Ralph Vaughan Williams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Essay Example At this juncture, in order to understand the reasons behind the great degree of neglect Vaughan Williams faced, it is necessary to start from the beginning of his musical life. Ralph Vaughan Williams was born as the third child of Arthur and Margaret Vaughan Williams, on 12 October 12, 1872, in Down Ampney. Arthur was the vicar of All Saints Church at Down Ampney. Ralph received his early music lessons from his aunt Sophy as music was important in the family. Thus, at the age of six, he produced his first piano piece named ‘The Robin Nest’. According to records, he also loved reading, playing duets, and enjoying Shakespearian works3. As he reached the preparatory school at Rottingdean, he realised that he was good in violin. However, his family wanted him to concentrate on organ instead of violin. After his preparatory school, he joined the Royal College of Music where Sir Hubert Parry gave him in depth knowledge about music. Furthermore, it was at this time that he was filled with a degree of nobility and greatness of English choral tradition. One can see the influence of folk songs on the texture, contours, and melodies of his works like Fen Country and Norfolk Rhapsodies. In addition, there was the impact of his connection with hymn-tunes on his works as he was the musical editor of the English Hymnal for a long time. At that time, he spent considerable amount of time studying the works of Tudor and Elizabethan composers. In fact, over these years, he was influenced by the works of a lot of great people ranging from Sir Hubert Parry, Tudor, and Elizabethan choral music. Thus, in the year 1910, he produced remarkable works like Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and A Sea Symphony. As Alain Frogley points out, the lack of recognition received by Vaughan Williams was not a mere accident; instead, his contribution was distorted and blighted â€Å"not only by the international musical politics of this century,

Counselling in workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words - 1

Counselling in workplace - Essay Example More important, it will develop an understanding of how this affects both employees and the corporation so the correct types of designs can be used for creating the right work space. Traditionally, workers are brought into a career field through either a formal education or by gaining a specific amount of experience. It is expected that once one is placed in a given position, they use skills and training which has already been developed to create the right approach. However, employees also need to accommodate to individual preferences of businesses while acquiring skills which fit to different job descriptions and expectations in the work force. Even though there are learning processes which are required, most businesses don’t focus on providing education and skill sets for employees to grow within a corporation, causing difficulties in growth for employees and the given corporation. There is limited information that is given to those that are working within a given environment and which require specific types of information. The inability to understand learning in the work environment as well as its effectiveness with employees is some of the limitations involved. This is combined with problems that arise in understanding how to incorporate various training methodologies for effective outcomes. The work environment culture, expectations with job performance and the outcomes which occur are often not regarded as one which requires education and training. This overlooked option for businesses then limits the ability to reach different options for change and growth within a company. The purpose of this study will be to examine the effectiveness of learning in the workplace as well as whether it makes an impact over the way in which a business functions. There will also be an examination of the types of learning which can be

Cosmopolitan Promotional Strategies

Cosmopolitan Promotional Strategies A case study into the promotional strategies of a consumer magazine and how these integrate into the marketing strategy of the sector of magazine publishing. Promotional Strategies What I chose and why For this case study I have chosen to critiqueCosmopolitan. This magazine was chosen for numerous reasons. Firstly for itshistorical role within the landscape of womens magazines in the UK. Alsobecause up until recently Cosmopolitan was the highest selling womens magazinein the UK. Due to the launch of Glamour, Cosmopolitan has lost this title. Iwill explore the promotional strategies Cosmopolitan has employed to try toregain their past position as top of the magazine rankings, and look at howsuccessful they have been to date. Cosmopolitan has been the magazine of choiceuntil Glamour launched in 2000. Glamour broke convention by printing in asmaller size that could fit in a womans handbag. Glamour ultimately ushered inthe era of convenience in magazines. Women no longer turn to magazines foropinion, unless its on makeup and clothes Cosmopolitans target audience According to the Cosmopolitan media pack: Cosmo women are young, ambitious, informed. Themajority are in full-time work. They earn and they spend! Cosmo women spendover 1 billion a year on fashion. They account for 1 out of every 11 spenton cosmetics and skincare in the UK. Cosmo readers live well: they spend over2 billion on their homes, 3.5 billion on food and almost 1.4 billion on newcars.1 PEST Analysis Political Future When the title launched in the UK in 1972, theeditor Joyce Hopkirk -and fashion and beauty editor Deirdre McShany bothcame from the Sun. Left-wing views were quite prominent in the UK version. Infact, in the second UK edition, Germaine Greers husband caused a stir byposing nude in the magazine an inside joke for feminists. In its early stages, Cosmopolitan was constantlyin the headlines. The Daily Mail was shocked by its use of the wordvirgin in an ad, and London Transport insisted that the wordfrigid, used in another ad, must be covered up with a black strip.However, the black strip wasnt long enough, and on some posters the advertread, I was f.d!. The current trend in womens magazines is movingaway from political and social issues and more into the world of celebrity andsensationalism. Despite this, Cosmopolitan is determined to maintain itspolitical routes. In January 2005, Sam Baker, the magazines current editor,contacted the leaders of the Labour, Liberal and Conservative parties forinterviews in the magazine to coincide with the 2005 general election. In aninterview with Louise France for The Observer she explained herreasoning behind these political features: Bakerdoesnt care what her readers vote, she just believes that they need toexercise their rights. If we dont, were in danger of disenfranchisingourselves. And if we dont start voting we run the risk of never voting.2 Economic Future The magazine market has hada5% year-on-year rise in the number of copies actively purchasedaccording to ABC figures released for the period to December 2004. However,there has been fear about a possible saturation of the womens magazine market.ABC figures showed there was no cause for concern. This yearhowever, I believe is the year of the womens magazine market. These latestfigures reveal an upward surge in womens glossies such as Glamour,Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire. This increase in circulationindicates that womens appetite for glossies magazines hasnt abated or reachedsaturation point like many feared.3 Despite a clear rise in womensmagazine readership, Cosmopolitan which rose 5.08% from 397,272 in December2003 to 417,445 in December 2004 Cosmopolitan still finds itself in anunstable position, trailing in second place to Glamour magazine, which had a5.67% year on year increase, from 548,672 to 579,761. Social-Cultural Future Womensmagazines, especially fashion magazines, tend to address well-educated youngreaders who are seen as loyal, independent, and ready to spend. This explainsthe overall in conformity of magazine content, with their sections devoted tocelebrity features, fashion, beauty, health, interior and lifestyle. Butmagazine publishers like the media industry in general are now viewingyouth as an increasingly elastic category (Gough-Yates, 2003, p4). On a whole,Cosmopolitan has tried to fight this trend towards celebrity and fashion, bymaintaining a sexual orientation to its features. However, elasticity in thereadership is more wide spread. Currently, there are large proportions ofBangladesh, Indian, Black Caribbean, Black African and Chinese women in thedemographic that Cosmopolitan targets4. Again, Cosmopolitan hasresisted this cultural change; the majority of non-white faces in the May 2005edition were from the advertisement pages. Technological Future Cosmopolitanhas not bought into technological change as much as its contemporaries. Mostwomens magazines now have an online version of the magazine for people toview. However, Cosmopolitan choose provide a service with their online presence;a means for its audience to purchase the branded items, and access otherservices related to the magazine and its readers. Cosmopolitans website ismore of a Cosmopolitan portal. From the PESTanalysis, it is clear that Cosmopolitan does not adjust well to change. It seesitself as an institution due to its early political routes and is finding ithard to shake this responsibility. Promotional strategies employed The Message The strapline for Cosmopolitan is For FunFearless Females. While it emphasises strength in women, there is anunderlying element of not being afraid to be feminine, indicated in the use ofthe world females instead of women. This coincides with McCrackens (1993)belief that when buying a magazine we are buying into a feminine ideal. Infact, she believes that women readers are duped bymagazines into becoming slaves to trends in fashion, beauty and femininity. The Cover It isconvention among womens magazines to have their featured star celebrityadorning the covers. This is a major promotional tool in the currentcelebrity-focused climate. Cosmopolitan strays from this slightly. While themagazine will have a celebrity featured in every edition, these celebrities areoften not featured on the cover. Instead, Cosmopolitan has created a coverelement called Cosmo Loves, and a celebrity of choice is placed on the coverunder this banner. There is a page inside the magazine that offers the coverstar a small focus without this, the audience would feel cheated. Cosmopolitanstill uses cover layout conventions and takes note of page real estate, withthe word Sexy a word synonymous with what people expect of Cosmopolitancontent written in a large font in the top left hand corner. There is alsothe use of numbers in the top left hand corner, and even a circle in the area -a tool used in shops to mark sale or special items, the red circle has become asymbol of the good deal. This real estate formula of putting the items mostattractive to buyers in this area was due to product placement, but is not asnecessary as it used to be. Before magazines where overlapped on the newsstandsand their only exposed area was the top left hand corner. Now larger magazineslike Cosmopolitan are given premium space on magazine stands in shops like W HSmith, and the whole front cover is visible. However, making use of page realestate is still valid if you take into account that people generally read fromtop to bottom, left to right. Content Cosmopolitan has seven main sections: Celebs New Real Life Love, Sex Success Youniverse Health Shops Every Month The celeb section only has four features andthere is notably no features section. Instead the magazine is verycompartmentalised with standard pages like Cosmo Money, Cosmo Careers andCheats Guide. Cosmopolitan is ultimately a service magazine. It offers a lotof advice and how-to information. Where there are features, the focus onreal-life stories, which often have a sensational element. This paired with the colloquial use of languagecreates intimacy. Not only is Cosmo your friend, its a life manual; it is anecessary element in the readers life. This element of necessity of key in themarketing strategy of the magazine, and also the overruling strategy of itsparent company, Natmags, which publishes other manual-like titles includingGood Housekeeping and Mens Health. It also has a Cosmo Offers section. This month,the offers consist of 20% off at Oasis. Affiliation with particular shops is anewer magazine promotion convention; it gives the reader an added motive to buythe magazine, and broadens the scope of the magazines ethos, by including theconnotations of the shop they have chosen to be associated with. Layout/visual In an effort to reclaim the top spot,Cosmopolitan has copied Glamours handbag size. The have also copied otherlayout elements from Glamour magazine, like the information strip at the top ofthe magazine. They do still produce the magazine in their larger A4 format. Forthe May edition, the A4 version had a free book, while the smaller version hadno free gift. This could work adversely for Cosmopolitan, as it implies thatthe larger version is less valuable and so needs the book to justify the price. Price Cosmopolitan have opted for premium pricing, at2.95. There doesnt seem to be clear justification for this price, consideringGlamour, the market leader is a pound cheaper at 1.95, and Marie Claire, whichis rated just behind Cosmopolitan, is now 2.50. Considering Cosmopolitanappeals to the everyday aspect of its audience and doesnt by into fantasy viacelebrity, they make price themselves out of the market. For a magazine aboutthe real world, the price comes across as unrealistic. Advertising Cosmopolitan has earned a reputation for beingshocking and sensational through sexual politics. This has often beenrepresented in its advertising campaigns. In 2002 the magazine embarked on anad campaign that had visual ambiguous images. On was of an open fake fur bagwith pink satin lining; another was a woman in a bikini with a thin stream ofwhite liquid running down her stomach and another was a lipstick that was shotto look like a vibrator. Extreme tactics like the ones mentioned above arenecessary for a magazine like Cosmopolitan. Many sexual taboos no longer existin current society; without them there is no need for Cosmopolitan. There adcampaigns prove we still have problems with sexual themes, and thus validatethe need for the magazine. The May edition of Cosmopolitan has 300 pages(304 including front and back cover). Of these, 122 pages are advertising,excluding classifieds and Cosmopolitans own adverts. According to McCracken (1993, p91): It is no longer appropriate to assume that the magazineis only useful for advertising food and cleaning products. The magazine needsto increase the range of products it advertises to ensure consistent andongoing revenue. Brand Expansion Some believe that modern society has broken sodecisively from the past we have lost the certainty of the past and no longerhave traditions to live by. Without traditions we have no idea of how to live.Brands, however, can provide us with a substitute to traditions: brands havebecome the new traditions they shape and give meaning to everyday lives -brands are the new traditions in our society. (Grant, 1999) Cosmopolitan have strived to create a brand,through extended products. They have associated magazines: Cosmo Girl! andCosmo Bride; they have their own awards, which is an extension of theirposition to recommend people and products; and they also have a lingerie line.On top of this, their cover mounts are often branded. For the A4 May edition,the free book is an edited version of a book that has not yet been released,and has Cosmopolitan edition written on it. Overview/conclusion Cosmopolitan have maintained their politicalstance and prove that there is still a need for what some might call a femininepolitical crusade with the use of shocking sexual advertising and the recentcoverage of the general election. These have marketing strategies andpromotional strategies that it has employed since its launch in the 1970s.However, with social changes, and the readers new love affair with celebrity -which is not just fuelled by other womens glossies, but also by the influx ofwomens weeklies Cosmopolitan will need to do more to regain its position asmost read womens magazine. Reference Cosmopolitan Media Pack France, L. Cosmo is not just about sex. Observer Magazine. 16 Jan, 2005 Top 100 Selling Consumer Magazines. ABC. 2004 Gender. National Statistics. October 2004 Bibliography Gough-Yates, A. Understanding Womens magazines: Publishing, markets and Readerships (Routledge, 2003) McCracken, E. Decoding womens Magazines. (Macmillian, 1993) Grant, J. The new Marketing Manifesto. (Texere, 1999)

james madison Essay -- essays research papers

