I regularly choose to work in Traveller now as it is less demanding than the Club service. I have face-to-face interaction with a World Traveller passenger an average of about 7 times on a transatlantic flight; I have interact with a Club passenger a minimum of 20 times on that same flight. The Club service on a high-J is almost invariably the last to complete the meal service. The removal of the 16 and 11 has resulted in a significant increase in the work load.
I mentioned that after 10 years with the company I am paid the same as a Virgin crew member. And I stand by that. I have 2 friends who work for Virgin (one has been working for 2 years, and the other for 3.5 years). Sometimes they take home less than me and sometimes more. As I mentioned, I AM on the new payscale. I said "AFTER 10 YEARS". If I had applied for Virgin instead of BA, I would most likely be a Number 1 by now and reap the resulting increase in my wages. At BA, I have been giving chicken and beef out now for 10 years and it's getting a little dull. Not even First trained yet. And no Promotion in sight for a great many years. Hence the change in career.
LHR-777: I, like most of the crew community, do not want a strike - I just want my managers to start managing the company coffers correctly and keep their dirty mitts off my money. That doesn't help you, I know. But I am not taking any chances with my holiday either, which is why Virgin, via Touchdown, is getting my money. Sad, isn't it?