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So my husband was on a flight home last week and sat next to a "higher up" from Delta. They hit it off immediately and the topic of SWA came up, naturally. My husband asked if Southwest was going to have a jobs fair of some sort and the guy said that all of their hires, from agents to flight attendants to baggage personnel would all be either outsourced or transfers from around the country. He informed my husband that at least 30 people were transferring here to work at GSP and that they didn't have any plans of hiring any locals. Just thought that I'd pass that info along.
I believe that's their normal M.O. for a new station. When people quit, retire, are fired, etc (or if our station grows substantially), then they'll hire locally.
Almost all of the Southwest Airlines workers for CHS and GSP are transfers to my knowledge. The GSP supervisors for Southwest Airlines report tomorrow.
I believe that's their normal M.O. for a new station. When people quit, retire, are fired, etc (or if our station grows substantially), then they'll hire locally.
I thought this was normal practice for any airline in any NEW city. They can't afford to have a bunch of trainees in place on opening day. Plus its really easy for the company to shuttle people around to where they are needed. We'll have increased tax revenue with the added flights and when those people ditch Atlanta and Charlotte to fly SWA from Greenville more increases to revenue.
So my husband was on a flight home last week and sat next to a "higher up" from Delta. They hit it off immediately and the topic of SWA came up, naturally. My husband asked if Southwest was going to have a jobs fair of some sort and the guy said that all of their hires, from agents to flight attendants to baggage personnel would all be either outsourced or transfers from around the country. He informed my husband that at least 30 people were transferring here to work at GSP and that they didn't have any plans of hiring any locals. Just thought that I'd pass that info along.
This is standard practice among airlines when they go into new markets. Just think, the area will have 30 new families/households from out of state.....they'll probably fall in love with the area like the rest of us have.
This kind of thing happens all the time in SC cities.....they lure companies there with incentives, cheap land and a cheap exploitable labor pool.....then no one makes sure that SC residents get their fair share of the jobs with a livable wage to go with it.
Most of the companies in Greenville (BMW, Michelin, Lockheed Martin etc.) are guilty of this practice. Too desperate to bring companies there...but at least make sure that it is a win win situation for all concerned and not just the companies. If they would have begun their hiring of local people in advance then they would have been ready then there would have been no need to import workers. Very sad!
Last edited by NewYorkBorn; 03-01-2011 at 11:24 AM..
This kind of thing happens all the time in SC cities.....they lure companies there with incentives, cheap land and a cheap exploitable labor pool.....then no one makes sure that SC residents get their fair share of the jobs with a livable wage to go with it.
Most of the companies in Greenville (BMW, Michelin, Lockheed Martin etc.) are guilty of this practice. Too desperate to bring companies there...but at least make sure that it is a win win situation for all concerned and not just the company. Very sad!
Did you not read what everyone else wrote??? This is the industry practice. It happens everywhere when a new airline opens up shop, not just South Carolina.
I believe someone posted this sentiment the other day, but obviously you didn't read it. - We get it. You didn't have a good experience here. Fortunately for most of the rest of us, we haven't had the same experience.
Yes, I realize it is a free country and you can be as negative as you want to be about South Carolina. However, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should!
Its standard practice to have current SWA employees to transfer into any new station when it opens for service. None of the workforce coming in will be out sourced as suggested. Its based on the employees good standing with the company and where the employee's seniority is in his or hers work group. Its also required under contract rules to do this. Once the statiopn takes off and service expands new positions will be offered. Those positions will also first be offered to employees who would like to transfer in. If the positions cannot be filled by transfers new hires will be brought in.
GSP will be initially staffed with 10 Customer Service agents (Ticket Counter, Gate and Baggage office personnel). 4 Operations agents ( Agent who collects the boading pass and handles weight/balance issues with Pilots and ramp agents). 14 Ramp agents ( Baggage handlers and crews who actually load and push the flights from the gate and do basically all ground operations on the ramp, such as marshalling flights in provisioning etc). All of these agents are reporting to GSP on March 3rd. I was originally planning on reporting as one of the 14 Ramp Agents. Selling my home in New Orleans is a issue at this time so I have deferred those plans for now. You also will have a management team of Supervisors for Customer Service, Ramp and Operations agents reporting.
Glad to have GSP in the Southwest family of cities we serve. Wish I was able to be there to open the station. Don't fret over not having any new Hires, it will happen. It just takes a little time.
This kind of thing happens all the time in SC cities.....they lure companies there with incentives, cheap land and a cheap exploitable labor pool.....then no one makes sure that SC residents get their fair share of the jobs with a livable wage to go with it.
I'm pretty sure that Southwest didn't come for the cheap land, and if they are bringing in existing labor then they certainly didn't come to exploit the cheap labor.
Its standard practice to have current SWA employees to transfer into any new station when it opens for service. None of the workforce coming in will be out sourced as suggested. Its based on the employees good standing with the company and where the employee's seniority is in his or hers work group. Its also required under contract rules to do this. Once the statiopn takes off and service expands new positions will be offered. Those positions will also first be offered to employees who would like to transfer in. If the positions cannot be filled by transfers new hires will be brought in.
GSP will be initially staffed with 10 Customer Service agents (Ticket Counter, Gate and Baggage office personnel). 4 Operations agents ( Agent who collects the boading pass and handles weight/balance issues with Pilots and ramp agents). 14 Ramp agents ( Baggage handlers and crews who actually load and push the flights from the gate and do basically all ground operations on the ramp, such as marshalling flights in provisioning etc). All of these agents are reporting to GSP on March 3rd. I was originally planning on reporting as one of the 14 Ramp Agents. Selling my home in New Orleans is a issue at this time so I have deferred those plans for now. You also will have a management team of Supervisors for Customer Service, Ramp and Operations agents reporting.
Glad to have GSP in the Southwest family of cities we serve. Wish I was able to be there to open the station. Don't fret over not having any new Hires, it will happen. It just takes a little time.
Scott
Ground Operations MSY/SMF/RDU
Thanks Scott! I think we are all excited to have Southwest (well, at least those of us who actually live here!).
jac
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