James Madison begins his famous federalist paper by explaining that the purpose of this essay is to help the readers understand how the structure of the proposed government makes liberty possible. Each branch should be, for the most part, in Madison's opinion, independent. To assure such independence, no one branch should have too much power in selecting members of the other two branches. If this principle were strictly followed, it would mean that the citizens should select the president, the legislators, and the judges. But, the framers recognized certain practical difficulties in making every office elective. In particular, the judicial branch would suffer because the average person is not aware of the qualifications judges should possess. Judges should have great ability, but also be free of political pressures. Since federal judges are appointed for life, their thinking will not be influenced by the president who appoints them, or the senators whose consent the president will s eek. Madison furthers, the members of each branch should not be too dependent on the members of the other two branches in the determination of their salaries. The best security against a gradual concentration of power in any one branch is to provide constitutional safeguards that would make such concentration difficult. The constitutional rights of all must check one man's personal interests and ambitions. We may not like to admit that men abuse power, but the very need for government itself proves they do, "if men were angels, no government would be necessary." Unfortunately, all men are imperfect, the rulers and the ruled. Consequently, the great problem in framing a government is that the government must be able to control the people, but equally important, must be forced to control itself. The dependence of the government on the will of the people is undoubtedly the best control, but experience teaches that other controls are necessary. Dividing power helps to check its growth in any one direction, but power cannot be divided absolutely equally. In the republican form of government, the legislative branch tends to be the most powerful. That is why the framers divided the Congress into two branches, the House of Representatives and the Senate, and provided for a different method of election in each branch. Further safeguards against legislative tyranny may be neces... ...ports: Partition of powers Each Department  · Should have a will of its own  · Thus members of each should have little to do with appointments of members of the other  · Member of each should be as little dependent as possible of the others for the emoluments annexed to their offices. In framing a government 1. government needs to control the governed 2. government needs to control itself Each department should have different amounts of self-defense because some departments need it more than others. Ex. Repersentative government legislative huge – divided into subgroups. Two considerations:  · Single - All the power surrendered by the people is submitted to the administration of a single government. Compound – power first divided by two distinct governments and then each portion subdivided among separate departments.  · Guard society not only of oppression of its rulers, but also injustice of the other part. Need to guard minorities. Keeps people from just electing someone on a whim. james madison Essay -- essays research papers James Madison begins his famous federalist paper by explaining that the purpose of this essay is to help the readers understand how the structure of the proposed government makes liberty possible. Each branch should be, for the most part, in Madison's opinion, independent. To assure such independence, no one branch should have too much power in selecting members of the other two branches. If this principle were strictly followed, it would mean that the citizens should select the president, the legislators, and the judges. But, the framers recognized certain practical difficulties in making every office elective. In particular, the judicial branch would suffer because the average person is not aware of the qualifications judges should possess. Judges should have great ability, but also be free of political pressures. Since federal judges are appointed for life, their thinking will not be influenced by the president who appoints them, or the senators whose consent the president will s eek. Madison furthers, the members of each branch should not be too dependent on the members of the other two branches in the determination of their salaries. The best security against a gradual concentration of power in any one branch is to provide constitutional safeguards that would make such concentration difficult. The constitutional rights of all must check one man's personal interests and ambitions. We may not like to admit that men abuse power, but the very need for government itself proves they do, "if men were angels, no government would be necessary." Unfortunately, all men are imperfect, the rulers and the ruled. Consequently, the great problem in framing a government is that the government must be able to control the people, but equally important, must be forced to control itself. The dependence of the government on the will of the people is undoubtedly the best control, but experience teaches that other controls are necessary. Dividing power helps to check its growth in any one direction, but power cannot be divided absolutely equally. In the republican form of government, the legislative branch tends to be the most powerful. That is why the framers divided the Congress into two branches, the House of Representatives and the Senate, and provided for a different method of election in each branch. Further safeguards against legislative tyranny may be neces... ...ports: Partition of powers Each Department  · Should have a will of its own  · Thus members of each should have little to do with appointments of members of the other  · Member of each should be as little dependent as possible of the others for the emoluments annexed to their offices. In framing a government 1. government needs to control the governed 2. government needs to control itself Each department should have different amounts of self-defense because some departments need it more than others. Ex. Repersentative government legislative huge – divided into subgroups. Two considerations:  · Single - All the power surrendered by the people is submitted to the administration of a single government. Compound – power first divided by two distinct governments and then each portion subdivided among separate departments.  · Guard society not only of oppression of its rulers, but also injustice of the other part. Need to guard minorities. Keeps people from just electing someone on a whim.

Mmsd Food Service Case Study

MMSD Food Service Case Study The Madison Metropolitan School District in Madison, Wisconsin has gone through lots of modifications since the year 1965. They have grown in different ways such as proportions, and also changed the meals programs, consolidated in certain areas, and contracted with other programs.They have gotten missed on some budgets, and have gained and lost money, they have even had different sets of rules and politics that they have dealt with. But even as the challenges have come and the changes are continuously made there is a constant (if at sometimes slow) positive and steady progress There are many tips to make towards the food service production manager of the Madison Metropolitan School District.First, it is so important for them to stay up with the times and also with the politics involving school food service. This can play a pivotal role in several ways starting with things like how long children are given to eat their meals and even how clean the school ea ting area are there are also guidelines that need to be followed when it comes to the actual nutrition of the food.Second, staying with the times and knowing what the current food trends for breakfast, lunch, and also all of the options for items offered individually can help tremendously in avoiding unsatisfied â€Å"customers† or children The last suggestion that I would make would be to pay attention to the current economy to ensure they will find the best staff at a decent cost, volunteers could also help in this area. If these suggestions were put into use it would be a greater long-term advantage to the MMSD.The impact from the current economic and political conditions on MMSD in the future will mainly concentrate on cost and health or nutrition. The industry does want to offer healthier choices for the students but these healthier options often come at a greater cost and this can have a huge economical impact on the MMSD. The political influence changing and making new laws, having to worry with childhood obesity, and regulating diet will impact MMSD it will be difficult to stay on the right track and with the new regulations and rules and still be economically sound with the added cost of more nutritious options. Madison Metropolitan School District comes with an open foodservice program. This open system features a mixture of business â€Å"inputs† and â€Å"outputs† concentrating on economic, psychological, and sociological factors (Payne-Palacio, 2005)†. This technique can also be interdependent through the impacts and interactions it has using the environment. These types of inputs include money, raw materials, time, equipment, amenities, and personnel. The outputs would be the completed products; a la carte items, well prepared meals, and catered events. Mission Statement –Madison Metropolitan School District is focused providing all of its students with nutritious and appealing food options in a safe, clean and a ttractive atmosphere. Our staff is deeply devoted to working together with each other and the students to guarantee that each of the students has nutritious means and that we also make and keep an efficient plan in place that remains economically sound. MMSD Foodservice Program Illustration – Together with the Madison Metropolitan School District being so disseminate to service all 40 individual schools, you will definitely find some challenges present in the food safety area.Thankfully there is a science related meal specialist that is used by the school district that works round the clock full time to help put into use and utilize and asses programs along with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP). The main and most important concern is proper food handling techniques. Using the high turnover and also the language barrier due to a diversified staff, training gets a challenge. The MMSD has set up their very own requirements of successfully completing the SER VSAFE food safety course by most if not all their employees.This can help in ensuring every employee is properly trained. Additionally, they've taken precautionary steps with products to lessen the chance of pathogens within the operation. The meals service for MMSD serves mainly an extremely susceptible population since most of their customers are children. To be able to assist in lowering the risks towards the children, the meals safety manager must adapt their recipes to satisfy HACCP principles. The first process should begin with those recipes including raw eggs, poultry, meat, as well as dairy food (Payne-Palacio, 2005).MMSD does not permit any kind of raw meats brought into their facilities that they are taking the proper and highest precautions and doing their best to ensure the safety of the food and in turn the safety of the children they are serving. As being a new quality control manager at MMSD, the evaluation procedure for the present cleaning program is actually a cha llenge. The very first suggestion is always to discuss with the representatives of laboratories and also have them supply you with the training or the employees so that the information can be taught and carried on to other employees.The schools that don't possess a current cleaning program in place most likely don't have dish washing machines and are the primary schools which only receive pre-packs in disposable containers or things like individually packaged fruit cups, yogurt, cartons of milk or packages of crackers. This doesn't mean they just don't need to find out how you can properly clean other locations employees need to know what the proper techniques are for all locations whether or not they have pre packaged foods or the foods are prepared on site.Procedures need to be setup including guidelines and rules as to temperature of water, detergents, surface being washed, what things to use to wash it, and what's being removed. This method will include every surface food touche s. The foodservice program at MMSD has several unique characteristics which have to be taken into account when planning their menus. Some of the most important areas and aspects are cost and food selection popularity (Payne-Palacio, 2005), but they're only some of the points to consider.Using the diversity from the make-up from the school types, the initial characteristics also change. The elementary schools have to meet particular USDA nutrient options, whereas middle schools or high schools may be used as the standard food for other schools to follow. Some other things that need to be considered are food options as well as ongoing support from the surrounding community. The Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch project is really a unique program concentrating on including locally grown foods. It's a direct effect on not merely the schools and also the farmers, however the community in general.The decision by MMSD to change some of its vendors within the program from the competitive bid method will still come with some problems and issues as with any program. The main concern is the costs and whether or not they become too much in time. Inflation can be an issue, but regular auditing from the invoices is going to be essential for the school to execute. Also there is the concern of receiving 60 to 80% of the product from only one single supplier. The question is what will happen if there is an issue with a certain supplier especially if the main source is one upplier. The procedure to acquire a new and reliable supplier(s) could take months and become a challenging task to beat. There are also some unique factors that could impact even the very best vendor agreement using the kinds of meals that are purchased and sought after by the MMSD. Using the cook/chill production system consistency within the ingredients in addition to space for storage, transportation including the time and distance of travel, and preparation time are normal and predictable considerations.Using th e USDA meal program for breakfast and lunch the concern will be using the nutritional integrity with the food in line with the regulations established. Finally, with meals packed in aluminum containers the price of them along with the integrity might be sacrificed. â€Å"The best vendor agreement would need to assure every one of the requirements with the MMSD in addition with the USDA tend to be upheld. † A Food Production Center (FPC) administrator must possess expert qualities and skills to operate effectively with maintenance.The fundamental skills associated with an administrator include multi tasking, organization, the ones skills. They are exactly the same inside the FPC. However, you will find innovative skills needed at the same time. A fundamental understanding as well as knowledge of the organization is essential. Having the ability to ahead want to prevent issue is important when confronted with perishable items. Understanding how to correctly rotate stock and get ready for the upcoming days will make sure frozen products tend to be thawed and ready when they're needed.When cooking large amounts of food that will be consumed by a large number of individuals there will be the need to find adjustments that may require some changes to the recipes sustain the require a cook/chill program. The quantity of wet and dry ingredients will have to be adjusted to take into account the elevated moisture within the blast chiller. Quite often the product isn't cooked throughout because the process will finish within the final heating. In addition, the finishing touches might not be contained in the dish.Often circumstances arise inside the individual cooking targets causing conflicts together in places like the MMSD Food Production Center. The issues could include meals with both cold and hot products, variations in cooking times, in addition to a specific temperature. Through an appropriate flow of food sequence for just about any particular days work wil l alleviate the issues before they come up. While preparing new recipes for the MMSD there will need to be a focus on getting the students active in the sensory analysis have both benefits and drawbacks.The professionals range from the acceptance from the consumer thus guaranteeing the sale from the item, consumer feedback to alter what exactly is not appropriate and ruling out what exactly is not wanted before a lot of time and expenditure was wasted about it. The cons are which the students usually are not experienced in the nutritional requirements; they're basing their analysis on flavor and aesthetics alone. And also the have no idea your budget restraints; numerous recommendations usually are not feasible.Students will be pleased with pizza every single day. Inside the Madison Metropolitan School District mealtime must run successfully and effectively. Meals contain a cool pack, a hot pack, and carton of milk that the student bunch and carry towards the dining tables you can e at. Because there are more and more students released at 10 minute intervals to be fed, you will find some challenges. Timing may be the first challenge. The hot packs have to be ready for each and every number of students because they are released and can't be too hot or too cold.The lines should also move efficiently since the students take a mainly short time to consume their meals and might also have recess. Teachers should also make certain they release their students when needed. Releasing students too soon or too late could lead to a back-up within the cafeteria. Finally, space and also equipment requirements should be present to take care of the availability of meals served at each and every school. Flow of food from Receiving to Delivery – Equipment Classification –Cooking Non-cookingDish washing Service Equipment Production Equipment Equipment Equipment Combination Oven20-Quart MixerPan WasherBox Baler Range/OvenFood ProcessorDisposerCan Crusher 2-Burner Rang eSlicerPackaging Machine Convection Ovens Can Opener Fryer80-Gallon Steam Kettle Rotary Rack Oven100- Gallon Steam Kettle Booster Heater40-Quart Steam Kettle ProoferTilting Braising Pan By looking at the above list of equipment, it may seem that the menu offered through the MMSD facility is really a semi-selective menu.Using the quantity of ovens, number of kettles, in addition to mixers and fryers, I would also consider a number of food choices in a number of different food groups. In identifying the quantity of solid waste generated through the MMSD, would recommend a waste audit. Considering the variety of items currently being recycled needing to sort through precisely what is left over to find out each category will be expensive and incredibly time intensive. The audit can give accurate data for the specific requirements of MMSD.MMSD foodservice can help to eliminate the quantity of waste manufactured by exploring other available choices for recycling, particularly the aluminum cans and cardboard milk cartons. They might also consider using silverware rather than plastic ware. This could reduce waste, but might be expensive with regards to cleaning and sanitizing the utensils. Finally, I'd start discussing and recommending and teaching elementary students the importance of recycling with in the class room in which they could then put that information to good use and example during their meal times overall, the present recycling practices at MMSD are great.The very fact they recycle oil and food waste as well as the cardboard and cans is a great asset to them in the short and long term. I think a great idea would be to see if there is any way to reuse the oil or find other ways to â€Å"use the waste to avoid further landfill usage. References – Payne-Palacio, June and Theis, Monica (2005) Introduction to Foodservice, Tenth Edition, Prentice Hall http://www. localharvest. org/wisconsin-homegrown-lunch-program-farm-to-school-M11038 http://www. wisco nsinlocalfood. com/Wisc%20homegrown%20lunch. htm

