 Service jobs in Japan are typically looked down upon, but these ventures provided training and equipment that encouraged employees to take pride in their work.In 1989, Ritchie committed $30 million of his own cash to buy Eastern Airlines when it was about to go into liquidation due to financial setbacks and strained union relations (partly due to the aggressive management of owner Frank Lorenzo).In partnership with the unions, Ritchie's plan to take over Eastern Airlines involved the unions taking a 50% pay cuts.