United Airlines pilots want Tilton to resign
Accusing Glenn F. Tilton of leading the carrier down a path to poor customer service, employee morale and financial performance, the union representing the pilots for United Airlines called for his resignation on Monday.
The pilots mean business. They have set up a dedicated website, www.glenntilton.com, to highlight their concerns and carry on the fight to remove their CEO.
In summary, at the same time that the entire economy has gone through a period of unprecedented growth and prosperity, United has fallen to the back of the pack in every measure relative to the entire industry. It’s no coincidence— it’s just bad management. And that’s one very important reason why Glenn Tilton must go.
The pilots are angry that they haven’t gotten any additional compensation since their pay was cut drastically during United’s bankruptcy overhaul in 2002-2006. In addition, their pension was also terminated while the carrier was in bankruptcy protection.
The Air Line Pilots Association’s United chapter issued a statement calling for new leadership. It has set up a website “to draw attention to what it says have been Mr. Tilton’s failures since he took over in September 2002.”
Steve Wallach, chairman of the pilots union’s executive committee, said that Tilton has run the airline into the ground. “‘Under Glenn Tilton’s tenure, United has gone from being the finest airline in the world, with the best route structure and safety record, to a shell of its former self.’”
According to the Department of Transportation, United had the second worst on-time rate in June 2008 at 59.3 percent, down from 65.9 percent of the time a year ago. Overall, in June 2008, the airlines were on-time 70.8 percent of the time.
The pilots union also cited a recent survey conducted by United, that showed only 38 percent of the employees took pride in the airline, down 15 percentage points compared to 2006. Plus, United pilots have been raising alarms about what they consider dangerous maintenance practices that may be part of an overall industry trend.
Wallach said that they are not attacking Tilton personally.
These dismal numbers speak for themselves. They are a reflection of his inability to lead, his incompetence as a manager and his failure in virtually every category that can be measured. We have tried every conceivable way to convince him to invest in, and maximize the good will of, his employees. He has failed miserably.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the union will succeed. Pilots unions from other airlines will be watching.
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