Union vs. Management seems to be an issue that we revisit over and over when the airline industry makes any changes. Both sides have strong opinions on their point of view and the way things should be run, and it seems that each can be entirely too stubborn sometimes.
Should executives get multi-million dollar bonuses when the airline is going bankrupt and low tier workers are getting paid peanuts? Unions say no, spread the money out evenly. CEOs say yes, it’s a drop in the bucket.
Despite their differences, random picket lines seem to be the only evidence you see of the continuous struggle between the two sides. But recent efforts by employees on the front lines seem to be targeted at making the passengers aware of the disputes as well.
If anyone has flown on American Airlines recently, you may have noticed that your flight attendant had a “resign” or “decline” sign around their neck — that has to do with executives getting their bonuses.
In the most recent labor dispute visited by USA Today, a United pilot who apparently was embroiled in a “To wear or not to wear his hat” argument with his colleagues was so distraught that he refused to fly his aircraft to Denver. Like the American flight attendants, United employees have recently been encouraged to take off their hats when management was around.
I’m all for solidarity among union workers and for getting the solution figured out between labor and management. But is it necessary to drag the paying public into your fray? We have no control over who gets paid what or what benefits are reaped — we just paid two hundred bucks to fly to Denver.