Bag of Bones CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

For men, I think, love is a thing formed of equal parts lust and astonishment. The astonishment part women understand. The lust part they only think they understand. Very few perhaps one in twenty have any concept of what it really is or how deep it runs. That's probably just as well for their sleep and peace of mind. And I'm not talking about the lust of satyrs and rapists and molesters; I'm talking about the lust of shoe-clerks and high-school principals. Not to mention writers and lawyers. We turned into Mattie's dooryard at ten to eleven, and as I parked my Chevy beside her rusted-out Jeep, the trailer door opened and Mat-tie came out on the top step. I sucked in my breath, and beside me I could hear John sucking in his. She was very likely the most beautiful young woman I have ever seen in my life as she stood there in her rose-colored shorts and matching middy top. The shorts were not short enough to be cheap (my mother's word) but plenty short enough to be provocative. Her top tied in floppy string bows across the shoulders and showed just enough tan to dream on. Her hair hung to her shoulders. She was smiling and waving. I thought, She's made it take her into the country-club dining room now, dressed just as she is, and she shuts everyone else down. ‘Oh Lordy,' John said. There was a kind of dismayed longing in his voice. ‘All that and a bag of chips.' ‘Yeah,' I said. ‘Put your eyes back in your head, big boy.' He made cupping motions with his hands as if doing just that. George, meanwhile, had pulled his Altima in next to us. ‘Come on,' I said, opening my door. ‘Time to party.' ‘I can't touch her, Mike,' John said. ‘I'll melt.' ‘Come on, you goof.' Mattie came down the steps and past the pot with the tomato plant in it. Ki was behind her, dressed in an outfit similar to her mother's, only in a shade of dark green. She had the shys again, I saw; she kept one steadying hand on Mattie's leg and one thumb in her mouth. ‘The guys are here! The guys are here!' Mattie cried, laughing, and threw herself into my arms. She hugged me tight and kissed the corner of my mouth. I hugged her back and kissed her cheek. Then she moved on to John, read his shirt, patted her hands together in applause, and then hugged him. He hugged back pretty well for a guy who was afraid he might melt, I thought, picking her up off her feet and swinging her around in a circle while she hung onto his neck and laughed. ‘Rich lady, rich lady, rich lady!' John chanted, then set her down on the cork soles of her white shoes. ‘Free lady, free lady, free lady!' she chanted back. ‘The hell with rich!' Before he could reply, she kissed him firmly on the mouth. His arms rose to slip around her, but she stepped back before they could catch hold. She turned to Rommie and George, who were standing side-by-side and looking like fellows who might want to explain all about the Mormon Church. I took a step forward, meaning to do the introductions, but John was taking care of that, and one of his arms managed to accomplish its mission after all it circled her waist as he led her forward toward the men. Meanwhile a little hand slipped into mine. I looked down and saw Ki looking up at me. Her face was grave and pale and every bit as beautiful as her mother's. Her blonde hair, freshly washed and shining, was held back with a velvet scrunchy. ‘Guess the fridgeafator people don't like me now,' she said. The laughter and insouciance were gone, at least for the moment. She looked on the verge of tears. ‘My letters all went bye-bye.' I picked her up and set her in the crook of my arm as I had on the day I'd met her walking down the middle of Route 68 in her bathing suit. I kissed her forehead and then the tip of her nose. Her skin was perfect silk. ‘I know they did,' I said. ‘I'll buy you some more.' ‘Promise?' Doubtful dark blue eyes fixed on mine. ‘Promise. And I'll teach you special words like â€Å"zygote† and â€Å"bibulous†. I know lots of special words.' ‘How many?' ‘A hundred and eighty.' Thunder rumbled in the west. It didn't seem louder, but it was more focused, somehow. Ki's eyes went in that direction, then came back to mine. ‘I'm scared, Mike.' ‘Scared? Of what?' ‘Ofi don't know. The lady in Mattie's dress. The men we saw.' Then she looked over my shoulder. ‘Here comes Mommy.' I have heard actresses deliver the line Not in front of the children in that exact same tone of voice. Kyra wiggled in the circle of my arms. ‘Land me.' I landed her. Mattie, John, Rommie, and George came over to join us. Ki ran to Mattie, who picked her up and then eyed us like a general surveying her troops. ‘Got the beer?' she asked me. ‘Yessum. A case of Bud and a dozen mixed sodas, as well. Plus lemonade.' ‘Great. Mr. Kennedy ‘ ‘George, ma'am.' ‘George, then. And if you call me ma'am again, I'll punch you in the nose. I'm Mattie. Would you drive down to the Lakeview General'-she pointed to the store on Route 68, about half a mile from us ‘and get some ice?' ‘You bet.' ‘Mr. Bissonette ‘ ‘Rommie.' ‘There's a little garden at the north end of the trailer, Rommie. Can you find a couple of good-looking lettuces?' ‘I think I can handle that.' ‘John, let's get the meat into the fridge. As for you, Michael . . . ‘ She pointed to the barbecue. ‘The briquets are the self-lighting kind just drop a match and stand back. Do your duty.' ‘Aye, good lady,' I said, and dropped to my knees in front of her. That finally got a giggle out of Ki. Laughing, Mattie took my hand and pulled me back onto my feet. ‘Come on, Sir Galahad,' she said. ‘It's going to rain. I want to be safe inside and too stuffed to jump when it does.' In the city, parties begin with greetings at the door, gathered-in coats, and those peculiar little air-kisses (when, exactly, did that social oddity begin?). In the country, they begin with chores. You fetch, you carry, you hunt for stuff like barbecue tongs and oven mitts. The hostess drafts a couple of men to move the picnic table, then decides it was actually better where it was and asks them to put it back. And at some point you discover that you're having fun. I piled briquets until they looked approximately like the pyramid on the bag, then touched a match to them. They blazed up satisfyingly and I stood back, wiping my forearm across my forehead. Cool and clear might be coming, but it surely wasn't in hailing distance yet. The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west black-satin thunderheads continued to stack up. It was as if night had burst a blood-vessel in the sky over there. ‘Mike?' I looked around at Kyra. ‘What, honey?' ‘Will you take care of me?' ‘Yes,' I said with no hesitation at all. For a moment something about my response perhaps only the quickness of it seemed to trouble her. Then she smiled. ‘Okay,' she said. ‘Look, here comes the ice-man!' George was back from the store. He parked and got out. I walked over with Kyra, she holding my hand and swinging it possessively back and forth. Rommie came with us, juggling three heads of lettuce I didn't think he was much of a threat to the guy who had fascinated Ki on the common Saturday night. George opened the Altima's back door and brought out two bags of ice. ‘The store was closed,' he said. ‘Sign said WILL RE-OPEN AT 5 P.M. That seemed a little too long to wait, so I took the ice and put the money through the mail-slot.' They'd closed for Royce Merrill's funeral, of course. Had given up almost a full day's custom at the height of the tourist season to see the old fellow into the ground. It was sort of touching. I thought it was also sort of creepy. ‘Can I carry some ice?' Kyra asked. ‘I guess, but don't frizzicate yourself,' George said, and carefully put a five-pound bag of ice into Ki's outstretched arms. ‘Frizzicate,' Kyra said, giggling. She began walking toward the trailer, where Mattie was just coming out. John was behind her and regarding her with the eyes of a gutshot beagle. ‘Mommy, look! I'm frizzicating!' I took the other bag. ‘I know the icebox is outside, but don't they keep a padlock on it?' ‘I am friends with most padlocks,' George said. ‘Oh. I see.' ‘Mike! Catch!' John tossed a red Frisbee. It floated toward me, but high. I jumped for it, snagged it, and suddenly Devore was back in my head: What's wrong with you, Rogette? You never used to throw like a girl Get him! I looked down and saw Ki looking up. ‘Don't think about sad stuff,' she said. I smiled at her, then flipped her the Frisbee. ‘Okay, no sad stuff. Go on, sweetheart. Toss it to your mom. Let's see if you can.' She smiled back, turned, and made a quick, accurate flip to her mother the toss was so hard that Mattie almost flubbed it. Whatever else Kyra Devore might have been, she was a Frisbee champion in the making. Mattie tossed the Frisbee to George, who turned, the tail of his absurd brown suitcoat flaring, and caught it deftly behind his back. Mattie laughed and applauded, the hem of her top flirting with her navel. ‘Showoff!' John called from the steps. ‘Jealousy is such an ugly emotion,' George said to Rommie Bissonette, and flipped him the Frisbee. Rommie floated it back to John, but it went wide and bonked off the side of the trailer. As John hurried down the steps to get it, Mattie turned to me. ‘My boombox is on the coffee-table in the living room, along with a stack of CDs. Most of them are pretty old, but at least it's music. Will you bring them out?' ‘Sure.' I went inside, where it was hot in spite of three strategically placed fans working overtime. I looked at the grim, mass-produced furniture, and at Mattie's rather noble effort to impart some character: the van Gogh print that should not have looked at home in a trailer kitchenette but did, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks over the sofa, the tie-dyed curtains that would have made Jo laugh. There was a bravery here that made me sad for her and furious at Max Devore all over again. Dead or not, I wanted to kick his ass. I went into the living room and saw the new Mary Higgins Clark on the sofa end-table with a bookmark sticking out of it. Lying beside it in a heap were a couple of little-girl hair ribbons something about them looked familiar to me, although I couldn't remember ever having seen Ki wearing them. I stood there a moment longer, frowning, then grabbed the boombox and CDs and went back outside. ‘Hey, guys,' I said. ‘Let's rock.' I was okay until she danced. I don't know if it matters to you, but it does to me. I was okay until she danced. After that I was lost. We took the Frisbee around to the rear of the house, partly so we wouldn't piss off any funeral-bound townies with our rowdiness and good cheer, mostly because Mattie's back yard was a good place to play level ground and low grass. After a couple of missed catches, Mattie kicked off her party-shoes, dashed barefoot into the house, and came back in her sneakers. After that she was a lot better. We threw the Frisbee, yelled insults at each other, drank beer, laughed a lot. Ki wasn't much on the catching part, but she had a phenomenal arm for a kid of three and played with gusto. Rommie had set the boombox up on the trailer's back step, and it spun out a haze of late-eighties and early-nineties music: U2, Tears for Fears, the Eurythmics, Crowded House, A Flock of Seagulls, Ah-Hah, the Bangles, Melissa Etheridge, Huey Lewis and the News. It seemed to me that I knew every song, every riff. We sweated and sprinted in the noon light. We watched Mattie's long, tanned legs flash and listened to the bright runs of Kyra's laughter. At one point Rommie Bissonette went head over heels, all the change spilling out of his pockets, and John laughed until he had to sit down. Tears rolled from his eyes. Ki ran over and plopped on his defenseless lap. John stopped laughing in a hurry. ‘Ooofl' he cried, looking at me with shining, wounded eyes as his bruised balls no doubt tried to climb back inside his body. ‘Kyra Devore!' Mattie cried, looking at John apprehensively. ‘I taggled my own quartermack,' Ki said proudly. John smiled feebly at her and staggered to his feet. ‘Yes,' he said. ‘You did. And the ref calls fifteen yards for squashing.' ‘Are you okay, man?' George asked. He looked concerned, but his voice was grinning. ‘I'm fine,' John said, and spun him the Frisbee. It wobbled feebly across the yard. ‘Go on, throw. Let's see whatcha got.' The thunder rumbled louder, but the black clouds were all still west of us; the sky overhead remained a harmless humid blue. Birds still sang and crickets hummed in the grass. There was a heat-shimmer over the barbecue, and it would soon be time to slap on John's New York steaks. The Frisbee still flew, red against the green of the grass and trees, the blue of the sky. I was still in lust, but everything was still all right men are in lust all over the world and damned near all of the time, and the icecaps don't melt. But she danced, and everything changed. It was an old Don Henley song, one driven by a really nasty guitar riff. ‘Oh God, I love this one,' Mattie cried. The Frisbee came to her. She caught it, dropped it, stepped on it as if it were a hot red spot falling on a nightclub stage, and began to shake. She put her hands first behind her neck and then on her hips and then behind her back. She danced standing with the toes of her sneakers on the Frisbee. She danced without moving. She danced as they say in that song like a wave on the ocean. ‘The government bugged the men's room in the local disco lounge, And all she wants to do is dance, dance . . . To keep the boys from selling all the weapons they can scrounge, And all she wants to do, all she wants to do is dance.' Women are sexy when they dance incredibly sexy but that wasn't what I reacted to, or how I reacted. The lust I was coping with, but this was more than lust, and not copeable. It was something that sucked the wind out of me and left me feeling utterly at her mercy. In that moment she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, not a pretty woman in shorts and a middy top dancing in place on a Frisbee, but Venus revealed. She was everything I had missed during the last four years, when I'd been so badly off I didn't know I was missing anything. She robbed me of any last defenses I might have had. The age difference didn't matter. If I looked to people like my tongue was hanging out even when my mouth was shut, then so be it. If I lost my dignity, my pride, my sense of self, then so be it. Four years on my own had taught me there are worse things to lose. How long did she stand there, dancing? I don't know. Probably not long, not even a minute, and then she realized we were looking at her, rapt because to some degree they all saw what I saw and felt what I felt. For that minute or however long it was, I don't think any of us used much oxygen. She stepped off the Frisbee, laughing and blushing at the same time, confused but not really uncomfortable. ‘I'm sorry,' she said. ‘I just . . . I love that song.' ‘All she wants to do is dance,' Rommie said. ‘Yes, sometimes that's all she wants,' Mattie said, and blushed harder than ever. ‘Excuse me, I have to use the facility.' She tossed me the Frisbee and then dashed for the trailer. