BA Strike - Your Thoughts & Questions III
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Not sitting in the same room again...
27th December 2010 - AMICUS CC89 Members Meeting - 10th January 2011
For the attention of all Unite CabinCrew 89 members
Please be advised that we will not be able to hold a joint meeting with our Bassa colleagues on the 10th January 2011. Therefor we will be hosting our own meeting on that day. The details are as follows:
The Jury's Inn Hotel,
Heathrow Airport,
Adjacent to Hatton Cross Tube.
Time: 12:00 - 14:00
The hotel is located adjacent to the Hatton Cross tube Station and a short walk from Westbase carpark.
Car parking is complimentary at the hotel and tea and coffee will be available to you all.
We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and want to wish you and your family the very best for 2011 and look forward to seeing you on the 10th!
For the attention of all Unite CabinCrew 89 members
Please be advised that we will not be able to hold a joint meeting with our Bassa colleagues on the 10th January 2011. Therefor we will be hosting our own meeting on that day. The details are as follows:
The Jury's Inn Hotel,
Heathrow Airport,
Adjacent to Hatton Cross Tube.
Time: 12:00 - 14:00
The hotel is located adjacent to the Hatton Cross tube Station and a short walk from Westbase carpark.
Car parking is complimentary at the hotel and tea and coffee will be available to you all.
We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and want to wish you and your family the very best for 2011 and look forward to seeing you on the 10th!
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"and thousands of us lost huge sums of money"
Last edited by ZimmerFly; 28th Dec 2010 at 17:47.
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I read this stuff occasionally, but I will admit I've really lost interest. 
There are a few Trolls and die-hards blowing wind in all directions. Otherwise, as it has been for the last year or more, we just go round and round the same circuit ... until, hopefully, BASSA runs out of fuel and spins in on the downwind leg.
I am, however, occasionally amused by the literary outpourings from the 5th Form. May I just amend ...
I've done another forward booking for 2011 today, using my own money. Like many/most SLF, I regard BASSA as completely irrelevant to our plans. You do create the occasional giggle, but beyond that ... ONE BIG ZERO.
Happy 2011 to everyone with brains.
There are a few Trolls and die-hards blowing wind in all directions. Otherwise, as it has been for the last year or more, we just go round and round the same circuit ... until, hopefully, BASSA runs out of fuel and spins in on the downwind leg.
I am, however, occasionally amused by the literary outpourings from the 5th Form. May I just amend ...
On the thirteenth day of Christmas, the Company sent to me:
Twelve week's pay,
Eleven ignored emails,
Ten verbal warnings,
Nine months of reasonableness,
Eight days of non-negotation,
Seven car park incidents,
Six soft tomatoes,
Fi-ve hundred V - C - Cs,
Four failed strikes,
Three days of snow,
Two final warnings,
One operational runway,
... and a Recorded Delivery P45
.Twelve week's pay,
Eleven ignored emails,
Ten verbal warnings,
Nine months of reasonableness,
Eight days of non-negotation,
Seven car park incidents,
Six soft tomatoes,
Fi-ve hundred V - C - Cs,
Four failed strikes,
Three days of snow,
Two final warnings,
One operational runway,
... and a Recorded Delivery P45
I've done another forward booking for 2011 today, using my own money. Like many/most SLF, I regard BASSA as completely irrelevant to our plans. You do create the occasional giggle, but beyond that ... ONE BIG ZERO.
Happy 2011 to everyone with brains.
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Some famous names in American aviation, such as Pan Am, disappeared entirely as they failed to adapt to the new era.
Others, such as United and American, went through repeated bankruptcies as they struggled to bring costs down. Meanwhile, salaries and benefits for staff at established carriers were seriously eroded.
Others, such as United and American, went through repeated bankruptcies as they struggled to bring costs down. Meanwhile, salaries and benefits for staff at established carriers were seriously eroded.
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TSR2 Just a bit of info for you..there are 3 basic cc grades withing BA. Old contract = high pay. New Contract= annual pay around £28k. Our friend is new contract, that's how I know. Gatwick contract= less than £20k. I wouldn't call Gatwick pay "very well paid". 
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Quote:
Some famous names in American aviation, such as Pan Am, disappeared entirely as they failed to adapt to the new era.
Others, such as United and American, went through repeated bankruptcies as they struggled to bring costs down. Meanwhile, salaries and benefits for staff at established carriers were seriously eroded.
Some famous names in American aviation, such as Pan Am, disappeared entirely as they failed to adapt to the new era.
Others, such as United and American, went through repeated bankruptcies as they struggled to bring costs down. Meanwhile, salaries and benefits for staff at established carriers were seriously eroded.
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Warning, thread drift
Others, such as United and American, went through repeated bankruptcies as they struggled to bring costs down. Meanwhile, salaries and benefits for staff at established carriers were seriously eroded.
