Emerging from a 1993 conference on airline labor relations convened by the National Mediation Board, this volume provides a comprehensive discussion of the problems facing the airline industry, the significance of globalization, the impact of deregulation and labor relations, and possible solutions. "The lasting contribution of this volume may be its use to historians as they try to understand what the players were thinking in the early 1990s, as the industry embarked on another era of transformation." (from the introduction) Paper edition (unseen), $18.95. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
David Walsh examines the historically insular unions in the airline industry, where the need for cooperation has been heightened in the era since deregulation. Guided by organizational theory, he analyzes extensive data on pairs of unions, coalitions, and the airline union network as a whole, finding a complex web of connections. Drawing on quantitative data from his network analysis, on the historical background, and on descriptive case studies, including the Eastern Airlines strike, Walsh identifies the possibilities and the limitations of labor solidarity.
Extensively revised and updated edition of the bestselling textbook, provides an overview of recent global airline industry evolution and future challenges Examines the perspectives of the many stakeholders in the global airline industry, including airlines, airports, air traffic services, governments, labor unions, in addition to passengers Describes how these different players have contributed to the evolution of competition in the global airline industry, and the implications for its future evolution Includes many facets of the airline industry not covered elsewhere in any single book, for example, safety and security, labor relations and environmental impacts of aviation Highlights recent developments such as changing airline business models, growth of emerging airlines, plans for modernizing air traffic management, and opportunities offered by new information technologies for ticket distribution Provides detailed data on airline performance and economics updated through 2013
The crisis in the airline industry and its labor relations system creates a window of opportunity to introduce changes that are essential to successful industry recovery. This paper summarizes the results of our research on labor relations conducted as part of the MIT Global Airline Industry Project and proposes a set of improvement initiatives. We recommend that (1) companies negotiate a recovery compact with its employees that includes plans for improving the workplace culture and climate and for expediting and resolving collective bargaining contract negotiations, (2) government leaders specify a window of time for industry and labor leaders to agree on changes needed in the Railway Labor Act, (3) the National Mediation Board engage industry and labor leaders in a process of transforming the agency's role to support the changes needed in the industry, and (4) industry, labor, and government leaders create a forum to support mutual learning and improvement.
Private-sector collective bargaining in the United States is under siege. Many factors have contributed to this situation, including the development of global markets, a continuing antipathy toward unions by managers, and the declining effectiveness of strikes. This volume examines collective bargaining in eight major industries--airlines, automobile manufacturing, health care, hotels and casinos, newspaper publishing, professional sports, telecommunications, and trucking--to gain insight into the challenges the parties face and how they have responded to those challenges.The authors suggest that collective bargaining is evolving differently across the industries studied. While the forces constraining bargaining have not abated, changes in the global environment, including new security considerations, may create opportunities for unions. Across the industries, one thing is clear--private-sector collective bargaining is rapidly changing.
When both an industry's workers and its customers report high and rising frustration with the way they are being treated, something is fundamentally wrong. In response to these conditions, many of the world's airlines have made ever-deeper cuts in services and their workforces. Is it too much to expect airlines, or any other enterprise, to provide a fair return to investors, high-quality reliable service to their customers, and good jobs for their employees? Measured against these three expectations, the airline industry is failing. In the first five years of the twenty-first century alone, U.S. airlines lost a total of $30 billion while shedding 100,000 jobs, forcing the remaining workers to give up over $15 billion in wages and benefits. Combined with plummeting employee morale, shortages of air traffic controllers, and increased congestion and flight delays, a total collapse of the industry may be coming. Is this state of affairs inevitable? Or is it possible to design a more sustainable, less volatile industry that better balances the objectives of customers, investors, employees, and the wider society? Does deregulation imply total abrogation of government's responsibility to oversee an industry showing the clear signs of deterioration and increasing risk of a pending crisis? Greg J. Bamber, Jody Hoffer Gittell, Thomas A. Kochan, and Andrew von Nordenflycht explore such questions in a well-informed and engaging way, using a mix of quantitative evidence and qualitative studies of airlines from North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Up in the Air provides clear and realistic strategies for achieving a better, more equitable balance among the interests of customers, employees, and shareholders. Specifically, the authors recommend that firms learn from the innovations of companies like Southwest and Continental Airlines in order to build a positive workplace culture that fosters coordination and commitment to high-quality service, labor relations policies that avoid long drawn-out conflicts in negotiating new agreements, and business strategies that can sustain investor, employee, and customer support through the ups and downs of business cycles.
"And you thought the passengers were mad. Airline employees are fed up, too-with pay cuts, increased workloads and management's miserly ways, which leave workers to explain to often-enraged passengers why flying has become such a miserable experience."—New York Times, December 22, 2007When both an industry's workers and its customers report high and rising frustration with the way they are being treated, something is fundamentally wrong. In response to these conditions, many of the world's airlines have made ever-deeper cuts in services and their workforces. Is it too much to expect airlines, or any other enterprise, to provide a fair return to investors, high-quality reliable service to their customers, and good jobs for their employees?Measured against these three expectations, the airline industry is failing. In the first five years of the twenty-first century alone, U.S. airlines lost a total of $30 billion while shedding 100,000 jobs, forcing the remaining workers to give up over $15 billion in wages and benefits. Combined with plummeting employee morale, shortages of air traffic controllers, and increased congestion and flight delays, a total collapse of the industry may be coming. Is this state of affairs inevitable? Or is it possible to design a more sustainable, less volatile industry that better balances the objectives of customers, investors, employees, and the wider society? Does deregulation imply total abrogation of government's responsibility to oversee an industry showing the clear signs of deterioration and increasing risk of a pending crisis?Greg J. Bamber, Jody Hoffer Gittell, Thomas A. Kochan, and Andrew von Nordenflycht explore such questions in a well-informed and engaging way, using a mix of quantitative evidence and qualitative studies of airlines from North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Up in the Air provides clear and realistic strategies for achieving a better, more equitable balance among the interests of customers, employees, and shareholders. Specifically, the authors recommend that firms learn from the innovations of companies like Southwest and Continental Airlines in order to build a positive workplace culture that fosters coordination and commitment to high-quality service, labor relations policies that avoid long drawn-out conflicts in negotiating new agreements, and business strategies that can sustain investor, employee, and customer support through the ups and downs of business cycles.
The purpose of this book is twofold. First, it lays out the forces that shaped the international aviation industry and that changed all the rules in the drive for liberalization. Second, it looks at the many interesting and difficult choices ahead that the airline industry in general and the international aviation industry in particular face. These choices include many dichotomies: pulling back from the trend toward liberalization or embracing the liberalization trend, merging in search of profitability or fragmenting the industry in search of economies. These possible futures are explored including the pros and cons of each future from a national, consumer, employer, and employee perspective. As with the previous two editions, Evolution of International Aviation reviews the historical development of the international aviation system. From this foundation it then provides an updated and expanded account of the current state of the aviation and aerospace industry including profitability, consolidation, and merger activity. New to this edition, the book broadens the coverage of the industry segments - airlines, air cargo, and manufacturing - to include the emerging commercial space sector. It also emphasizes the relationship between aviation and the political process, exploring the sustainability of this mode of transportation in a world of climate change, high oil prices, and political instability. Because this book is intended for both the interested amateur and the more serious student, references are provided in the text and at the end of each chapter to allow for further in-depth study. The third edition also adds to each chapter a set of learning objectives and a concluding series of questions for discussion.
