August 12, 2003
Senator Arlin Spector
United States congress
Washington, D.C.
Re: USAirways Negotiations and the Pittsburgh Hub status.
Dear Senator Spector,
It is with great honor to have you here in Pittsburgh. On behalf of my labor group, I thank you for spending the time to visit with us in person, to discuss our issues with regard to the Pittsburgh Hub status and the continued negotiations pending.
Since the negotiations began last year with this new management, the employees of USAirways have contributed over $1 billion dollars in cost savings per year and have lost over 20,000 jobs to date because of the downsizing of our airline. In addition, the government has given USAirways 2 bailouts using tax dollars. In light of the major financial sacrifices made by the employees, the company was also able to secure approval for the ATSB loan. And without that sacrificing would not have qualified. The employees that remain on the property continue to sacrifice, even though management has not negotiated or approached labor for more cost savings. This management continues to blatantly disregard all of our contracts by picking and choosing what they will honor and what they decide no longer works for them.even though they wrote the proposals that were subsequently sent out to our membership and ratified.
Still they are not finished. They are now attempting to muscle Pittsburgh into much lower leases that Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania can ill afford along with mega millions of dollars for improvements to fulfill their business plan WITH THE TAX DOLLARS BY THE PENNSYLVANIA tax payers. In addition to that, they are asking to take more from the coffers of the communities by asking for $16 million dollars worth of tax relief from the State of PA.
Our management has forsaken us.
Please help us.
We as employees of USAirways and as residents of the surrounding communities of this airport are requesting that any and all proposals given to management include a minimum of 150 mainline flights with mainline jobs; livable wage jobs. It is we, the employees who do not have those kinds of tax advantages or tax sheltering as many corporations or the very wealthy have to protect their earnings. Through our livable wages, we pay our state and local taxes as well as our property taxes and sales taxes that are put back into the coffers of Pennsylvania. Companies that only offer poverty wages, place much burden on the State of Pennsylvania by creating less revenue generated because of this kind of employment offered. It also hurts the local communities and economy in the Pittsburgh area as well. I am sure you are very aware that many of our children who are becoming very educated are leaving the Pittsburgh area and Pennsylvania. There is an exodus occurring, and it is solely because of lack of good-paying jobs in Pennsylvania. If this continues, who will support the communities? Anyone can bring in McDonald's or Wal-Mart's in the local area, but these kinds of jobs offered DO NOT support our communities or local economy, and do not increase revenue for our coffers to run the State of Pennsylvania. As Congress has enacted bills and lobbied to save the corporations of the airline industry, it is now over due for Congress to step up to the labor plate and support livable wage jobs for those airline workers who now struggle to barely make ends meet through all these concessions and gutting of our contracts for the sake of saving an airline. No tax relief should be given to any corporation that does not create livable wage jobs. No senior executives should become instant millionaires after taking bailouts and major unprecedented concessions from their employees.
What we are requesting here is for the PA Delegation to make it their priority, that main-line jobs MUST be preserved in order to have any of the PA tax dollars given to help secure US Airways presence in Pittsburgh. Mid-Atlantic is NOT enough. A carrier that only provides for poverty wages is not a win for the communities of Pittsburgh.
It may be high time that a Bill be introduced to bail out the airports in this country that find themselves in this kind of predicament with airlines back peddling and stating that they are unable to satisfy lease agreements while in BK. The unions in this Country are one venue that helps create a balance in our capitalistic economy directly or indirectly. And now this balance is off kilter in the airline industry.
The workers who keep the planes in the air, fly passengers safely to their destinations, uneventful, are in jeopardy of surviving. The integrity of our professions is at stake. We have saved the industry as workers, but now have traded places with our company. That was not our intent.
Please help preserve our home-town jobs. If our Pennsylvania tax dollars will be used to save an airport in order to keep US Airways presence in Pittsburgh, then it has to be for livable wage jobs for the ensured survival of the local economy as well as Pennsylvania.
Respectfully,
Teddy Xidas
Association of Flight Attendants Local 40 Pittsburgh President
Senator Arlin Spector
United States congress
Washington, D.C.