As a result, when compared to other U.S. airlines, AA is saddled with the highest relative labor costs and the most unproductive T&C, among all of its labor groups. In addition it still performs all of its maintenance with its own employees, while the other airlines were able to close their bases and use lower cost contract firms, many in Asia and Central America.
Sorry for the thread drift, but I couldn't let the quoted statement go uncorrected.
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"Otherwise, as it has been for the last year or more, we just go round and round the same circuit ... until, hopefully, BASSA runs out of fuel and spins in on the downwind leg."
Same old anti-BASSA rhetoric. BASSA have a mandate from BA cabin crew to cause this disruption. The hope is that sufficient BA cabin crew will wake up and realise that:
a) they don't run the company
b) the company can continue operations without them
There are undoubtedly many excellent BA cabin crew with what, in my opinion, are realistic and reasonable views on their role within the company. Litebulbs, Betty Girl are prime examples. But as of May 2010, they were not representative of BA cabin crew as a whole who, despite the "22 days of Xmas" and the March \ April volcano events still voted overwhelming for industrial action.
It is cabin crew that voted overwhelmingly for the initial strike and it is in cabin crews hands to vote "no" to further strike action. Blaming Bassa for everything is rather missing the point of who actually voted for industrial action in the first place.
Same old anti-BASSA rhetoric. BASSA have a mandate from BA cabin crew to cause this disruption. The hope is that sufficient BA cabin crew will wake up and realise that:
a) they don't run the company
b) the company can continue operations without them
There are undoubtedly many excellent BA cabin crew with what, in my opinion, are realistic and reasonable views on their role within the company. Litebulbs, Betty Girl are prime examples. But as of May 2010, they were not representative of BA cabin crew as a whole who, despite the "22 days of Xmas" and the March \ April volcano events still voted overwhelming for industrial action.
It is cabin crew that voted overwhelmingly for the initial strike and it is in cabin crews hands to vote "no" to further strike action. Blaming Bassa for everything is rather missing the point of who actually voted for industrial action in the first place.
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Originally Posted by BetterByBoat
Same old anti-BASSA rhetoric. BASSA have a mandate from BA cabin crew to cause this disruption. The hope is that sufficient BA cabin crew will wake up and realise that:
a) they don't run the company
b) the company can continue operations without them
There are undoubtedly many excellent BA cabin crew with what, in my opinion, are realistic and reasonable views on their role within the company. Litebulbs, Betty Girl are prime examples. But as of May 2010, they were not representative of BA cabin crew as a whole who, despite the "22 days of Xmas" and the March \ April volcano events still voted overwhelming for industrial action.
It is cabin crew that voted overwhelmingly for the initial strike and it is in cabin crews hands to vote "no" to further strike action. Blaming Bassa for everything is rather missing the point of who actually voted for industrial action in the first place.
a) they don't run the company
b) the company can continue operations without them
There are undoubtedly many excellent BA cabin crew with what, in my opinion, are realistic and reasonable views on their role within the company. Litebulbs, Betty Girl are prime examples. But as of May 2010, they were not representative of BA cabin crew as a whole who, despite the "22 days of Xmas" and the March \ April volcano events still voted overwhelming for industrial action.
It is cabin crew that voted overwhelmingly for the initial strike and it is in cabin crews hands to vote "no" to further strike action. Blaming Bassa for everything is rather missing the point of who actually voted for industrial action in the first place.
Whilst BASSA was conducting its vituperative campaigns against WW, BA and passengers, and was being taken to the High Court over its conduct, it was indeed some CC who voted for IA. We could get into an enormous numbers game here about who is in BASSA, CC87, Amicus or non-union ... but I think that's nugatory. The union [BASSA] that called for the strike achieved a majority of its members, whilst disenfranchising other employees.
Whether those CC voted "Yes" from conviction, ignorance of the facts, or simply because "BASSA said so" will remain one of the untold mysteries of this entire debacle.
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nugatory
that's why i come to this forum first: the CC forum lacks the sparkle and intelligence we get here. in fact, i wonder if the mods might consider a compulsory spell check over there?
ps. have just noticed that on the other forum the Mods has indicated that some cabin crew have a 'horizontal career'! sorry, can't help chuckling.
ps. have just noticed that on the other forum the Mods has indicated that some cabin crew have a 'horizontal career'! sorry, can't help chuckling.
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ps. have just noticed that on the other forum the Mods has indicated that some cabin crew have a 'horizontal career'! sorry, can't help chuckling.
Performance ratings and pay
Litebulbs.
It is a doddle. Easy, simples, and hundreds of private sector companies do it every day.
it isn't always completely "fair", but then nothing in this world is completely fair.
Quite simply, performance targets/behaviours/survey feedback etc are set. Good ones get it, not so good ones do not.
Great Co.s fire 5% to 10% of their low performers each year. BA have not done this with CC and should have done so 20 years ago.
