I would expect labor relations with the company to go into the toilet really soon. All contracts are up for negotiation and the only people who they are not cutting staffing on is pilots and flight attendants. The company is not actually cutting staffing, but they are not hiring to replace people that have left. At least not in some departments.
The company is showing more and more everyday that it does not care about its employees. Staffing is inadequate to help passengers in a timely manner. Although the company has stated that they do not care or mind if a person has to wait 12-20 minutes in line to be helped. Agents are having to work harder and the company is not wanting to compensate them for it at all. They continually poor mouth that the airline does not make enough money and that they need to try to save money every way possible. Keep on and on about how high fuel prices are the biggest concern right now and that is what is keeping them from making the profit they need to to insure job security. The employees are sick of hearing it and are tired of not being appreciated or even getting a pat on the back and someone telling them they did a good job. It is already starting to trickle down into the customer service area. Agents are rude and condescending to passerngers and overall don't treat them very good. I've seen it firsthand and its not fun to watch. You can't go anywhere without an employee saying that they hope they get more money in the next contract or at least a cost of living increase every year for the ones that are topped out. Something the company is not going to agree to at all.
The management in Dallas seems to be out to get their own wallets as fat as possible at the expense of the employees. Just the way it appears to the average agent working at a ticket counter or on a ramp somewhere in the system. The unions and the employees need to stick together and be tough with the company and make them step up to the plate and show the appreciation to them that each and everyone of them deserves.
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The working conditions at southwest are slowly deteriorating. I'm not sure about the ramp and how it is, but i do know that it is that way on the customer service end. It comes from the fact that the higher ups, in there offices in Dallas have decided to not re-hire and replace full time employees but just let the staffing drop to the lvl's they think it should be through attrition. That's good that they are not laying off, that would be bad. But it also means that productivity has to go up with what you have therefore people are having to work harder when they are at work. Which is also not a bad thing, you should have to do your job when your at work. The company is slowly trying to replace people with electronic check in machines so the passengers can help themselves. Therefore creating the problem where one person has to work 5 or 6 machines at a time. The increased work load on the employees is going to affect the fact that they think they should get more money. Not the mention the fact that SWA has made a profit for the past 30 yrs. Sure you get a pay raise every year. But with things getting more expensive, even if your topped out a cost of living increase every year would only be fair, in my opinion.
I know the company needs to save money in every way possible to keep making a profit. But with the way they are handling it, i just don't see that continuing. The company has already stated, for you passengers out there that read this blog, that they do not care or mind if a person has to wait in line 12-20 minutes to be waited on. The reduction in staffing is causing resentment towards the company and it is carrying over to the employees and they are beginning to not care about the service they give to the passengers and the legendary service that SWA is known for is about to end.
I have friends that still work for SWA and i would hate to see them lose their jobs. But i honestly feel like SWA owes there employees something else. Whether it be a cost of living increase every year or to not go up on the benefits that are provided. All Gary Kelly is trying to do is line his own wallet. He is gonna run SWA in the ground and jump ship after he's made all the money he can and the company is in the toilet. Gary Kelly is a wolf in sheeps clothing if you ask me and I have nothing good to say about the man.
And for the guy who said get a college degree so you don't have to sweat. Half the people I worked with at SWA had college degrees. And they don't sweat, they sit around in the office and do nothing and then want to reprimand the employees and say they aren't showing the "southwest spirit" because they get frustrated with not having the adequate staffing to help the customers and say something about it.
So you cut your staffing to save money, don't pay your employees anymore money or ever praise them for a job well done. Talk about how we are not making enough money and that we aren't making the profit we need to. The employees are fed up with hearing it and it's just going to trickle down to the customer and SWA is going to become just like every other carrier. I hate to see it happen, but i can't see it being any different if it stays on the track it's going.
What the employees need to worry about is just surviving long enough for Gary Kellys contract to end so hopefully the guy will go elsewhere and stop destroying the airline so many people have worked so hard to establish as the number one carrier out there. The employees and the unions need to stick together and make southwest appreciate the employees that keep the company operating day in and day out. Only way i see the company getting better or staying stable is if management steps up to the plate and shows the appreciation to it's employees that each and everyone of them deserve.
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