NWA Management Blunders Again

I just can't help myself. It's not that I have anything against Northwest Airlines, but sometimes a news item appears that just begs for comment. Case and point -- last week, Northwest management apologized for a handbook that was given to employees that were being forced out. (I believe forced out is more accurate than "let go." It's not like the employees wanted to go anywhere.) Anyway, the handbook contained an article titled "101 ways to save money" and included tips such as: Don't be shy about pulling something you like out of the trash. Move to a less expensive place to live. Ask your doctor for samples of prescriptions. Use old newspapers for cat litter. Buy spare parts for your car at the junkyard. Search the Internet for freebies. Never go grocery (shopping) hungry. Take a date for a walk along the beach or in the woods. At first glance, the tips seem to be callous. But do you think they were based on common industry money-saving practices? There seems to be some similarity: Don't be shy about declaring bankruptcy. Send work to less expensive offshore facilities. Ask your workers for concessions. Buy spare parts for your airplane at the boneyard. Search the Internet for freebies. Never board your airplane hungry (you won't get fed much). NWA did end up apologizing to the employees. The company said in a statement, "Regrettably, this list, which included some insensitive material, was inadvertently published without being reviewed by Northwest management." In addition, the CEO of the company that published the 101 tips apologied to Northwest employees. Thanks for reading! Joe Escobar