Then, we customers would not be faced with the heritage CC attitudes that some of the CC from lhr produce
It is a doddle. Easy, simples, and hundreds of private sector companies do it every day.
it isn't always completely "fair", but then nothing in this world is completely fair.
Quite simply, performance targets/behaviours/survey feedback etc are set. Good ones get it, not so good ones do not.
Great Co.s fire 5% to 10% of their low performers each year. BA have not done this with CC and should have done so 20 years ago.
Then, we customers would not be faced with the heritage CC attitudes that some of the CC from lhr produce
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"would cost not a single penny to resolve"
It is possible that some of the issues being voted-on affect the finances of BASSA or the wellbeing of particular officials who run BASSA (I exclude Duncan Holley from this statement).
The revenue of BASSA must have decreased
1) About twelve months ago 1,003 CC took voluntary redundancy._ I would imagine that this terminated 1,003 membership fees._ The 1,003 CC were not replaced because the manning level of certain flights was reduced.
2) Presumably the recruitment of traditional cabin crew has ceased._ There will be natural wastage which will shrink the membership of BASSA._ The total cabin crew numbers are maintained by the recruitment of Mixed Crew._ Although the 1997 contract cabin crew were accepted into the Union fold, this-time-round Unite either didn’t understand or declined the opportunity to participate in a growth area - and so BASSA is missing out on new membership fees.
3) There is a large number of part-time heritage cabin crew - the Telegraph quoted the number as being 3,000 - unfortunately I don’t have a reliable figure._ The growth of Mixed Fleet will presumably ease the way for some of the part time heritage cabin crew to move to other jobs or in some cases retire._ So that is more membership fees lost.
4) Several cabin crew posters on pprune have said that there has been a trickle of membership resignations._ This will be quantified when the results of the present ballot are published._ Then the loss of these membership fees will be clear.
The revenue of BASSA must have decreased
1) About twelve months ago 1,003 CC took voluntary redundancy._ I would imagine that this terminated 1,003 membership fees._ The 1,003 CC were not replaced because the manning level of certain flights was reduced.
2) Presumably the recruitment of traditional cabin crew has ceased._ There will be natural wastage which will shrink the membership of BASSA._ The total cabin crew numbers are maintained by the recruitment of Mixed Crew._ Although the 1997 contract cabin crew were accepted into the Union fold, this-time-round Unite either didn’t understand or declined the opportunity to participate in a growth area - and so BASSA is missing out on new membership fees.
3) There is a large number of part-time heritage cabin crew - the Telegraph quoted the number as being 3,000 - unfortunately I don’t have a reliable figure._ The growth of Mixed Fleet will presumably ease the way for some of the part time heritage cabin crew to move to other jobs or in some cases retire._ So that is more membership fees lost.
4) Several cabin crew posters on pprune have said that there has been a trickle of membership resignations._ This will be quantified when the results of the present ballot are published._ Then the loss of these membership fees will be clear.
Last edited by notlangley; 30th Dec 2010 at 01:32. Reason: I most certainly was not thinking of Duncan Holley
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Notlangley
According to the BASSA branch secretary, he is, or was entitled to an honorarium of £50,000 pa, but he was only drawing half that figure. Moreover, he has no real interest in the numbers of members in BASSA as he has stated publicly that he and the chairperson will be standing down at the end of 2011. I would suggest that having done reaonably well out of his position (earning about the equivalent of a maincrew member on top of his own pay), given that he is no longer employed by BA and as such would not be elegible for re-election anyway I suspect that he would be only to pleased to see the branch go to hell in a handcart. The poor devils I feel sorry for are those who will have to pick up the pieces afterwards. BASSA seems to have been a useful little earner for a number of retired staff, with at least two ex reps having tidy sinecures. Of course these are not tied in to the membership numbers. Someone really ought to ask to see the branch accounts for the last three years.
According to the BASSA branch secretary, he is, or was entitled to an honorarium of £50,000 pa, but he was only drawing half that figure. Moreover, he has no real interest in the numbers of members in BASSA as he has stated publicly that he and the chairperson will be standing down at the end of 2011. I would suggest that having done reaonably well out of his position (earning about the equivalent of a maincrew member on top of his own pay), given that he is no longer employed by BA and as such would not be elegible for re-election anyway I suspect that he would be only to pleased to see the branch go to hell in a handcart. The poor devils I feel sorry for are those who will have to pick up the pieces afterwards. BASSA seems to have been a useful little earner for a number of retired staff, with at least two ex reps having tidy sinecures. Of course these are not tied in to the membership numbers. Someone really ought to ask to see the branch accounts for the last three years.
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Hmm, great companies fire 10% of their staff each year? I have never read that anywhere; can you point me to you reference?
http://www.unitetheunion.org/pdf/(JN...20Briefing.pdf
It's fairly common in the IT industry (e.g. IBM, Oracle, etc), some merchant banks, GE, Enron, etc. Can't say I agree with it, but if you're going to fire anyone then surely the worst performing x% would be the first target?