Im Losing My Job at The Airlines

[rsmith6621]

Well outsourcing has finally caught up with myself and 400 others yesterday as an annoucement that UAL is closing its second longest operating reservation center in Seattle.

http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/203390

In January of this year UAL began to outsource its North American Resevations to India and has not only opened up one but two call center there with a third coming online next month with a total workforce of 1000. My union REP was telling us last night that UAL has spent over a million$$$$ on machines that can hide a Indian accent and make it sound British. At a informational meeting yesterday they told us that fuel prices were a factor in this closer as well as THE INABILITY TO RAISE FARES.....what ever that means. I guess the airlines think that they need to subsidize customers fares.

Well this is the second time under Bush I have become unemployed. the first back in 2001, I was out of work for two years.

I hope the old sane is true.....when one door closes another door opens.

[Tace]

1. Bummer -- Good Luck

This sucks.

[Tsiyu]

2. Sorry to hear this

Hope you see that door open soon.

hang in there :hi:

[liberal N proud]

3. My brother worked for TWA and has been out of a job since 2001

Works part time at a convenience store but other than that nothing. Hope you have better luck.

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. That can't be possible. Bush has created MILLIONS of jobs!

I'm sorry you're a victim of this administration's dismal economy. :hug: Best of luck in finding a new job.

[KurtNYC]

5. I hear JetBlue

uses people all across the country, many work at home.

edit to add; Pick up the phone to book a flight with JetBlue and you might reach Margo Canaan at her rented home in Salt Lake City. While the single mother helps fliers pick their seats, her five children, ages 4 to 16, occasionally sit in the same bedroom-office doing homework. They know to keep quiet so Mom can do her work. Her uniform: everyday clothes, plus a pair of fluffy white-and-blue slippers shaped like airplanes.

Canaan is one of 700 reservation phone agents for discount carrier JetBlue who don't work in some telephone warehouse in New Mexico or in an office in Bangalore, India. They instead work out of their homes in America, their company computers wired into JetBlue's reservation system.

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/0524/064_print.html

Good luck to you.

[jbnow]

6. I am so sorry

A stark reminder that these jobs lost through outsourcing are not numbers, they are people, real people. It is a huge and growing problem and I'm not sure anything is really being done about it. It looks like our economy improves because corporate profits do.

But you are the heart of it, we are this country, the economy and state of the country should be for us, not just corporations.

After being out of work two years last time this must really be hard to take. You grieve and then you go on. Hoping the new door brings many delights and you end up glad of this.
In the meantime wishing you the best...sending a non-demo national prayer and wishing you comfort. So sorry.

[Neecy]

7. they'll regret it in the end...

You aren't alone - after 20 years in the airline industry, I got the boot after 9/11 (at least I got a buyout package - although I'm sure my pension plan has been long ago looted).

The call centers are a backbone of a well-run airline, and I've always admired the work they've done. The calls never stop, and the pressure on your statistics never ends, either. It's a job I never could have done (I was airport ops) and I salute the many people who do it well.

UAL will regret this. Passengers will never accept the kind of incompetence other industries have seen from these outsourced facilities, and there's plenty of competition out there.

Try sending a resume to the Seattle airport authority. FAA also hires quite a few ex-airline people. Avoid applying at TSA unless you're absolutely desperate. And take every single thing that HR will offer you, such as resume services. Good luck and let us know how you're doing.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. The airlines are trying to make up for their own mismanagement

by nickel and diming their employees and the passengers, but I bet the executives' own bonuses and perks have not been touched.

Sorry to hear about your job loss. A lot of the people who actually do the work of the airlines are suffering for the incompetence of the managers. :-(

[Merope215]

12. You're right about that one

A couple of years ago, the Atlanta paper reported that Delta's top management had secretly squirreled away some obscene amount of money (I'm thinking $60 million, but it was probably more) in a bankruptcy-proof retirement account for themselves. They were laying people off at the time (and still are). My father works for Delta, and man was he pissed. Airline management is full of evil a-holes who couldn't give a damn about any of their employees and are incompetent to boot.

Sorry about your job, rsmith. Good luck.

[otohara]

9. Whoa - Making Indian Accent Sound British

so we outsource to Britian, is that supposed to make American's feel better?

Fuckers!

Sorry about your job loss!

[realFedUp]

11. sounds like a KO "oddball" story....

sorry about your job loss and hope you
find something satisfying and life-sustaining soon.

Haven't flown UAL in years and won't.

[ProgressiveConn]

10. Damn.

I feel for ya. Good luck finding something. =(

[momisold]

13. I lost jobs under Clinton

During the Clinton years I lost my job 2 times and my hubby lost his 2 times, so don't think you can lay it ALL at Bush's feet. I'm not saying he's doing a good job, just saying it happens under all administrations.

[merh]

14. Damn, I am so sorry this has happened to you again.

:hug: I will include you in my prayers.

I really hate the bastards governing, no destroying, my nation! :nuke:

[Roland99]

15. I blame NAFTA and the WTO

Clinton was part of the problem, too.


Welcome to the new colonialism.

[KharmaTrain]

16. Blame The Culture Of Self Indulgence

First, I agree about Clinton being too chummy with the corporate...and in the end, their loyalty was never to the party, just to him. Another threat another day.

The airlines were the first industry to monopolize itself into bankruptcy (telcoms and broadcast companies are well on their way)...and then run to the federal government for a bail-out. I expect to see UAL and AMR running up to the House this fall and crying about how they're ready to shut down the nation's civilian transportation if A, B, C, D and $$$ aren't given to them. And with their Repugnican lapdogs at the ready, they'll get what they want.

We're seeing the on-going union-busting and downscaling of the air transport system into fewer hands that are attempting to turn what was once a truly competitive, commercial, free market venture into a government-subsidized Amtrack-type utility. Any competitor picks at the bones...or specializes in ways that really don't threaten the huge corporates.

Expect huge fare hikes for the peak summer season (people gotta take those vacations)...and it'll be blamed on the higher fuel costs...then fare reductions later to "make the airlines attrack flyers" when most can't afford to travel...then come running hat in hand this fall to get their pay-off from their toadies inside the Beltway.

[geomon666]

17. Don't apply to big airlines.

If you can, try to get into a charter company. They are the only ones doing good business these days. The big boys are going down hard and fast. My father is making more money now working for MiamiAir than he ever did at Eastern, Pan Am and American.