UsAir, American, and United pension news:
++++
From: Yorkieatl@aol.com
Date: 6/4/2014 6:13:17 PM
Subject: Fwd: AA Retirees Furious over FLT Benefit
changes
Subj: AA Retirees Furious over FLT Benefit
changes
American Airlines' Retirees Are Furious Over Changes to Their
Flight Benefits
Flight Perks
Passengers wait for flights at the American Airlines terminal at O'Hare Airport on Dec. 9, 2013 in ChicagoThe chance to fly for free, or nearly free, is a bedrock perk in the airline industry that helps to attract, retain, and reward employees. Any tinkering with these perks is also highly controversial—and that ire was displayed today at American Airlines’ (AAL) first post-merger shareholders meeting.
As part of the merger integration on policies governing this travel, American’s new executives made several changes that have angered American’s retirees and workers from the former US Airways. The new American, which was formed in December, has about 700,000 people who fly for free as part of its “non-revenue travel” program, including about 110,000 employees, plus 515,000 spouses, dependents, relatives, and friends. That huge group illustrates how many people American is allowing employees to take on free flights, including foreign-exchange students they host.
Granted, in the grand scheme of corporate America’s gradual whittling of pensions, medical care, and other perks retirees enjoy, these free flights aren’t even a financial issue for airlines, which generally allot only their unused seats for workers, their families, and retirees. You may even be thinking: Um, cry me a river. Still, the changes at American pit the interests of current workers and retirees, who have not hesitated to tell Chief Executive Doug Parker that they feel slighted by the changes.
The biggest change was to split American workers and retirees into separate groups for seat priority, which is what other U.S. carriers do. The merged airline also eliminated fees American had charged workers for seats—US Airways had not—and scrapped a seniority system that US Airways had used to mete out seats. The airline also cut the number of free, one-way “buddy passes” that retirees receive each year, from two dozen to eight. (Current workers receive 16 per year.) The new program also gives new workers flight privileges on their first day, a change from American’s old system that required a waiting period.
“We did our best to take elements from both programs so everyone would continue to have some of the same privileges they have enjoyed previously,” American said in a statement.
Retirees argue that the new rules will cost the airline huge sums of money and that it creates incentives for new employees to plot how to plan free trips more than to learn their new jobs. “Shouldn’t they be looking at a cost-benefit analyst on something like this?” says Gail Dunham of Greensboro, N.C., who retired from American in 1995 after 28 years working at the airline’s Chicago hub. Dunham traveled to New York Wednesday to urge Parker and the airline’s board to reconsider the changes, which she considers offensive to retirees, given the generous group of people American now lets workers include in their flight privileges, including foreign-exchange students.
“It was a really hard decision,” Parker said of the flight changes. “I hated it, to tell you the truth.” He said that juggling seat availability among the various groups is “a zero-sum game” and “there’s no possible way to make everyone happy.” He also said that executives had examined flight data and that seat availability is such that for those flying as non-rev passengers, “usually everyone’s going to get on the plane, or no one is.”
Many in the company are dubious. The flight-benefit changes are so dramatic that “I never would have left,” a retired flight attendant who accepted a buyout package from the company told Parker. “Can I have my job back? I’m devastated, I really am. It’s just not right.”
++++
A story from AP Mobile:
United agrees to $6.15M settlement with pilots
DENVER (AP) - United Airlines is paying $6.15 million to settle a lawsuit by pilots who claimed that the airline underpaid for contributions to their pension accounts while they were on military leave.The settlement covers 1,160 pilots who took military leave between 2000 and 2010. A federal judge in Denver approved the agreement this month.
James Tuten, who is still a United pilot...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/united-agrees-to-615m-settlement-with-pilots/2014/05/29/344c0718-e78e-11e3-a70e-ea1863229397_story.html
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Letter
in Aviation and Space Weekly May 19th, 2014 page by David Plewes
Email davidplewes@att.net
Issue Area – Delta Managment
Comments- Some readers may be interested to know that
Aviation and Space Weekly printed my letter to the editor. Feel free
to post on the PCN Network with my name and E-mail. I'm a member of
DP3
All the Best,
Dave Plewes Retiree
The letter was as follows. It was in Aviation and Space
Weekly May 19th, 2014 page 8.
Title DELTA LEADERSHIP DEBATES
I have a totally different slant on Delta Air Lines' leaders
than does reader Nazim Zaman (AW&ST May 5, p. 8) and know of many others
who share my less-than-laudatory view. Former CEO Gerald Grinstein
may have done good job for Delta and for Northwest Airlines at some
point, but his stewardship was abysmal after he stepped down to become a member
of Delta's board of directors. he gave the CEOs that followed him--
Ron Allen and Leo Mullin--free rein, with disastrous effects. He
approved excessive, bankruptcy-free compensation packages for the select few,
yet, allowed Delta to abrogate pensions for about 4,500 pilots. This
tactic was not taken with the Northwest pilots because of clauses that
automatically penalized executive pensions if their pilots suffered pension
cuts.
The money was there at Delta, but an imperative to do
the right was not. As for Richard Anerson, he appears to have no
desire to right any of the previous wrongs.
Yes, Delta looks good on paper, but look deeper and
you will see that many of its advances were built on greed.
David S. Plewes
Lighthouse Point, FLA
The original letter
follows. You can see how editors change the meaning as they
please and also misrepresent the history of Grinstein. That said,
I'm surprised they printed the letter at all because of my perceived bias they
have toward management.
