CEO Douglas M. Steenland. Dipshit?
FOXNews.com – Northwest Airlines to Workers: Look Through the Trash to Save Money – Transportation
NEW YORK — Bankrupt Northwest Airlines Corp. advised workers to fish in the trash for things they like or take their dates for a walk in the woods in a move to help workers facing the ax to save money.
The No. 5 U.S. carrier, which has slashed most employees’ pay and is looking to cut jobs as it prepares to exit bankruptcy, put the tips in a booklet handed out to about 50 workers and posted for a time on its employee Web site.
The section, entitled “101 ways to save money”, does not feature in new versions of the booklet or the Web site.
Northwest spokesman Roman Blahoski said some employees who received the handbook had taken issue with a couple of the items. “We agree that some of these suggestions and tips … were a bit insensitive,” Blahoski told Reuters.
The four-page booklet, “Preparing for a Financial Setback” contained suggestions such as shopping in thrift stores, taking “a date for a walk along the beach or in the woods” and not being “shy about pulling something you like out of the trash.”
What a funny industry the airlines are. They know that our country cannot function without them, so they will always get bailed out by the government when they face financial problems. This gives them the freedom to compete in completely irresponsible price wars with each other, instead of providing and charging enough for the services which will actually make them money. And as much as I am anti-union, a contract is a contract, if they agree to a labor contract, they shouldn’t be able to go to a judge later and have it voided just because it has become a burden to the company. The only way I could get out of fulfilling a contractual financial obligation is through bankruptcy, yet companies have their contracts voided by judges so they can avoid it.
Note: yes I know Northwest is in bankruptcy, but my rant was just in general about the whole voiding of labor contracts.
This is utterly insensitive and insulting.
But on the other hand, I often get my sunday papers from the recycling room of my apartment building. In addition to saving a couple of dollars, it also means that I can just grab those few sections I want (front page, opinion, travel, magazine) and not have to shlep and later throw out the rest.
Wonder if the CFO of this company got a copy of the book.
My experience with the Senior Corporate Management types is that they don’t experience NEARLY the pain the lower level employees do in a situation like this….
Maybe I’m old fashioned – but if it comes to company survival – or healthcare cuts – or raiding the pension fund… MAYBE the Higher ups should cut their 100% or 200% bonuses!
The higher ups all too often live by the famous adage in “Animal Farm” (not Animal House mind you).
ALL ANIMALS ARE CREATED EQUAL…
SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.
Of all the airlines, Northwest tends to be the nastiest regarding sudden fare increases close to the date of travel. I wouldn’t mind seeing them get screwed.
I hope the employees do a little dumpster diving – in the executive’s “burn” boxes.
I’m pretty sure that by “look through the trash” he means “look at the floor of any NWA plane”.
what a low blow. you screw with the employee and next you tell them how to get by, by dumpster diving? when i worked for nwa, i knew of a few that would do that anyway. you dont have to look very deep in the dumpster to find that employee morale sits on top of the heap.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=NWACQ.PK
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=NWACQ.PK&annual
What I want an explentaion for, is..
OTHER liabilities…
Its gone up over $10,000,000,000 in the LAST year..
What I posted above shows the wages, and NOT the benefits..
1 person worked 6 years, and got a 22 year retirement package with a clause Against Bankruptcy..
I don’t know what’s more insulting, the list of 101 ways to save money or the fact that no-one in upper management could take 15 minutes of their day to review a book that was going out to their soon to be out-sourced dedicated employees who have spent years of their life serving this company. Throughout our careers Northwest always said what a team we were. SAD SAD SAD! It would be a nice gesture for Northwest Airlines to extend pass privelages to ALL out-sourced employees. That would be a REAL money-saver.
This gives them the freedom to compete in completely irresponsible price wars with each other, instead of providing and charging enough for the services which will actually make them money.
My only problem with that statement is: it takes two to tango…
They can only have price wars if there is a large enough group of travelers looking for the lowest fare, and buying tickets from the lowest bidder…
Its like complaining about Walmart undercutting “Mom & Pop”, but not complaining about the customers who used to shop at Mom & Pop’s…
The WaPo has a very timely article:
Garbage: It’s What’s For Dinner
I have the list in its entirety:
Northwest Airlines List Of 101 Ways To Save Money
http://www.mnheadhunter.com/mh/2006/08/northwest_airli.html
Those who were raised in and still live with wealth often blow off the real issues faced by poor working class Americans because they lack a frame of reference to understand the reality of low income living.
In the interest of fostering a better level of understanding, I offer this message to Northwest Airlines Execs — Go fuck yourselves.
#102 ask your boss for a raise.
16,
Agreed…
You CANT know whats down here, until you BEEN here.
rich can never Rule over the poor.. They Aint been here.
Since 1998. Iwe have been through a pilots’ strike, contract negotiations, 9-11, lay offs, transfers between the airport and reservations more times than I can count, pay cuts and the threat of layoffs looms every day. We have lost 19% of our pay. (Just 1% short of being able to collect unemployment) and most of our heatlh care benefits. Flight attendents were told specifically NOT to collect food stamps in uniform.
NWA is in financial trouble because of upper management salaries as well as incredibly low air fares. (Some fares as low as $200 round trip between Seattle and Baltimore.) At that rate I am surprised they can afford the gas to get the plane off the ground.
Shame on them for mocking us! I have more education than many of the top management. We deserve more than that.
Sometimes companies can be amazingly clueless. Years ago I was part of a layoff that took place the week before Christmas with no notice. Production workers are generally not paid that much and since there was no notice (1 hour) almost everyone had done their holiday shopping. As everyone was packing up their belongings and saying goodbye to each other in the minutes before we were shown the door a group of carolers came through singing “Joy to the World”. The carolers were middle managers from the front offices and someone close to the group overheard that they couldn’t understand why everyone was so upset. “After all, they’ll find work somewhere.” The carolers were quickly ushered out of the area before someone threw a wrench at them. NWA unfortunately doesn’t have a corner on the Bonehead market.
Some of you obviously know nothing about business – especially the airline business. The Unions steal more money in a week than the worst of management. The ridiculous work rules are what have put the majors in or near bankruptcy. You only have to look at SWA and JetBlue to see how to make money in today’s environment – cooperation by the workers, not threats of strikes, slowdowns, and surly treatment of the customers, the flying public.
Well well well,
Now this just gave me the self confidence I need to fight for my job and/or possibly pursue another. If Doug Steenland and his “extremely talented” group of overpaid execs can maintain a job making millions raping average middle class employees, then i am sure I am marketable somehow. Right? And as for the blaming of who made up this “employee friendly” guide to saving money, it all comes down to who approved it to send out – Northwest Airlines…..Can you believe that there were actual people gathering around their conference room table deciding to distribute this? Wow, what a future I have with Northwest!!!!!! Hell, what a future I have period!