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself back to reality, and saw John doing the same thing. George Kennedy was wearing a mildly stunned expression, as if someone had fed him a light sedative and it was finally taking effect. Thunder rumbled. This time it did sound closer. I skimmed the Frisbee to Rommie. ‘What do you think?' ‘I think I'm in love,' he said, and then seemed to give himself a small mental shake it was a thing you could see in his eyes. ‘I also think it's time we got going on those steaks if we're going to eat outside. Want to help me?' ‘Sure.' ‘I will, too,' John said. We walked back to the trailer, leaving George and Kyra to play toss. Kyra was asking George if he had ever caught any crinimals. In the kitchen, Mattie was standing beside the open fridge and stacking steaks on a platter. ‘Thank God you guys came in. I was on the point of giving up and gobbling one of these just the way it is. They're the most beautiful things I ever saw.' ‘You're the most beautiful thing I ever saw,' John said. He was being totally sincere, but the smile she gave him was distracted and a little bemused. I made a mental note to myself: never compliment a woman on her beauty when she has a couple of raw steaks in her hands. It just doesn't turn the windmill somehow. ‘How are you at barbecuing meat?' she asked me. ‘Tell the truth, because these are way too good to mess up.' ‘I can hold my own.' ‘Okay, you're hired. John, you're assisting. Rommie, help me do salads.' ‘My pleasure.' George and Ki had come around to the front of the trailer and were now sitting in lawn-chairs like a couple of old cronies at their London club. George was telling Ki how he had shot it out with Rolfe Nedeau and the Real Bad Gang on Lisbon Street in 1993. ‘George, what's happening to your nose?' John asked. ‘It's getting so long.' ‘Do you mind?' George asked. ‘I'm having a conversation here.' ‘Mr. Kennedy has caught lots of crooked crinimals,' Kyra said. ‘He caught the Real Bad Gang and put them in Supermax.' ‘Yes,' I said. ‘Mr. Kennedy also won an Academy Award for acting in a movie called Cool Hand Luke.' ‘That's absolutely correct,' George said. He raised his right hand and crossed the two fingers. ‘Me and Paul Newman. Just like that.' ‘We have his pusgetti sauce,' Ki said gravely, and that got John laughing again. It didn't hit me the same way, but laughter is catching; just watching John was enough to break me up after a few seconds. We were howling like a couple of fools as we slapped the steaks on the grill. It's a wonder we didn't burn our hands off. ‘Why are they laughing?' Ki asked George. ‘Because they're foolish men with little tiny brains,' George said. ‘Now listen, Ki I got them all except for the Human Headcase. He jumped into his car and I jumped into mine. The details of that chase are nothing for a little girl to hear ‘ George regaled her with them anyway while John and I stood grinning at each other across Mattie's barbecue. ‘This is great, isn't it?' John said, and I nodded. Mattie came out with corn wrapped in aluminum foil, followed by Rommie, who had a large salad bowl clasped in his arms and negotiated the steps carefully, trying to peer over the top of the bowl as he made his way down them. We sat at the picnic table, George and Rommie on one side, John and I flanking Mattie on the other. Ki sat at the head, perched on a stack of old magazines in a lawn-chair. Mattie tied a dishtowel around her neck, an indignity Ki submitted to only because (a) she was wearing new clothes, and (b) a dishtowel wasn't a baby-bib, at least technically speaking. We ate hugely salad, steak (and John was right, it really was the best I'd ever had), roasted corn on the cob, ‘strewberry snortcake' for dessert. By the time we'd gotten around to the snortcake, the thunderheads were noticeably closer and there was a hot, jerky breeze blowing around the yard. ‘Mattie, if I never eat a meal as good as this one again, I won't be surprised,' Rommie said. ‘Thanks ever so much for having me.' ‘Thank you,' she said. There were tears standing in her eyes. She took my hand on one side and John's on the other. She squeezed both. ‘Thank you all. If you knew what things were like for Ki and me before this last week . . . ‘ She shook her head, gave John and me a final squeeze, and let go. ‘But that's over.' ‘Look at the baby,' George said, amused. Ki had slumped back in her lawn-chair and was looking at us with glazing eyes. Most of her hair had come out of the scrunchy and lay in clumps against her cheeks. There was a dab of whipped cream on her nose and a single yellow kernel of corn sitting in the middle of her chin. ‘I threw the Frisbee six fousan times,' Kyra said. She spoke in a distant, declamatory tone. ‘I tired.' Mattie started to get up. I put my hand on her arm. ‘Let me?' She nodded, smiling. ‘If you want.' I picked Kyra up and carried her around to the steps. Thunder rumbled again, a long, low roll that sounded like the snarl of a huge dog. I looked up at the encroaching clouds, and as I did, movement caught my eye. It was an old blue car heading west on Wasp Hill Road toward the lake. The only reason I noticed it was that it was wearing one of those stupid bumper-stickers from the Village Cafe: HORN BROKEN WATCH FOR FINGER. I carried Ki up the steps and through the door, turning her so I wouldn't bump her head. ‘Take care of me,' she said in her sleep. There was a sadness in her voice that chilled me. It was as if she knew she was asking the impossible. ‘Take care of me, I'm little, Mama says I'm a little guy.' ‘I'll take care of you,' I said, and kissed that silky place between her eyes again. ‘Don't worry, Ki, go to sleep.' I carried her to her room and put her on her bed. By then she was totally conked out. I wiped the cream off her nose and picked the corn-kernel off her chin. I glanced at my watch and saw it was ten 'til two. They would be gathering at Grace Baptist by now. Bill Dean was wearing a gray tie. Buddy Jellison had a hat on. He was standing behind the church with some other men who were smoking before going inside. I turned. Mattie was in the doorway. ‘Mike,' she said. ‘Come here, please.' I went to her. There was no cloth between her waist and my hands this time. Her skin was warm, and as silky as her daughter's. She looked up at me, her lips parted. Her hips pressed forward, and when she felt what was hard down there, she pressed harder against it. ‘Mike,' she said again. I closed my eyes. I felt like someone who has just come to the doorway of a brightly lit room full of people laughing and talking. And dancing. Because sometimes that is all we want to do. I want to come in, I thought. That's what I want to do, all I want to do. Let me do what I want. Let me I realized I was saying it aloud, whispering it rapidly into her ear as I held her with my hands going up and down her back, my fingertips ridging her spine, touching her shoulderblades, then coming around in front to cup her small breasts. ‘Yes,' she said. ‘What we both want. Yes. That's fine.' Slowly, she reached up with her thumbs and wiped the wet places from under my eyes. I drew back from her. ‘The key ‘ She smiled a little. ‘You know where it is.' ‘I'll come tonight.' ‘Good.' ‘I've been . . . ‘ I had to clear my throat. I looked at Kyra, who was deeply asleep. ‘I've been lonely. I don't think I knew it, but I have been.' ‘Me too. And I knew it for both of us. Kiss, please.' I kissed her. I think our tongues touched, but I'm not sure. What I remember most clearly is the liveness of her. She was like a dreidel lightly spinning in my arms. ‘Hey!' John called from outside, and we sprang apart. ‘You guys want to give us a little help? It's gonna rain!' ‘Thanks for finally making up your mind,' she said to me in a low voice. She turned and hurried back up the doublewide's narrow corridor. The next time she spoke to me, I don't think she knew who she was talking to, or where she was. The next time she spoke to me, she was dying. ‘Don't wake the baby,' I heard her tell John, and his response: ‘Oh, sorry, sorry.' I stood where I was a moment longer, getting my breath, then slipped into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. I remember seeing a blue plastic whale in the bathtub as I turned to take a towel off the rack. I remember thinking that it probably blew bubbles out of its spout-hole, and I even remember having a momentary glimmer of an idea a children's story about a spouting whale. Would you call him Willie? Nah, too obvious. Wilhelm, now that had a fine round ring to it, simultaneously grand and amusing. Wilhelm the Spouting Whale. I remember the bang of thunder from overhead. I remember how happy I was, with the decision finally made and the night to look forward to. I remember the murmur of men's voices and the murmur of Mattie's response as she told them where to put the stuff. Then I heard all of them going back out again. I looked down at myself and saw a certain lump was subsiding. I remember thinking there was nothing so absurd-looking as a sexually excited man and knew I'd had this same thought before, perhaps in a dream. I left the bathroom, checked on Kyra again rolled over on her side, fast asleep and then went down the hall. I had just reached the living room when gunfire erupted outside. I never confused the sound with thunder. There was a moment when my mind fumbled toward the idea of backfires some kid's hotrod and then I knew. Part of me had been expecting something to happen . . . but it had been expecting ghosts rather than gunfire. A fatal lapse. It was the rapid pah! pah! pah! of an auto-fire weapon a Glock nine-millimeter, as it turned out. Mattie screamed a high, drilling scream that froze my blood. I heard John cry out in pain and George Kennedy bellow, ‘Down, down! For the love of Christ, get her down!' Something hit the trailer like a hard spatter of hail a rattle of punching sounds running from west to east. Something split the air in front of my eyes I heard it. There was an almost-musical sproing sound, like a snapping guitar string. On the kitchen table, the salad bowl one of them had just brought in shattered. I ran for the door and nearly dived down the cement-block steps. I saw the barbecue overturned, with the glowing coals already setting patches of the scant front-yard grass on fire. I saw Rommie Bissonette sitting with his legs outstretched, looking stupidly down at his ankle, which was soaked with blood. Mattie was on her hands and knees by the barbecue with her hair hanging in her face it was as if she meant to sweep up the hot coals before they could cause some real trouble. John staggered toward me, holding out a hand. The arm above it was soaked with blood. And I saw the car I'd seen before the nondescript sedan with the joke sticker on it. It had gone up the road the men inside making that first pass to check us out then turned around and come back. The shooter was still leaning out the front passenger window. I could see the stubby smoking weapon in his hands. It had a wire stock. His features were a blue blank broken only by huge gaping eyesockets a ski-mask. Overhead, thunder gave a long, awakening roar. George Kennedy was walking toward the car, not hurrying, kicking hot spilled coals out of his way as he went, not bothering about the dark-red stain that was spreading on the right thigh of his pants, reaching behind himself, not hurrying even when the shooter pulled back in and shouted ‘Go go go!' at the driver, who was also wearing a blue mask, George not hurrying, no, not hurrying a bit, and even before I saw the pistol in his hand, I knew why he had never taken off his absurd Pa Kettle suit jacket, why he had even played Frisbee in it. The blue car (it turned out to be a 1987 Ford registered to Mrs. Sonia Belliveau of Auburn and reported stolen the day before) had pulled over onto the shoulder and had never really stopped rolling. Now it accelerated, spewing dry brown dust out from under its rear tires, fishtailing, knocking Mattie's RFD box off its post and sending it flying into the road. George still didn't hurry. He brought his hands together, holding his gun with his right and steadying with his left. He squeezed off five deliberate shots. The first two went into the trunk I saw the holes appear. The third blew in the back window of the departing Ford, and I heard someone shout in pain. The fourth went I don't know where. The fifth blew the left rear tire. The Ford veered to that side. The driver almost brought it back, then lost it completely. The car ploughed into the ditch thirty yards below Mattie's trailer and rolled over on its side. There was a whumpf! and the rear end was engulfed in flames. One of George's shots must have hit the gas-tank. The shooter began struggling to get out through the passenger window. ‘Ki . . . get Ki . . . away . . . ‘ A hoarse, whispering voice. Mattie was crawling toward me. One side of her head the right side still looked all right, but the left side was a ruin. One dazed blue eye peered out from between clumps of bloody hair. Skull-fragments littered her tanned shoulder like bits of broken crockery. How I would love to tell you I don't remember any of this, how I would love to have someone else tell you that Michael Noonan died before he saw that, but I cannot. Alas is the word for it in the crossword puzzles, a four-letter word meaning to express great sorrow. ‘Ki . . . Mike, get Ki . . . ‘ I knelt and put my arms around her. She struggled against me. She was young and strong, and even with the gray matter of her brain bulging through the broken wall of her skull she struggled against me, crying for her daughter, wanting to reach her and protect her and get her to safety. ‘Mattie, it's all right,' I said. Down at the Grace Baptist Church, at the far end of the zone I was in, they were singing ‘Blessed Assurance' . . . but most of their eyes were as blank as the eye now peering at me through the tangle of bloody hair. ‘Mattie, stop, rest, it's all right.' ‘Ki . . . get Ki . . . don't let them . . . ‘ ‘They won't hurt her, Mattie, I promise.' She slid against me, slippery as a fish, and screamed her daughter's name, holding out her bloody hands toward the trailer. The rose-colored shorts and top had gone bright red. Blood spattered the grass as she thrashed and pulled. From down the hill there was a guttural explosion as the Ford's gas-tank exploded. Black smoke rose toward a black sky. Thunder roared long and loud, as if the sky were saying You want noise? Yeah? I'll give you noise. ‘Say Mattie's all right, Mike!' John cried in a wavering voice. ‘Oh for God's sake say she's ‘ He dropped to his knees beside me, his eyes rolling up until nothing showed but the whites. He reached for me, grabbed my shoulder, then tore damned near half my shirt off as he lost his battle to stay conscious and fell on his side next to Mattie. A curd of white goo bubbled from one corner of his mouth. Twelve feet away, near the overturned barbecue, Rommie was trying to get on his feet, his teeth clenched in pain. George was standing in the middle of Wasp Hill Road, reloading his gun from a pouch he'd apparently had in his coat pocket and watching as the shooter worked to get clear of the overturned car before it was engulfed. The entire right leg of George's pants was red now. He may live but he'll never wear that suit again, I thought. I held Mattie. I put my face down to hers, put my mouth to the ear that was still there and said: ‘Kyra's okay. She's sleeping. She's fine, I promise.' Mattie seemed to understand. She stopped straining against me and collapsed to the grass, trembling all over. ‘Ki . . . Ki . . . ‘ This was the last of her talking on earth. One of her hands reached out blindly, groped at a tuft of grass, and yanked it out. ‘Over here,' I heard George saying. ‘Get over here, motherfuck, don't you even think about turning your back on me.' ‘How bad is she?' Rommie asked, hobbling over. His face was as white as paper. And before I could reply: ‘Oh Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Blessed be the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Oh Mary born without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee. Oh no, oh Mike, no.' He began again, this time lapsing into Lewiston street-French, what the old folks call La Parle. ‘Quit it,' I said, and he did. It was as if he had only been waiting to be told. ‘Go inside and check on Kyra. Can you?' ‘Yes.' He started toward the trailer, holding his leg and lurching along. With each lurch he gave a high yip of pain, but somehow he kept going. I could smell burning tufts of grass. I could smell electric rain on a rising wind. And under my hands I could feel the light spin of the dreidel slowing down as she went. I turned her over, held her in my arms, and rocked her back and forth. At Grace Baptist the minister was now reading Psalm 139 for Royce: If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light. The minister was reading and the Martians were listening. I rocked her back and forth in my arms under the black thunderheads. I was supposed to come to her that night, use the key under the pot and come to her. She had danced with the toes of her white sneakers on the red Frisbee, had danced like a wave on the ocean, and now she was dying in my arms while the grass burned in little clumps and the man who had fancied her as much as I had lay unconscious beside her, his right arm painted red from the short sleeve of his WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS tee-shirt all the way down to his bony, freckled wrist. ‘Mattie,' I said. ‘Mattie, Mattie, Mattie.' I rocked her and smoothed my hand across her forehead, which on the right side was miraculously unsplattered by the blood that had drenched her. Her hair fell over the ruined left side of her face. ‘Mattie,' I said. ‘Mattie, Mattie, oh Mattie.' Lightning flashed the first stroke I had seen. It lit the western sky in a bright blue arc. Mattie trembled strongly in my arms all the way from neck to toes she trembled. Her lips pressed together. Her brow furrowed, as if in concentration. Her hand came up and seemed to grab for the back of my neck, as a person falling from a cliff may grasp blindly at anything to hold on just a little longer. Then it fell away and lay limply on the grass, palm up. She trembled once more the whole delicate weight of her trembled in my arms and then she was still.

