FRONTIER: Disparity of wage earners

Frontier has demonstrated the formula for another low in corporate civic responsibility: Take a group of 100-plus skilled, loyal, effective employees (average age 55 making $15-21 per hour); have them use their skills to convert to a new system, saving the company $85 million; then turn around and dump on those loyal, skilled employees by sending their jobs to some other poor, desperate folks who will be stuck making $12 per hour for the next five years. Will anyone be surprised when Frontier then ships the jobs to India, Bangladesh or China?

For the record, while plotting to rip these jobs out of Coeur d’Alene to save $3-9 per hour, the top five executives of Frontier paid themselves nearly $14 million, of which the CEO took nearly $7 million.

I’m not sure when or how it happened, but corporations certainly seem to have lost any sense of responsibility to their employees and the communities they serve. Apparently they have also lost any sense of shame.

To the employees whose skills, dedication and loyalty was abused by Frontier, my heart goes out to you. May you land on your feet with a decent employer who recognizes the value of great workers.

DOUG STRONG

Fernwood