This Wednesday marks the 12th anniversary of the terrorist
attacks on the United States
that claimed nearly 3,000 lives. For
some of us, the horrors of that day are so ingrained in our memories that there
has not been one day since then that we have not thought about it in one way or
another. If you are like me, there is
just an overwhelming sadness that will not go away, and it should not go
away. We have to remember, because if we
do not, we once again allow a complacency to overtake us that will mire us down
in partisanship and self-interest. That
opens the window for those that would like to see us hurt again.
There will be many events and memorials on Wednesday
commemorating the anniversary and honoring those lost either in the attacks
themselves, or those lost in our responsive military actions against Afghanistan
and Iraq . Unions representing pilots, flight attendants
and other employee groups from both United, American and many other U.S.
carriers will be holding their own events across the county to remember their
co-workers that were not only lost, but more importantly they come together to
honor those crew members and passengers as the front-line in defending our
country against the terrorists who hijacked those four planes. September 11 is a painful reminder, but
nonetheless should be at least one day for us customers and passengers to
understand how vital flight attendants, pilots, customer service, ramp workers,
mechanics, TSA screeners and so many others
on the front lines of our airlines and in our airports, are in terms of our
comfort and safety.
Over the last 12 years, movements have sprung up that calls
for September 11 to be a day of not only remembering, but a day where we do a
good deed. It is a great way to honor
those that were lost and a great way to keep the day in our hearts and
minds. As I was puttering around in my
garage yesterday, I got to thinking about taking this a step further. Make September 11 a day of ACTION. Do something that gets people thinking; do something
that gets your voice heard. For example,
if you have an opinion on what the U.S.
should do in terms of any military action against the Assad regime in Syria ,
call or e-mail your Senator, Congress person, and the White House. Don’t just yell back at pundits on TV
weighing in with their own partisan opinions, you as a citizen have the right
to speak your mind directly to those who will be making any decision to act, so do it. You can
use the excuse that your voice will not be heard, but you know what, it will
not be heard if you do not use it.
If you are an airline employee and you have a concern about
passenger safety or comfort, you have a union, and you have a voice, use them
both. Your union leaders are there to
listen, but they can only act on facts.
When an incident comes up, no matter how minor, that forces conditions
upon you that are outside the scope of your contract, or more importantly
present problems with the safety and comfort of passengers and crew members,
take the time to make sure your union knows about it. Urge your flying partners and associates to
do the same. Your union is powerless
without the collective voice of its membership, and that all starts with one
voice, your own. You have to take
action, or nothing gets accomplished.
There are so many other ways we can take action. If you are a shareholder in a public company
and do not like how management is running things, you have the right to
question and you have the right to bring a voice for change. It does not matter how few shares you may
own, you have a guaranteed right to make sure you are heard by an independent
Board of Directors. If you feel that
Board is not acting in the best interest of the shareholder owners, then you
have a right to ask for a change to that Board.
If enough individual shareholders get involved and act, then and only
then will change happen. You cannot sit on the sidelines waiting for someone else to act.
This Wednesday, I will once again be flying to New
York and back on the same day on United
Airlines. I will probably regret this on
Thursday, but it will be a long day with my itinerary taking me up to San
Francisco , then over to JFK airport in New
York , and then back to LAX. I will check-in at LAX at 6:00 AM , and then land at 11:30
PM that evening. I hope I
can catch a nap somewhere in there. As
I have done on other trips I will hand out some Starbucks gift cards and “More
than a Co-Worker” wristbands as my way of saying thanks to those that are
keeping our skies friendly. For me it is
a day of remembering, and a day for a good deed, but more importantly as a
customer and shareholder, I want the front line employees at United to know
they are appreciated. Its not like the
typical lip service in memos from management, it is an action that gets an
important message out that there are many of us out there who appreciate the
commitment of those on the front line at United, American, Delta, Southwest, US
Airways and all the other U.S. carriers that get us to our destinations safely
every day.