Tomorrow Is Another Country essays

Tomorrow Is Another Country essays South Africas transition from apartheid to a multicultural government was a great achievement, one due to those who worked very hard to promote understanding between the white population and the black population. Over a period of five years, the black African National Congress and the white Afrikaners secretly met and discussed the future of South Africa. These meetings created an understanding between the two races that had never previously existed through South Africas long history. With this understanding between them, a multicultural government was created in South Africa, one that included everyone and excluded no one. However, this was not an easy task at all. It took the willingness of both sides to sit down and discuss the issues they were facing and how they needed to be addressed. There had been key players on both sides, behind-the-scene people who were working to end apartheid and establish equality. In his novel, Tomorrow is Another Country, Allister Sparks takes us into the important events that happened in this time that made it possible for apartheid to end and who had had a hand in creating the new government in place today. In writing his novel, Sparks had interviewed those who had played an important role in ending apartheid in the country and creating a new system. The novel started with a meeting between Kobie Coetsee, the minister of justice, and Nelson Mandela in 1985. Soon, these meetings involved government officials, intelligence officials, and the African National Congress by 1986. Over the next four years, they met in places such as Lucerne, Switzerland, and even a hospital room. These characters included those who had been in contact with Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment on Robbens Island and also those who had helped to establish contact between the Afrikaners and the exiled African National Congress. In this novel, Sparks explains how apartheid...

British Airways Essay Example

British Airways Essay Example British Airways Essay British Airways Essay Date| Event| Source| May 12, 2011| BA on the up after dispute dealBritish Airways has achieved a victory, albeit, at a considerable cost, that should stand it in good stead after cabin crew backed a deal to end the longest and most bitter dispute in the transport sector for years. Union had achieved an â€Å"honourable settlement† and pledged to work in a â€Å"spirit of partnership† to repair damage to the airline’s brand. Keith Williams, BA’s recently appointed chief executive, for being â€Å"strong, brave and courageous† in reaching the agreement. The settlement includes a two-year pay deal worth up to 7. per cent. It comprises an inflation-linked rise of up to 4 per cent this year, including 1. 1 per cent dependent on productivity savings, and 3. 5 per cent next, including 0. 5 per cent dependent on savings. The dispute started over cost-cutting but developed into a row over travel concessions removed from Unite members who went on strike, as w ell as suspensions and dismissals. The union was powerless to stop the original cause of the dispute – 1,700 full-time job losses among cabin crew as BA removed at least one crew member from most long-haul flights, saving ? 3m a year. It has also hired 700 new crew in its so called â€Å"mixed fleet† on certain routes, earning ? 17,000 a year on average compared with ? 29,000 for existing Heathrow cabin crew. That programme should yield ? 160m annual savings within a decade. â€Å"I think there is no question that it is a victory for British Airways but it comes at a cost,† said Douglas McNeill, at Charles Stanley Securities. Andrew Lobbenberg at RBS said â€Å"the economics of the dispute were won by BA about nine months ago† and it had gained â€Å"the credibility of being firm†. | Unread (Ft. om)Public View, Banks| May 12, 2011| Union welcomes BA deal that avoids humiliationUnion officials accused the company of â€Å"holding a gun† to th e heads of staff and in December that year, cabin crew announced a 12-day strike over Christmas after a 9-1 vote in favour of industrial action. High Court ruled that the strike could not go ahead because Unite had balloted hundreds of members who had subsequently left the company. March last year that the first three-day strike began after a second ballot. There were 22 days of strikes in total last spring, costing the airline an estimated ? 150m but BA managed to keep most of its customers flying. Some blamed Mr Walsh’s intransigence for prolonging the dispute but analysts praised him for preparing well. The airline had enough cash to fight a long battle and used a volunteer workforce, as well as aircraft hired from other airlines, to keep flights going. There was relief among Unite’s cabin crew members on Thursday that a formula had been found to end the dispute without more humiliation. An agreement come to reject by Bassa, Unite’s main cabin crew branch, this is due to the Mr Walsh said Unite had a â€Å"dysfunctional† relationship with Bassa, which operates largely autonomous. | Unread (Ft. om)Union views AND Cabin crew views| 14 May 2011 | BA workers vote to ballot on new dealOver 500 union members gathered for a mass meeting about the deal in West London today. Best summed up by one worker who said, The press and BA have damned us. But we have come out on top- they should say that. There will also be a pay increase totalling 7. 5 percent over two years- 4 percent this year, backdated, and 3. 5 percent next year. It is unclear whether there are productivity requirements attached. Management has also agreed that there will be no unilateral imposition of any new terms and conditions without full negotiations with the union. But a thread of uncertainty ran through the contributions from cabin crew during and after the meeting. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey told the meeting the sackings were nonsensical. But the agreement does not include the full reinstatement of the sacked staff. Mc Cluskey said, All it agrees to is binding arbitration. And those who have already been through an employment tribunal and are waiting for results,and dealt separately. McCluskeys only reference to this was to say, Change is with us. There is no point rejecting change, we have to embrace it. He also described a change within management psyche. It is no surprise that this psychobabble left crew feeling unsettled. McCluskey said the union would be making a strong recommendation that members accept it, and that he was very confident they would. Another expressed concern over the way in which the union was trying to push a deal on crew rather than allow an open discussion about pros and cons. Many asked how Bassa would su rvive when the mixed fleet remained and new starters were all employed on worse conditions. Nearly two years of a media witch-hunt and abuse from BA, it is no surprise that many cabin crew feel relieved to have a deal. Furthermore, Solidarity, something cabin crew have fought hard for, cannot be dropped now. Allowing BA to employ workers on worse terms will weaken the position of the union. According to the Bassa members, they are willing to fight in 5ballots as in But no deal should be agreed without the reinstatement of every sacked worker, and without the issue of new starters being resolved. Union said it will not call for more strike dates. | Unread ( Socialist Worker Online. A revolutionary anti-capitalist paper I Britain)Cabin crews view Union view | 12 May 2011 * | BA and union agree to end disputeBritish Airways and the Unite union have reached an agreement to settle their long-running industrial dispute. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said, We always said that this dispute could only be settled by negotiation, not by confrontation or litigation. And so it h as proved, he said. I am particularly pleased that travel concessions will be restored. The union said BA had agreed to restore travel concessions to staff who went on strike and award a two-year pay deal worth up to 7. %. Under the pay deal, staff will get up to a 4% rise this year and 3. 5% next year. The awards are linked to proposed productivity changes, but the exact details are not known at this stage. BA said: On behalf of our customers, we are very pleased the threat of industrial action has been lifted and that we have reached a point where we can put this dispute behind us. Our agreement with Unite involves acknowledgement by the union that the cost-saving structural changes we have made in cabin crew operations are permanent. We have also agreed changes that will modernise our crew industrial relations and help ensure that this kind of dispute cannot occur again, the airline said. A recent change of leadership at both British Airways and Unite was seen to have given fresh impetus to a desire to reach agreement. Mr Duncan Holley, who was one of those sacked by the airline during the dispute, said the airline had taken some brave steps, and the union should match those brave steps. He said, a wind of change at BA under new chief executive, Keith Williams. The dispute began in 2009 over cost cutting but became bogged down over the loss of travel perks to striking staff and the dismissal of some employees who joined the industrial action. The strikes have resulted in travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers and the bill for the disruption caused to BA has been estimated to be ? 150m. BAs years of industrial turbulence2009 * Oct 6: BA announces 1,700 cabin crew job cuts and pay freeze2010 * Mar 20: Start of 3-day strike, with dispute inflamed by BA decision to withdraw perks. * April: More strikes follow over the busy Easter period * May 17: BA wins injunction against further strikes after peace talks collapse * May 20: Unite wins appeal and strikes back on * May 22: Talks to avert walkouts end in disarray after demonstrators storm building, and chief executive Willie Walsh escorted away for protection * June: More strikes take total days lost to 22 * July 20: Cabin crew reject new offer * July 31: It emerges that more than 80 cabin crew have been suspended and 13 sacked because of incidents related to the dispute2011 * Jan 21: Cabin crew vote for fresh strikes, but action halted by new legal wrangling * Mar 28: Cabin crew vote by a ratio of 8-1 for strikes in new ballot * May 12: BA and Unite agree deal to avert further strikes| Unread (BBC news Business)Union viewsBA management viewsCabin crew views| 12 May 2011| BA and Unite reach deal to end cabin crew strikesUnion members to vote on settlement with British Airways that restores travel privileges and takes sac kings into arbitration. The deal is being put to a mass meeting of Unite members near Heathrow airport and is expected to be recommended for acceptance in a ballot. The deal will end 18 months of hostilities that included 22 days of walkouts. It includes the restoration of travel concessions for cabin crew, the issue that was holding up a settlement. McCluskey said: We always said that this dispute could only be settled by negotiation, not by confrontation or litigation. And so it has proved. We are delighted to have reached an agreement which I believe recognises the rights and dignity of cabin crew as well as the commercial requirements of the company. This agreement will allow us to go forward in partnership together to strengthen this great British company – good news for BA, its employees and its customers alike. I am particularly pleased that staff travel concessions will be restored in full with the signing of the agreement and the implementation of the new structure for working together that we have negotiated. A customer-oriented business can only succeed with all its employees valued and respected. A BA spokesman said: We have a lso agreed changes that will modernise our crew industrial relations and help ensure that this kind of dispute cannot occur again. Our agreement with Unite involves acknowledgement by the union that the cost-saving structural changes we have made in cabin crew operations are permanent. Two previous peace agreements were scrapped after Unite declined to recommend them because of concerns over sanctions against crew members who took part in strikes last year. It is understood the agreement restores staff travel perks stripped from thousands of crew who took part in the strikes, as well as allowing arbitration of the dozens of disciplinary cases – including sackings – that were linked to the dispute. BAs worst ever industrial relations dispute began in 2009 when the airline unilaterally reduced staffing levels on long-haul flights after a voluntary redundancy programme. Unite launched a strike ballot in protest at the cuts and the lack of consultation, triggering a year of high court hearings, strike votes and walkouts. In a bizarre interlude in the peace talks between Walsh and Woodley last year, members of the Socialist Workers party broke into discussions at the Acas conciliation service. | Unread (The guardian)Union ViewsBA management views| 2 May 2011| Unite to vote on deal to end BA disputeThe British Airways cabin crew union has voted almost unanimously to back a deal to end the longest and most bitter confrontation in the transport industry for years. Staff travel concessions, which had been removed from workers who went on strike last year, will be restored once the deal has finally been accepted. Disciplinary cases against dozens of Unite members arising from the dispute will be put to binding arbitration under the auspices of Acas, the conciliation service. The change in the leadership on each side gave fresh impetus to moves to resolve the dispute, leading to a fresh round of talks in recent weeks. For the first time, representatives of Bassa, a branch of the Transport ; General Worker’s Union, were involved. Mr McCluskey said: â€Å"There is a change within the management psyche at British Airways driven by the chief executive. If we embrace this we are confident that the future will look good. ’’ He said: the underlying reason had been a â€Å"deep sense of grievance† that cabin crew were not being respected. He was it was not a matter of winners or losers. But he told members they could be proud of showing â€Å"the type of union solidarity that is absolutely astounding†. | Unread (Ft. com)Union views| 11 May 2011| BA and Unite union move closer to ending cabin crew disputeAgreement comes after nearly 18 months of hostilities, including 22 days of walkouts, and will be debated by BA crew at Unite meeting near Heathrow airport. Bassa, Unites main cabin rew branch, said in email to members: The talks have now concluded to the satisfaction of both parties. If the branch agrees, the negotiated settlement will be put to the full membership in a postal ballot. Br itish Airways and the Unite trade union have taken a significant step towards ending a long-running dispute with cabin crew after agreeing a peace deal on Wednesday. | Unread (The guardian)Union views| 11 May 2011| BBC News BA strike: Hopes rise for end to cabin crew disputeThe long-running dispute between British Airways and some of its cabin crew may be close to being resolved. An offer will be put to a meeting of members at Heathrow on Thursday. If members endorse it with a show of hands, they will be formally balloted. A spokesman for Bassa, the British Airways cabin crew union which is a branch of the Unite union, confirmed that talks have now concluded to the satisfaction of both parties. Talks between the two sides have been going on for weeks. They began in March when cabin crew voted in favour of a further round of industrial action. The union held back from announcing dates pending negotiations. | Unread (BBC news Business)Union views| 27 April 2010| Reject BA offer, Unite urges crewThe union representing British Airways cabin crew has said it will strongly recommend that its members reject the latest offer from the airline. Talks between the two parties failed to reach agreement, so the Unite union will now ballot members on the offer. Unite said it would not announce strike dates at this stage. The blame for this rests exclusively with an intransigent management which is determined to attack trade unionism and persecute its employees who supported the strike action last month, said Unites j oint general secretary Tony Woodley. Mr Woodley accused BA of victimising cabin crew who had their travel perks taken away after the strike, and of taking vindictive and disproportionate disciplinary action against it members. BA said it was extremely disappointed that Unite was urging its members to reject our latest offer and apparently preparing for a further strike shortly after the general election campaign. The airline accused the union of showing callous disregard for passengers. It said the offer put to Unite was fair. BA can ill afford further disruption after seven days of strikes last month, which it says cost the airline up to ? 