For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2004
US Airways Flight Attendants File
Lawsuit Against Airline
Action Aims to Stop Illegal Process Used in Involuntary Furlough
of 552 Flight Attendants
Adds to Long List of Recent Management-Initiated Clashes
Washington, DC -- US Airways flight attendants, represented by
the Association of Flight Attendants, CWA/AFL-CIO, today filed a
lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Pennsylvania to prevent airline management from executing an
illegal process in the involuntary furlough 552 flight
attendants.
The jobs and livelihoods of people are at stake, said AFA US
Airways Master Executive Council President Perry Hayes. AFA will
fight with all legal means necessary to protect the US Airways
flight attendants from this kind of blatant disregard for our
contract and rights.
At the same time US Airways management has made a public
spectacle of asking for employee cooperation in turning the
airline around, it has set off this clash over furloughs, which
also comes on the heels of management-initiated disputes over
the flight attendant reserve system, sick leave, medical
benefits, and cuts in the amount of time flight attendants are
credited for working.
In December, US Airways management announced that it was
involuntarily furloughing 552 flight attendants. According to
the collective bargaining agreement between AFA and US Airways,
before flight attendants are involuntarily furloughed, the
airline must first offer a voluntary furlough. Once, during a
furlough in June 2003, management attempted to by-pass the
voluntary process, but was ultimately forced to follow the
contract after an arbitrator ruled in favor of the flight
attendants in an expedited process.
Management seems to be unnecessarily creating problems with its
workers at a very delicate time for the airline, Hayes said.
Hopefully US Airways management will work with us instead of
against us in resolving this major dispute. That will clear the
way to finally resolve the management problems that are
preventing this airline from turning around and winning the
support of its workers.
More than 45,000 flight attendants, including the 5,200 flight
attendants at US Airways, join together to form AFA, the world's
largest flight attendant union.
January 8, 2004
US Airways Flight Attendants File
Lawsuit Against Airline
Action Aims to Stop Illegal Process Used in Involuntary Furlough
of 552 Flight Attendants
Adds to Long List of Recent Management-Initiated Clashes
Washington, DC -- US Airways flight attendants, represented by
the Association of Flight Attendants, CWA/AFL-CIO, today filed a
lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Pennsylvania to prevent airline management from executing an
illegal process in the involuntary furlough 552 flight
attendants.
The jobs and livelihoods of people are at stake, said AFA US
Airways Master Executive Council President Perry Hayes. AFA will
fight with all legal means necessary to protect the US Airways
flight attendants from this kind of blatant disregard for our
contract and rights.
At the same time US Airways management has made a public
spectacle of asking for employee cooperation in turning the
airline around, it has set off this clash over furloughs, which
also comes on the heels of management-initiated disputes over
the flight attendant reserve system, sick leave, medical
benefits, and cuts in the amount of time flight attendants are
credited for working.
In December, US Airways management announced that it was
involuntarily furloughing 552 flight attendants. According to
the collective bargaining agreement between AFA and US Airways,
before flight attendants are involuntarily furloughed, the
airline must first offer a voluntary furlough. Once, during a
furlough in June 2003, management attempted to by-pass the
voluntary process, but was ultimately forced to follow the
contract after an arbitrator ruled in favor of the flight
attendants in an expedited process.
Management seems to be unnecessarily creating problems with its
workers at a very delicate time for the airline, Hayes said.
Hopefully US Airways management will work with us instead of
against us in resolving this major dispute. That will clear the
way to finally resolve the management problems that are
preventing this airline from turning around and winning the
support of its workers.
More than 45,000 flight attendants, including the 5,200 flight
attendants at US Airways, join together to form AFA, the world's
largest flight attendant union.
