Retirees Confront US Airways Execs at Courthouse
Dozens of retired US Airways employees from Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey traveled to a courtroom in Alexandria, VA this week, where Judge Stephen Mitchell is weighing a bid by the airline to abrogate labor contracts and eliminate retiree health care benefits.
The IAM retirees aimed poignant signs at US Airways’ executives as they arrived at the courthouse for the latest bankruptcy hearing. “Let us die with dignity – don’t cut off our health benefits,†declared one handmade poster. “US Airways needs to restructure from the top – not the bottom,†read another.
The courtroom quickly filled with reporters, attorneys and spectators as the high stakes hearing got underway. But it was the rows of stern-faced seniors sitting shoulder to shoulder that put a human face on the legal proceedings. “They’re trying to take our benefits away,†said Paul Illian, a retiree who worked at US Airways for 31 years. “That’s what we’re fighting here. Win or lose, we’re not going down without a fight."
US Airways claims it needs more than $1 billion in new concessions from all labor groups, including pilots, flight attendants and ground personnel. A ruling on the airline’s motion could come at any time. Click here to view Don't Take Away Our Medical Benefits., an IAM video of the courthouse rally.
Dozens of retired US Airways employees from Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey traveled to a courtroom in Alexandria, VA this week, where Judge Stephen Mitchell is weighing a bid by the airline to abrogate labor contracts and eliminate retiree health care benefits.
The IAM retirees aimed poignant signs at US Airways’ executives as they arrived at the courthouse for the latest bankruptcy hearing. “Let us die with dignity – don’t cut off our health benefits,†declared one handmade poster. “US Airways needs to restructure from the top – not the bottom,†read another.
The courtroom quickly filled with reporters, attorneys and spectators as the high stakes hearing got underway. But it was the rows of stern-faced seniors sitting shoulder to shoulder that put a human face on the legal proceedings. “They’re trying to take our benefits away,†said Paul Illian, a retiree who worked at US Airways for 31 years. “That’s what we’re fighting here. Win or lose, we’re not going down without a fight."
US Airways claims it needs more than $1 billion in new concessions from all labor groups, including pilots, flight attendants and ground personnel. A ruling on the airline’s motion could come at any time. Click here to view Don't Take Away Our Medical Benefits., an IAM video of the courthouse rally.