45m, and the disruption to flights caused by volcanic ash thrown into the atmosphere by an Icelandic volcano earlier this month. The airline is expected to announce the biggest loss in its privatised history when it reports its annual results later this year. Last year it lost more than ? 400m. | Unread (BBC news Business)Union viewsBA management views| 21 November 2010| Unite chooses McCluskey as leaderLen McCluskey has been elected leader of the UKs biggest trade union, Unite. His win, with 101,000 votes, will see him take over from joint general secretaries Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson who have been in post since the union formed in 2007. His win, with 101,000 votes, will see him take over from joint general secretaries Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson who have been in post since the union formed in 2007. He said: My first task now will be to bring our union together and unite it in a campaign against the devastation the Government is unleashing against working people and their communities throughout the land. He was closely involved with a dispute between British Airways and its cabin crew which resulted in a series of strikes. Also briefly some of the successful jobs experienced in his historical of life. He later became Unites assistant general secretary for industrial strategy. He has been a member of the Labour Party for 39 years. Unite has more than 1. 4m members and was formed by the merger between two of Britains leading unions, the Transport and General Workers Union and Amicus. | Unread (BBC news Business)Union views| 24 November 2010| Unite pledges alliance of resistanceLen McCluskey, the newly elected leader of Unite, Britains biggest trade union, today put himself and his union at the forefront of an alliance of resistance that he promised would rock the establishment and force the coalition government to step back from its plans to decimate the very fabric of the welfare state. He also claimed that an anger was building up in the country that surpassed the era of the poll tax demonstrations and claimed there was a very, very real possibility that the Liberal Democrats would implode as a party. In an interview with the Guardian he promised he would not be cowering in the corner, but instead would be shouting from the rooftops to force the coalition government to stop its cuts. He went on: I am not interested in subtlety. I understand what is happening to ordinary working people – their jobs are being lost, their families and the future of their children are being threatened, their houses are being repossessed and they are looking around for someone to give them help. There is an anger building up the likes of which we have not seen in our country since the poll tax. I can feel something stronger than that building so it is the responsibility of the trades unions more than anyone else to give some guidance to that anger and put it in a manner that will hopefully make the government take a step back. He insisted he would not be rushing ahead of his troops. We have got to make people believe that people power can do anything because that is what the history of our movement tells us and indeed that is what the history of the world tells us. Quotes the examples: [Nelson] Mandela may have taken that position over the laws of apartheid and [Mahatma] Gandhi may have taken that position over the laws of colonialism and imperialism, and the Suffragettes might have said we do not accept the law of the land. So I do not think we should get hung up in this belief certainly as trade union leaders that the law is given down from Mount Sinai and we cannot challenge it. . In addition, I have got no intention of playing the bosses game of being dragged into cul-de-sacs and courts, and having to be fined by courts with our members money. He is planning a series of conferences and tracking polls to check his memberships views. There are good people in the Liberal Democrats who have long been on the side of decency and justice. A lot of them are deeply dissatisfied, and if we build our resistance, and that may bring pressure to bear inside their party. The people we have to influence are the Liberal Democrats. We have got to start putting pressure on politicians particularly the Liberal Democrats; they have to be held accountable for what they have done there. They have tried to give the impression this would be a government of consensus but where is the consensus? | Unread (The guardian)Union view on protecting human rights| 4 March 2011| Unions hail court strike rulingTwo rail unions have welcomed a court ruling that prevents minor mistakes in balloting being used to halt strikes. Examples cases happening in two rail union. Trade union leaders called the ruling a major step for industrial freedom. Two strikes that were planned separately by the RMT on Londons Docklands Light Railway and by Aslef on London Midland were halted in the courts because of what were seen as technicalities. In the Aslef dispute, an overwhelming yes vote was set aside, because the employer objected to two ballot papers that had been sent to two members who were not entitled to take part. The court said in future that the information should be as accurate as was reasonably practicable and that allowances should be made for small accidental failures in administration. Richard Arthur, from the law firm Thompsons, who acted in the case, said the were a major victory for the union movement. Theres been a series of cases over the last 18 months to two years where employers have found it easier to get injunctions and the way the legislation has been interpreted by the courts has been ever more restrictive, he said. This case redresses that balance and interprets the legislation in the way its supposed to be interpreted. Keith Norman, Aslefs general secretary, said it had been almost impossible to take legal strike action in the UK. If the employer could find the tiniest discrepancy, the courts would find in the employers favour, he said. Bob Crow, leader of the RMT, called the result a massive victory and said it paved the way for millions of members to take action over cuts to jobs and services in the coming months. Unread (BBC news Business)Rails Union view Rails Union view| 28 January 2011| A tsunami of resistanceThe Trades Union Congress meets today to decide how it will respond to government spending cuts. Last September, it voted to organise co-ordinated resistance to these cuts. Since then, it has been educating its members and the public about the scale and detrimental impact of the cuts on public services and the economy at large. Now, it has to turn to the issue of mobilising opposition. It is organising what it hopes will be a massive demonstration on 26 March. And while t his will be an important barometer of whether there is support for resistance, the crucial issue is whether or not the unions can organise co-ordinated strike action – which is effective. Governments can ignore one-off demos but not action that stops services and the economy. What is co-ordinated strike action? It is unions organising separate industrial disputes so that workers in different parts of the public and private sectors strike together on the same day thereby creating a political punch at the government. The idea is the whole is greater than the sum of parts. If the strikes are not aggregated together, they will remain as just the odd strike here and there. Would this be lawful? The unions are not talking about a general strike. General strikes are unlawful as they are political strikes against a government and not an employer. But co-ordinated action would be lawful so long as each individual strike comprised a trade dispute with an employer and had a lawful mandate for action after going through the balloting and notification process. Thus, unions could not be sued for loss of business by employers. How could it happen? Despite the cuts being enforced by central government, their impact will take place at different times and with different effects in different parts of the public sector as individual employers take action to balance their books. This means it will be a difficult – though not impossible – task to synchronise all the groups of workers that want to take action. That is why unions may move first on pension reform, because this will affect a large number of workers at the same time and in the same way. Wont it seem that unions are just protecting their own vested interest? The downside of moving on pensions is that it is harder to portray this action as defending public services. If action was taken on redundancies, the argument could be made that reducing jobs also meant reducing service provision so that an alliance of service providers and users could be created. What about the wider anti-cuts movement? Unions have 7 million members and significant financial resources. But they will not win this battle on their own. They need to ally with others. But by the same token, others need to ally with them. Out of todays meeting needs to come a commitment by all unions to put their shoulder to the wheel to work effectively with campaigning organisations to create a tsunami of resistance. | Unread (The guardian)Explanation on the rightful legislation| 25 January 2011| BA strike: pilots union warns on safety and moraleThe leader of Britains largest pilot union has warned that the British Airways cabin crew dispute could endanger safety at the airline and has damaged trade unionism in the UK. Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said the war within BA could endanger safety and urged the airline to act so that safety is not prejudiced. Last year a BA pilot told the Guardian that the dispute between the airline and the Unite trade union had created unsustainable working conditions on flights, due to the carrier using a volunteer workforce during strikes that included some pilots. He added, added that the aftermath of the cabin crew dispute could resemble the consequences of the miners strike in the mid-1980s, when communities were divided between strike-breakers and strikers. After all of this is over there will have to be a process by which everyone works together again. You cannot have what happened after the miners strike where there are still people in villages not talking to each other. Unite had become a prisoner of its main cabin crew branch, Bassa, McAuslan added. He also claimed that conciliation service Acas and the leader of the TUC, Brendan Barber, would agree with BAs argument that Unite and Bassa have a dysfunctional relationship. He said: I think Unite have become prisoners of a local branch that has lost the plot a bit If you speak to Acas and Brendan [Barber] they would probably agree that there is dysfunctionality within Unite. Unite argues that it has had no choice but to fight back against what it perceives to be a concerted union-breaking strategy at BA and believes that the dispute, originally over staffing cuts, would have been settled long ago if the airline was not determined to hobble Bassa. BA has consistently denied accusations of union breaking. McAuslan said Balpa supported the democracy of the latest Unite vote but indicated that pilots would not back the dispute. Last week nearly 80% of Unite-affiliated crew at BA voted in favour of strike action, although the union is holding off from setting walkout dates after calling for renewed negotiations with the airline. Responding to McAuslans comments on safety, a BA spokesman said: All of our crew are extremely professional and are trained to the very highest standards. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority and would never be compromised. | Unread (The guardian)Public views (Balpa)Union viewsBA management views| (BA-18)January 21, 2011/ 7:21pm| FT. om / Companies / UK companies BA cabin crew vote for more strikesBritish Airways is facing the threat of further strikes by its cabin crew after they voted heavily in favour of more walkouts, overshadowing completion of the airline’s merger with Spain’s Iberia. The Unite union said its members h ad voted by 5,751 to 1,579 to take further industrial action on a turnout of 75 per cent. It follows 22 days of strikes last spring which cost the airline more than ? 150m and prolongs a bitter dispute that has already lasted more than a year. The turnout among the union’s 10,220 members and the majority in favour of action of 78. 5 per cent were not far short of Unite’s two previous strike ballots. The union held back from naming strike dates and called for more negotiationsThe result was revealed as BA finalised its merger with Iberia to create a new holding company, International Consolidated Airlines Group. Shares in IAG will be listed in London and Madrid from Monday, with BA and Iberia retaining their brands in a link-up intended to save â‚ ¬400m (? 337m) a year within five years and pave the way for acquisitions. The airline has said if there are more strikes it expects to fly 100 per cent of long-haul and most short-haul flights at Heathrow, as well as full schedules at Gatwick and City airports. It kept most flights operating during the last bout of strikes by using volunteer staff and hiring extra aircraft and crew. Over the past 12 months, BA’s shares have gained 40 per cent and on Thursday closed at 283p. Len McCluskey, Unite’s new leader, said: â€Å"For the fourth time in 13 months, British Airways cabin crew have voted overwhelmingly in support of their union and expressed their dissatisfaction with management behaviour. † He added: â€Å"This dispute will be resolved by negotiation, not litigation or confrontation, and it is to negotiation that BA management should now apply itself†. The union is seeking immediate restoration of the concessions, binding arbitration for disciplinary cases and restoration of wages docked from staff who were sick during the strikes. BA said Unite did not have the support of the majority of cabin crew. â€Å"Of our 13,500 crew, only 43 per cent voted in favour of strike action in this ballot,† it said. | Unread (Ft. com)Union viewsBA management views| 21 January 2011| BA cabin crew vote for fresh strikesBritish Airways cabin crew have voted for further industrial action – but passengers were spared immediate disruption when the Unite trade union did not announce strike dates and called on BA to open negotiations. Len McCluskey, Unites general secretary designate, said BA management should wake up and listen, after nearly eight out of 10 crew members who took part in the ballot voted for strike action. Surely BA management must now wake up and listen to the voice of their skilled and dedicated employees. This dispute will be resolved by negotiation, not litigation or confrontation, and it is to negotiation that BA management should now apply itself. We are ready, he said. BA has pledged to operate 10 0% of its long-haul services in the event of any industrial action, having built up an auxiliary workforce of thousands of crew, including more than 500 retrained pilots. Those preparations have prompted Unite and its main cabin crew branch, Bassa, to delay announcing strike dates and plans for industrial action. BA cabin crew embarked on 22 days of strikes last year including walkouts in five-day blocks. Tactical discussions in recent weeks have looked at guerilla-style action though with no peace talks planned, conventional strikes have not been ruled out. Under trade union laws Unite must begin striking within 28 days, including seven days notice, which gives the union 21 days before it needs to announce dates. More than 10,000 crew members were balloted and 7,335 of them voted, representing a turnout of 75% in a poll over sanctions against crew who took part in strikes last year. A majority of 78. 