John Nikides – LAX Base Chair

For those of you who are considering picketing with us on April 17th, and haven't quite made up your minds whether to do so, remember that this picketing is about so much more than corporate bonuses and executive greed.
 
Remember that this company told us in 2003 that the "world had changed permanently," and the compensation packages that airlines would be able to offer employees in the future would never approach what they were in the past.  Obviously, the world changed for some, but not for others.
 
Remember that YOU are what keeps this company going on a daily basis, and without your efforts, there would be no THEM.
 
Without YOU, THEY would not have a job.
 
Remember that THEY are benefiting from YOUR labor, and from YOUR sacrifices.
 
Remember, as THEY reap their generous bonuses, how:
 
…YOU fly perpetually understaffed.
…YOU fly with staffing which, even when "normal" under post-2003 standards, stretches your endurance and patience to the limit.
…YOU cannot get a leave.
…YOU cannot call in sick without fear of reprisal.
…YOU live in constant fear of being reassigned.
…YOU are denied the basic human requirement for rest.
…YOU are denied the basic human requirement for nourishment.
…YOU fly three, four and five legs a day, with 15 hour duty days, followed by minimum rest, followed by another 15 hour duty day.
…YOU grapple on a daily basis with broken equipment which should have been replaced years ago.
…YOU deal with broken, filthy airplanes, and are expected to apologize for shortcomings far beyond your control.
…YOU fly on airplanes where every inch of floor space is now covered with a seat, and flight attendant space is non-existent.
…YOU deal with frustrated passengers who expect basic amenities which this company claims it can no longer afford to provide.
…YOU cannot get a transfer.
…YOU are forced on to reserve.
…YOU never have any hope of getting off reserve.
…YOU have been furloughed.
…YOU worry about your pension, and whether it will be there when you retire.
…YOU worry about your paycheck, and whether you can pay your bills on your diminished salary.
…YOU have to fly ever-higher hours to cover the increased cost of gasoline and basic liviing expenses, and give up your discretionary time…not for luxuries, but for basic necessities.
…YOU are forced to bear the brunt of "back-door concessions" such as the ever-increasing number of turnarounds on the bidsheet, which save the company money, and shift the cost of doing business to the employee.
…YOU have been force-transferred to another base not of your choosing.
…YOU wear a threadbare uniform, and the point system forces you to decide which two items you will replace that year.
…YOU are expected to report to work on all holidays, yet the company punishes you for coming to work by reassigning you..
…YOU are expected to report to work on all holidays, for no additional compensation, and many management people, choose to take their vacations during this time.  How many Macy's executives,for example, do you think are permitted to take their vacations during the Christmas rush?
…YOU were told that the SACRIFICE WOULD BE SHARED…
 
Remember…
 
April 17th  1000-1400 LAX and SAN
 
See you there…
 
In unity,
 
John