I HAVE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SLANT ON DELTA’S
LEADERS HAVING WORKED THERE FOR 31 YEARS. ONE HAS ONLY TO READ
AIRLINE WITHOUT A PILOT BY HARRY L. NOLAN, JR TO KNOW THAT I’M FAR FROM
ALONE. GRINSTEIN MAY HAVE WELL DONE A GOOD JOB PRIOR TO DELTA BUT
HIS STEWARDSHIP AFTER DELTA WAS HEARTBREAKING. WHILE ON THE BOARD
HE ALLOWED RON ALLEN AND LEO MULLIN TO OPERATE WITH DISASTROUS
EFFECTS. HE ALLOWED EXCESSIVE, BANKRUPTCY FREE, COMPENSATION
PACKAGES FOR THE SELECT FEW WHEN BANKRUPTCY WAS SUPPOSEDLY NOT AN
ISSUE. HE ALSO ALLOWED DELTA TO ABROGATE PENSIONS FOR ABOUT 4500
PILOTS. THIS TACTIC WAS NOT TAKEN WITH THE NORTHWEST PILOTS BECAUSE
OF CLAUSES THAT AUTOMATICALLY TOOK AWAY THE EXECUTIVES PENSIONS WHEN THEIR
PILOTS SUFFERED THE SAME FATE.
THE SAD THING IS THE MONEY WAS THERE ON THE TABLE BUT AN
IMPERATIVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING WAS NOT. A LEGAL LOOPHOLE TO
BENEFIT THE FEW AT THE SHAMEFUL EXPENSE OF THE MANY.
AS FOR MR. ANDERSON, HE CAME AFTER THE FACT YET, HE HAS NO
DESIRE TO RIGHT ANY PREVIOUS WRONGS.
WITH SUCH A STRONG BALANCE SHEET ONE WONDERS IF THE PGBC
WILL EVER CONCERN ITSELF WITH RECOVERING ANY OF THE TAX PAYERS MONIES FROM THE
AIRLINE. PATHETICALLY THE RETIRED PILOTS ARE SUING THE PGBC FOR A
REVISED BENEFIT. IT’S PENNIES FOR THE EMPLOYEES WHILE DELTA ENJOYS
THE ENTIRE DOLLAR.
YES, DELTA LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER AND MAYBE SOME DO ENVY THE
AIRLINE AS MR. ZAMAN ASSERTS. I BELIEVE DELTA IS COMPARABLE TO A
BEAUTIFUL AND RICH LADY AT A SOPHISTICATED EVENT. SHE LOOKS GOOD ON
THE OUTSIDE. DISSECT HER AND YOU WILL FIND AN AVERAGE PERSON WHO
DISPLAYS GREED AND QUESTIONABLE MORALS.
DAVID S. PLEWES
LIGHTHOUSE POINT FLORIDA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: 6/3/2014 11:06:24 PM
Subject: Delta Museum
Mark,
Thanks for all you are doing for the comm site.
I have a little something for the Delta
Museum. "I have a lot of great stories about the 50's, 60's, 70's
and 80's. However, I won't share them till Delta gives me back 81% of the
retirement they STOLE from me and 3500 other retirees.
The Delta museum is the last thing that I think
about day in and day out! To bad, we retirees have a lot of precious
memories from the early days. Transition from piston to jet! Pay us
and we will support the museum.
Delta is one of the most despicable corporations in the
U.S.
Pat McGirl
35 Years
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Two air crashes in our news:
WA T-6 crash killing retired Capt. James Robert Cawley:
WI Crash killing FO Bill Cowden:
In honor of Bill Cowden:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: DWSkjerven@aol.com
Date: 6/10/2014 2:58:28 PM
Subject: Fwd: 100 Years of Military Aviation in San
Antonio--EXCELLENT
US Military Aviation: It all started in San Antonio, TX
This is an excellent video. It is
a great overview of the history of the
Air Force and San Antonio, sound necessary.
Air Force and San Antonio, sound necessary.
100 Years of Military Aviation in San
Antonio
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Looking
for Oldest Living Pilot List:
From: TEEPSTOY@aol.com
Date: 6/3/2014 1:45:21 AM
Subject: Re: Already on PCN List
Once again THANKS for taking your
valuable time to respond to my questions !! I see what I think are some errors
on the deceased pilot list so I'll drop Dave an e-mail with that info. I assume
you're still working because of Delta's bankruptcy and hope that you can retire
again soon. Fortunately we only lost about 12 grand a year due to that and were
extremely fortunate to be able to invest in several restaurants that have
turned into very profitable enterprises. The good Lord was watching over Chris
and I !! Enjoyed seeing the family picture and wish you and yours the very best
of health. Once Again THANKS!!
"TEEP"
In a message dated 6/2/2014 8:14:05 P.M.
Central Daylight Time, mark@pilotcommunication.net writes:
Don, ok great, I may be able to help. I
have to tell you though that the newest list is 2012. I get these
from David Roberts then publish them.
Here is the link: http://pcn.homestead.com/Archived_Oldest_Liv.HTML see password below:
Here is the password: pcnpilot
Hope that helps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Full post disclaimer in left column. PCN Home Page is located at: http://pcn.homestead.com/home01.html
No comments:
Post a Comment