5% voted for industrial action, a result described by McCluskey as overwhelming. The previous strike vote, in February last year, attracted a marginally higher turnout and majority. BA said the ballot result showed that Unite did not have the support of the majority of cabin crew, pointing to the fact that only 5,751 crew out of 13,500 flight attendants at BA voted in favour of industrial action. However, union sources said a more accurate comparison would be with the 10,220 crew who are actually Unite members. | Unread (The guardian)Union viewsBA management views| 21 Jan 2011| BA cabin crew vote for strikes now Unite should call actionBritish Airways cabin crew have voted by a fantastic 78. 5 percent for strikes on a 75 percent turnout. This is an even bigger vote than in the workers’ last ballot. Their Unite union must name the dates now and launch a militant programme of action that can win. BA bosses are waging war on cabin crew. Bullying boss Willie Walsh slashed jobs in November 2009. He has attacked pay, removed workers’ travel concessions and sacked leading union activists. BA’s ultimate aim is to destroy the union- that’s why this battle matters for the whole trade union movement. They’ve shown fantastic strength and determination throughout the dispute, taking 22 days of strikes and winning huge support from other workers. BA management have repeatedly shown themselves to be determined to break the militancy and organisation of cabin crew. It will be hard-hitting strikes that will make BA bosses listen. Crew should pile the pressure to demand that McCluskey calls a programme of strikes and throws the whole weight of the union behind the dispute. Unread ( Socialist Worker Online. (A revolutionary anti-capitalist paper I Britain)BA management views| 21 Mar 2010| Unite UnionThe Unite  trade union has urged  British Airways  to resume peace talks as cabin crews prepare to enter their third day of strike action with both sides clai ming to have landed blows in the disputeTony Woodley, called on BAs board to reopen negotiations over staffing cuts that broke up acrimoniously last week. BA is trying to restore a normal schedule when the strike ends at midnight tomorrow, but aircraft are now out of place around the globe, threatening more disruption, and a further four-day strike is due to begin on Saturday. I am now appealing to the BA chairman and sensible members of the board to use their influence, put passengers first and return to the negotiating table for the good of everyone, said Woodley. | Unite calls on BA to return to talks guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/21/ba-strike-unite-call-resume-negotiations| 24 Mar 2010| British AirwayBritish Airways has stripped striking cabin crew of their discounted travel perks as a further four-day strike looms this weekend. They would not be paid for the days they failed to turn up for duty, and confirming that, as warned, their access to the staff travel scheme will b e stopped from 14 April. A BA spokesperson added: Our cabin crew knew that if they took part in the strike they would lose their staff travel permanently. BA said yesterday that around 60% of its rostered cabin crew, or 3,000 employees, turned up for work over the three-day strike – implying that 2,000 joined the walkout in total. However, the Unite trade union, which is behind the dispute, has challenged those figures and claimed that they included staff on inbound long-haul services. 3,000 cabin crew turned up for work as normal during last weekends strike. BA employs around 13,500 flight attendants, of whom around 12,000 are Unite members. | Striking BA staff lose travel perks guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/24/british-airways-strike-travel| 25 Mar 2010  | British AirwayUnite had pledged to suspend a three-day strike last Saturday if the BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, reinstated a peace offer that had been withdrawn days before. His refusal to put the document back on the table, in apparent exasperation at the unions tactics, was highlighted in the academics letter, with 116 signatories. It is clear to us that the actions of the chief executive of British Airways, notwithstanding his protestations to the contrary, are explicable only by the desire to break the union which represents the cabin crew. Unites cabin crew branch, Bassa, represents 11,000 BA flight attendants and has called a further four-day strike starting on Saturday in what is now a prolonged industrial dispute with embarrassing political consequences for the Labour party, which relies on Unite as a major donor. British Airways trying to break Unite union guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/25/british-airways-accused-break-unite-union| 2 Apr 2010  | British AirwayAn article on the current cabin crew dispute between British Airway  and the Unite unions flight attendant branch Bassa, named Frank Burchill, a visiting professor at Strathclyde U niversity, as the author of what we described as a comprehensive guide to undermining Bassas current leadership. That information was incorrect. Professor Burchill was not commissioned to write, and did not produce or write this document. He had no involvement whatsoever in it. | BA told to hit union where it hurts guardian. co. k/theguardian/2010/apr/02/frank-burchill-apology| 28 Mar 2010  | Unite UnionUnited national officer, Steve Turner warned British Airways Passengers to expect further strikes after Easter unless there is a breakthrough in the bitter row over planned cuts that sparked further industrial action this weekend. Unite said it believed BA was grounding some flights so it could use pilots as cabin crew on other BA flights, a claim denied by the airline. | Unite warns disgraceful BA of more strikes guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/28/unite-british-airways-strike-threat| 29 Mar 2010  | Unite UnionUnited, is digging in for a battle of attrition with British Airway s after announcing that it is raising a ? 700,000 war chest for the cabin crew strikers. Unite is raising the fund through an unprecedented 2% levy on its 3,000 branches. The news came as BA confirmed that some cabin crew were being docked nearly a fortnights wages for taking part in the walkout, raising fears among Unite officials that union members will be starved into crossing picket lines if, as expected, the dispute drags on past Easter. The walkout, now in its sixth day, is adding to a long list of apparently irreconcilable issues between both sides. BA confirmed some strikers were being docked the equivalent of 12 days wages if they were rostered for a long-haul trip during the walkoutUnite, which is paying cabin crew ? 30 a day, has agreed to pay crew for the duration of their roster duty if they walked out on a long-haul shift. | Unite raises ? 700,000 for BA strike guardian. co. k/business/2010/mar/29/ba-cabin-crew-strike-fund| 10 Mar 2010  | British AirwayA walkout by 12,000 BA flight attendants could begin as soon as next Thursday. A source at Unites cabin crew branch, Bassa, said a walkout of at least 10 days would be consideredBA was s eriously considering a partial repeal of cuts to staffing levels on flights but wanted fewer crew back onboard than Unite has proposed. BA has been seeking ? 60m in annual cost savings from cabin crew. A strike could take place from next Thursday once Unite gives BA seven days notice of actionThe airline operates 650 flights a day with its 239-plane fleet, mostly from Heathrow, but has not said which routes would be kept open by the stand-in workforce. BA strike looms as talks break down guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/10/british-airways-strike-talks| 19 Mar 2010  | British AirwayThe dispute with cabin crew is about BAs plans to change working practices and pay. The first three-day strike is due to begin on Saturday, affecting over a thousand flights, with a second strike scheduled for 27 March. I believe Unite has made the wrong decision and misjudged the mood of our times, said British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh. My door remains open to Unite. The union is holding a rally for cabin crew staff at Sandown Park racecourse. | Last-ditch bid to end BA disputehttp://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/business/8574383. tm| 19 Mar 2010  | British AirwayBA threatened to suspend co-operation with Britains largest trade union after last-ditch talks failed to prevent a three-day strike by cabin crew starting today. Tonight an extensive strike-breaking plan moved into gear at BA as the airline prepared to move 65% of its passengers over the next three days with a workforce of 1,000 volunteer cabin crew and 22 chartered jets, including three Ryanair planes complete with no-frills flight attendants. BA cabin crew have also called a further, four-day strike from 27 March if there is still no agreement by the end of next week. The first BA cabin crew strike since 1997 begins tomorrow morning after talks between Willie Walsh, BA chief executive, and Tony Woodley, joint general ecretary of Unite, collapsed in acrimony this afternoon| British Airways declares war on union after talks fail guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/19/ba-strike-dates-union-talks| 25 Jan 2010  | Unite UnionBritish Airways  could be reduced to operating only a few flights during a cabin crew walkout after claims that its strike-breaking workforce has just 216 volunteers. The  Unite  trade union said that a programme to retrain employees as air stewards during industrial action would replace less than 2% of the airlines cabin crew. The recruitment initiative, which Unite has condemned as a scab labour drive, began yesterday as about 12,000 cabin crew started voting on a walkout over staff cuts. BA has told staff with no flying experience they can qualify as cabin crew within three weeks, with pilots able to meet safety standards within five days. The airline has admitted that the emphasis will be on safety rather than customer service, and temporary crew will give passengers a simple in-flight experience| Union claims BA has too few scabs guardian. co. uk/business/2010/jan/25/ba-strikebreakers-cabin-crew-protest| 22 Feb 2010  | British Airways The poll saw 81% of cabin crew backing strike action in  a row over staffing cuts and proposed changes to working conditions, on a turnout of 79%. The Unite union did not announce any strike dates, but a walkout can be staged within 28 days. A walkout by cabin crew is likely to ground most of BAs operations, although BA is training hundreds of auxiliary crew after calling for volunteers from its 38,000 workforce. BA operates 650 flights daily, carrying around 80,000 passengers. BA unilaterally reduced cabin crew on long-haul flights by at least one person to reduce costs at an airline that posted a pre-tax loss of ? 401m last year. | BA cabin crew vote to strike guardian. co. uk/business/2010/feb/22/ba-cabin-crew-vote-strike| ;BA -76;23 Feb 2010  | Cabin CrewBA has pursued a dual strategy of attempting to pile on the pressure to intimidate the cabin crew members into not voting to strike, on the one hand, and to undermine the effectiveness of any strike on the other. The anger BA staff feel is based on the unilateral imposition of the changes, the nature of the changes themselves and now the bully-boy tactics of company over the strike vote. | BA cabin crew stand up to intimidatory tactics | Gregor Gall guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/23/britishairways-tradeunions| 15 Mar 2010  | Cabin CrewIt is wrong that BA cabin crew get paid more than colleagues at other airlines. According to that argument, competition among staff means levelling down pay, while boardroom competition means levelling it up. And cabin crew bear no responsibility for BAs difficulties, and should not be singled out to pay for them. It was not cabin crew who organised the fuel price-fixing racket which has cost BA hundreds of millions in fines. The airlines reputation for dirty tricks? Not cabin crew but management. | Dont blame British Airways cabin crew | Len McCluskey guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/15/ba-strike-unite-willie-walsh| 17 Dec 2009| Cabin CrewThe high court has blocked  the 12-day Christmas walkout by British Airways cabin crew  after ruling that the strike ballot was illegal. The decision means nearly a million BA passengers can complete their journeys as planned over Christmas unless there are wildcat walkouts by the 12,700 cabin crew who supported industrial action. The dramatic intervention is a humiliation for the Unite union, which had considered delaying the announcement of a massive walkout earlier this week after receiving repeated warnings from BA executives that the vote was invalid. The high court confirmed those fears by granting BAs request for an injunction against the strike after around 900 cabin crew were balloted despite taking voluntary redundancy. | BA strike blocked by high court guardian. co. uk/business/2009/dec/17/court-blocks-british-airways-strike| 17 Dec 2009| British Airways The basic democratic right to withdraw own labour, underpinned by a 92% yes vote on an 80% turnout. In this case, theres not the slightest question that those mistakenly balloted half-way through taking redundancy could have changed the result. Instead, Mrs Justice Cox has made a transparently political decision to skew the balance of power still further in favour of BAs recklessly incompetent management. | BA strike judgment is blatantly political guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/17/ba-strike-injunction| 11 Nov 2010| Cabin CrewVote shelved as Unite unions cabin crew branch decides it cannot accept proposed deal to end strikeâ€Å"However, the Unite branch representing about 10,000 flight attendants, the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (Bassa), made it clear it could not support the deal. The joint leader of Unite, Tony Woodley, said it made no sense to offer the deal to members over the heads of unwilling representatives. He added: Under these circumstances I have suspended the ballot on the offer and will meet with all of our cabin crew representatives as a matter of urgency to consider the next steps. | British Airways dispute continues as cabin crew ballot suspended guardian. co. uk/business/2010/nov/11/british-airways-cabin-crew-ballot-suspended| 11 Nov 2010| British AirwaysA plan to end a bitter, long-running dispute between British Airways and its cabin crew has collapsed. BA said the deal on offer was fair and reasonable. The airlines cabin crew workers have staged 22 days of strike action since March, costing the airline ? 150m. When the dispute began in November last year, it centred on changes to staffing levels, pay and working conditions. However, Unite has since said that the core issues are the removal of the travel concessions and the implementation of disciplinary sanctions against its members since March. BA reported earlier this month that its passenger numbers in September were 1. 