Re: USAirways Negotiations and the Pittsburgh Hub status.
Dear Senator Spector,
It is with great honor to have you here in Pittsburgh. On behalf of my labor group, I thank you for spending the time to visit with us in person, to discuss our issues with regard to the Pittsburgh Hub status and the continued negotiations pending.
Since the negotiations began last year with this new management, the employees of USAirways have contributed over $1 billion dollars in cost savings per year and have lost over 20,000 jobs to date because of the downsizing of our airline. In addition, the government has given USAirways 2 bailouts using tax dollars. In light of the major financial sacrifices made by the employees, the company was also able to secure approval for the ATSB loan. And without that sacrificing would not have qualified. The employees that remain on the property continue to sacrifice, even though management has not negotiated or approached labor for more cost savings. This management continues to blatantly disregard all of our contracts by picking and choosing what they will honor and what they decide no longer works for them.even though they wrote the proposals that were subsequently sent out to our membership and ratified.
Still they are not finished. They are now attempting to muscle Pittsburgh into much lower leases that Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania can ill afford along with mega millions of dollars for improvements to fulfill their business plan WITH THE TAX DOLLARS BY THE PENNSYLVANIA tax payers. In addition to that, they are asking to take more from the coffers of the communities by asking for $16 million dollars worth of tax relief from the State of PA.
Our management has forsaken us.
Please help us.
We as employees of USAirways and as residents of the surrounding communities of this airport are requesting that any and all proposals given to management include a minimum of 150 mainline flights with mainline jobs; livable wage jobs. It is we, the employees who do not have those kinds of tax advantages or tax sheltering as many corporations or the very wealthy have to protect their earnings. Through our livable wages, we pay our state and local taxes as well as our property taxes and sales taxes that are put back into the coffers of Pennsylvania. Companies that only offer poverty wages, place much burden on the State of Pennsylvania by creating less revenue generated because of this kind of employment offered. It also hurts the local communities and economy in the Pittsburgh area as well. I am sure you are very aware that many of our children who are becoming very educated are leaving the Pittsburgh area and Pennsylvania. There is an exodus occurring, and it is solely because of lack of good-paying jobs in Pennsylvania. If this continues, who will support the communities? Anyone can bring in McDonald's or Wal-Mart's in the local area, but these kinds of jobs offered DO NOT support our communities or local economy, and do not increase revenue for our coffers to run the State of Pennsylvania. As Congress has enacted bills and lobbied to save the corporations of the airline industry, it is now over due for Congress to step up to the labor plate and support livable wage jobs for those airline workers who now struggle to barely make ends meet through all these concessions and gutting of our contracts for the sake of saving an airline. No tax relief should be given to any corporation that does not create livable wage jobs. No senior executives should become instant millionaires after taking bailouts and major unprecedented concessions from their employees.
What we are requesting here is for the PA Delegation to make it their priority, that main-line jobs MUST be preserved in order to have any of the PA tax dollars given to help secure US Airways presence in Pittsburgh. Mid-Atlantic is NOT enough. A carrier that only provides for poverty wages is not a win for the communities of Pittsburgh.
It may be high time that a Bill be introduced to bail out the airports in this country that find themselves in this kind of predicament with airlines back peddling and stating that they are unable to satisfy lease agreements while in BK. The unions in this Country are one venue that helps create a balance in our capitalistic economy directly or indirectly. And now this balance is off kilter in the airline industry.
The workers who keep the planes in the air, fly passengers safely to their destinations, uneventful, are in jeopardy of surviving. The integrity of our professions is at stake. We have saved the industry as workers, but now have traded places with our company. That was not our intent.
Please help preserve our home-town jobs. If our Pennsylvania tax dollars will be used to save an airport in order to keep US Airways presence in Pittsburgh, then it has to be for livable wage jobs for the ensured survival of the local economy as well as Pennsylvania.
Respectfully,
Teddy Xidas
Association of Flight Attendants Local 40 Pittsburgh President