3% higher than a year earlier. However, its total traffic for the year to date is still down on a year ago, following the strike action and Aprils volcanic ash cloud which grounded flights across Europe. | BA peace deal with crew collapses bbc. co. uk/news/business-11737454| 7 Nov 2010| British AirwaysAirlines security staff found to have photographed employees home and car as part of internal disciplinary caseBA security staff have photographed an employees home and car as part of one disciplinary case. One employee in the group, a former police detective, confirmed in a witness statement for a BA disciplinary hearing that he and a colleague travelled to a flight attendants house in Slough on 23 March this year and photographed their house and car. The crew dispute has led to at least 13 sackings and 60 suspensions, including senior shop stewards, for a range of alleged misdemeanours. The cases include 15 crew who used Facebook and private emails to discuss a list of strikebreakers and two shop stewards who were suspended following a clash over representing members in disciplinary cases. BA has drawn up a disciplinary process for cases associated with the industrial action. Guidelines for the Leiden room disciplinary unit, named after the room at BA headquarters where cases are processed, cite three types of transgresser in disciplinary incidents related to the strikes: bystanders, encouragers and contributors. | British Airways draw up new discipline rules as union prepares ballot guardian. co. uk/business/2010/nov/07/british-airways-disciplinary-rules-ballot| 31 Oct 2010| British AirwaysCabin crew to vote on British Airways latest offer with further strike action the only alternative to accepting the dealAbout 10,000 crew affiliated with the Unite trade union are preparing to vote on an offer that could finish a year-long row with the airline. Unites largest cabin crew branch, Bassa, said in an email to members that the only alternative to the deal was strike action. The BA offer sets out a framework for restoring staff travel to the estimated 6,700 crew who took part in 22 days of strike action this year, as well as allowing the Acas conciliation service to mediate disciplinary cases. | British Airways offer probably best available, says union guardian. co. uk/business/2010/oct/31/ba-offer-finds-union-favour| 24 Oct 2010| Unite UnionPoll could shift centre ground of trade union movementMembers of the countrys biggest trade union will begin voting tomorrow to choose a new leader in an election that could have profound consequences for the looming battle between the government and the nations workforce over its spending cuts. The winner will take over from Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, who have been joint general secretaries since Unite was formed through a merger of the Transport and General Workers Union and Amicus in 2007. | Voting begins in crucial battle for Unite union leadership guardian. co. uk/politics/2010/oct/24/voting-begins-unite-union-leadership| 20 Oct 2010| Cabin CrewUnite union to poll around 10,000 flight attendantsAirline believed to have shifted on disciplinary actionSpeaking this week at the annual convention of the Association of British Travel Agents, Walsh said it was entirely Unites fault that a settlement had not been reached in a dispute that originated in a reduction of crew numbers on BA flights in the wake of a voluntary redundancy programme. Walsh said: In the past I have seen managers and businesses ignore issues and back down in the face of industrial action. We are not going to do that. Walsh added that BA had robust contingency plans and would operate 100% of its long-haul services if there were further strikes. | British Airways strike: crew vote on peace deal guardian. co. uk/business/2010/oct/20/british-airways-strike-crew-vote-deal| 20 Oct 2010| British AirwaysSources say Unite to put proposal to British Airways union members which could end year-long row over cost cuttingTony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, said yesterday that the BA row was the most testing industrial dispute of his career. Unite members took 22 days of strike action earlier this year, causing travel chaos for passengers and costing BA more than ? 150m. The dispute started just over a year ago after BA announced a series of cost-cutting moves, including a reduction in the number of cabin crew. As part of any deal to end the dispute, Unite has been urging BA to restore the travel concessions and stop taking disciplinary action. | BA staff to vote on deal to end strikes guardian. co. uk/business/2010/oct/20/ba-cabin-crew-vote-dispute| 20 Oct 2010| Unite ; British AirwaysBritish Airways cabin crews are to be balloted on a new deal that could end their long-running industrial dispute. The new offer was reached in talks between BA chief executive Willie Walsh and Unite joint leader Tony Woodley. The union has been pressing for the restoration of travel concessions removed from members who went on strike earlier in the year. BA said that its offer, based on its previous proposals, was very fair and reasonable. | BA crew face ballot on new deal bbc. co. uk/news/business-11582609 | 19 Sep 2010| Unite UnionThe Unite union will lodge an appeal in the high court this week over BA withdrawing travel concessions from 7,000 membersBA reduced crew numbers on long-haul flights from last November after the High Court in London refused an application from Unite for an injunction against the changes. Unite takes BA back to court | Politics | The Guardian guardian. co. uk/politics/2010/sep/19/unite-court-ba-airline-dispute | 10 Oct 2010| Unite ; British AirwaysUnion and BA boss Willie Walsh discuss proposals to end long-running dispute with airlines cabin crewUnite and its main c abin crew branch, Bassa, argue that the staff travel move is tantamount to punishment for exercising the right to strike. Walsh, in turn, has stated that the travel concessions are for those who show loyalty to the company. Walsh has pledged to operate 100% of BAs long-haul services from Heathrow in the event of further strikes, alongside a full complement of services at Gatwick and City airports. Walsh, a former shop steward himself, has dismissed the union-breaking claims as nonsense and pointed to a recent deal with Unite-affiliated customer services staff as proof that other sections of the organisation are willing to co-operate in cost-cutting plans. | British Airways and Unite meet at Acas to head off new strike | Business | The Observer guardian. co. uk/business/2010/oct/10/unite-talks-british-airways-cabin-crew | 11 Oct 2010| Unite ; British AirwaysWillie Walsh says the Unite union wants to bring the long-running dispute to an end, after the two sides met at Acas last week| BA chief raises hopes of peace deal guardian. co. k/business/2010/oct/11/ba-strike-airline-raises-hopes-peace | 27 June 2010| Unite UnionMove comes as BA manager claims dispute is driven by desire to break the union and that climate of fear pervades airlineWoodley warned today that he could not recommend the BA proposal to members because it did not fully reinstate the staff travel perks stripped fr om strikers who joined walkouts in March. The proposal makes some concessions – offering cabin crew a minimum allowance for food and drink, rather than a flat fee. However, it does not reverse the staffing cuts that triggered the dispute last year. Woodley indicated the offer would have been accepted had it reinstated staff travel. The fact that the travel is not back in full makes the possibility of a recommendation nil. It makes the certainty of a yes uncertain, he said. BA said: We believe our offer is fair and reasonable and provides a genuine opportunity to end this dispute. | Unite to delay BA cabin crew ballot guardian. co. k/politics/2010/jun/27/unite-union-ba-strike-ballot | 12 June 2010| ACASA new set of proposals to end the British Airways (BA) industrial dispute has been unveiled by the arbitration service Acas. | New proposals to end BA dispute bbc. co. uk/news/10301298 | 27 May 2010| European CourtRecent decisions by the European court of human rights may force the British government to protect strikers rightsPress reports suggest that a major sticking point to a settlement in the BA cabin crew dispute continues to be the companys refusal to restore staff travel perks. If true, this could (a) reveal an extraordinary lapse on the part of the company and (b) expose an extraordinary oversight on the part of the government in relation to its legal obligations. BA cabin crew may be able to seek compensation in Strasbourg for the losses they have suffered as a result of the companys conduct. This means that the taxpayer would end up having to pay for the companys actions. But second, it means that British law may have to be changed in line with the emerging body of case law to enable British workers to enforce their human rights in the British courts. Under British law, workers have protection only from dismissal (for 12 weeks) when they take part in lawful industrial action. They have no statutory protection against punitive and vindictive action short of dismissal, such as the cutting of benefits that are claimed to be noncontractual. | Will Europe save the BA strikers? | Keith Ewing guardian. co. k/commentisfree/2010/may/27/will-europe-save-ba-strikers | 18 May 2010| British AirwaysUnite has had to jump through so many hoops put in its way by lawmakers intent on restricting its democratic right to strikeBA won its injunction to stop the p lanned series of strikes that were due to start at one minute into Tuesday 18 May. Second time in six months that BA has gone to the high court seeking an injunction. Its not just that the judge sitting in the high court has taken BAs side on both occasions. And, its not just that Unite members have voted by large margins in two successive ballots to take strike action. Its also that BA won this injunction on a technicality. | BA victory is an affront to justice | Gregor Gall guardian. co. k/commentisfree/2010/may/18/ba-victory-affront-justice | 26 May 2010| Unite ; British AirwaysNew strike vote imminent before holding talks with BAs chief executive, Willie WalshIf BA fully reinstates the travel scheme for strikers, Unite has offered to suspend the three waves that started on Monday and are due to continue from May 30 to June 3 and June 5 -9, the last strike ending just days before the start of the World Cup in South Africa. BA said today that it hoped to run 70% of its long-haul s ervices from Heathrow next week, compared with 60% currently, because of the numbers of cabin crew reporting for work. Woodley believes the broad outline of a deal to lower costs has been thrashed out but Walsh wants guarantees that Unite and its main cabin crew branch Bassa will support the proposal if it is put to 11,000 flight attendants in a vote. | Unite and BA talks to resume on Friday guardian. co. uk/business/2010/may/26/unite-union-ba-strike-talks | Fri 21 Jan 2011| BA cabin crew vote for strikes now Unite should call actionBritish Airways cabin crew have voted by a fantastic 78. 5 percent for strikes on a 75 percent turnout. Bullying boss Willie Walsh slashed jobs in November 2009. He has attacked pay, removed workers’ travel concessions and sacked leading union activists. | SOCIALIST WORKER. COMCREW| Friday 21 January 2011| British Airways cabin crew plan new tactics for industrial actionBA passengers could be spared immediate disruption even if cabin crew vote for industrial action at the airline today. It’s understood that the Unite trade union will not announce lengthy walkouts if the result of a strike ballot, due this afternoon, returns a new mandate. BAs chief executive, Willie Walsh, has pledged to operate 100% of the airlines long-haul schedule at Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports, which would neutralise the effect of walkouts by staff. Union sources have acknowledged that the dispute has entered a different phase, with BA able to call on thousands of volunteer cabin crew, including more than 500 pilots who have retrained as flight attendants. | guardian. co. ukPUBLIC| Thursday 20 January 2011| British Airways strike: time to grow upBritish Airways cabin crew will announce the result of yet another ballot for strike action tomorrow. Most commentators seem to think that they will again vote in favour – but this time there will be fewer taking part in the ballot and possibly a smaller majority. For the sake of the passengers, shareholders and all the staff, both union and management must seek an adult end to this dispute. They must both realise that key workgroups cannot be both bullied and expected to deliver either loyalty or excellent customer service. They must both realise that the problem has not gone away with any of the solutions so far suggested – in reducing crew complements by one, it is not the cost of supplying the service which has been reduced, but the level of service itself. | guardian. co. kPUBLIC| Tue 11 Jan 2011 * | British Airways cabin crew hold defiant mass meeting 15Jan11 Socialist Worker1500 British Airways (BA) cabin crew packed into a union meeting at Kempton Park racecourse on Monday of this week. Cabin crew are currently balloting for fresh strikes over a range of attacks from their bosses. The ballot ends on Friday of next week. Workers haven’t struck since June in their ongoing dispute with bullying boss Willie Walsh. But they remain in fighting mood. Before any speeches began, crew were chanting, â€Å"Willie, Willie, Willie- Out, Out, Out! †| SOCIALIST WORKER. COMCREW | Thursday 17 December 2009| BA strike injunction could leave Walsh the winnerA bad day for democracy, said the Unite union after the high court blocked the planned 12-day strike by cabin crew at British Airways. | guardian. co. kMANAGEMENT| Friday, 18 December 2009| British Airways union Unite to call new strike voteBritish Airways (BA) cabin crew will be balloted again on industrial action after a planned Christmas strike was declared illegal by the High Court. The 12-day strike was called in protest over changes to working practices. But the judge agreed with BA that Unite had not correctly balloted its members, forcing it to cancel the action. The ballot included people who had left the company or were about to, and so was judged invalid. | BBC. CO. UKMANAGEMENT| Wednesday, 6 Jan 2010| British Airways to hold fresh talks with unionBritish Airways is to hold fresh talks with its main union in a bid to avert the renewed threat of strike action by cabin crew. Unite said it and the airline had agreed to meet in the coming days to try to find a negotiated settlement to the row over jobs, pay and conditions. The announcement comes after a High Court judge ordered Unite to call off a planned 12-day walkout over Christmas. This prompted Unite to say it would hold a fresh ballot on strike action. | BBC. CO. UKUNION| Tuesday 30 June 2009| British Airways fails to agree deal with unions on pay and conditionsBritish Airways has failed to meet its self-imposed deadline to secure an agreement on pay and conditions for its 40,000 staff after trade union officials adjourned talks on a two-year pay freeze and 4,000 redundancies. Both unions argue that the recession is a cyclical phenomenon that should not be used by BA as an opportunity to drive through permanent changes and a wholesale restructuring of the business. However, BAs pilots have already accepted Walshs warning and have signed up to a 2. 6% pay cut in an agreement that will save the airline ? 26m. | guardian. co. ukUNION | Tuesday 30 June 2009| British Airways seeks pay freezeBritish Airways wants staff to accept a two-year pay freeze, according to documents seen by the BBC. The company had already announced it was looking for 3,000 redundancies among crew and administrative staff. Talks between unions and management to agree on cost savings were adjourned earlier and should resume on Wednesday. BA is struggling as the economic downturn continues to hurt its business. It recently asked staff to work for nothing to save money. BA is also pushing for significant changes in working conditions. | BBC. CO. UKMANAGEMENT| Sunday 28 June 2009| Union resists prostituting agreements as BA pushes for pay dealLoss-making airline seeks redundancies and drastic changes to conditions but Unite is determined not to retreat too farWillie Walsh, BAs chief executive, has demanded an agreement by Tuesday after warning that there needs to be urgency around the discussions we are having. BA is making heavy losses, burning through cash at nearly ? 3m a day and posting ? 401m deficit last year. BA has told cabin crew that it wants up to 2,000 voluntary