July 14, 2003
Mr. Gerard Arpey
President & COO
American Airlines, Inc.
PO Box 619616 MD 5621
DFW Airport, TX 75261-9616
Dear Mr. Arpey:
On behalf of the Transport Workers Union, I strongly urge the Board of Directors to maintain our system-wide workforce at current staffing levels. Elimination or downsizing of Kansas City or St. Louis operations, or to otherwise downsize the system-wide workforce would be a complete breach of faith by Management.
For American to recover from its current perilous situation and to thrive in the future, Management must have the trust of its unionized workforce. That trust was sorely tested during our recent negotiations. In spite of obvious lack of transparency on a number of important issues, AA’s unionized employees did the right thing. They shouldered their fair share of the burden and saved American. But they did so with a clear understanding—that Management would reciprocate by doing everything possible to ensure their future with the airline. To downsize operations without absolute and irrefutable justification to our membership would be an especially cynical violation of this understanding.
The impact on downsizing was discussed in the reorganization meetings and active engagement meetings, and at no time was the downsizing of St. Louis or Kansas City discussed. We discussed that a reduction in staffing beyond our reorganization agreement would be unjustifiable because it is not essential to American’s long-term survival. The size of the current workforce is the minimum necessary for safe and efficient maintenance and servicing of your aircraft, equipment, and facilities. Furthermore, the savings American accrued most recently through the sacrifices unionized employees made in their revised contracts are substantial and we believe are more than adequate. Nothing has changed since these agreements were reached that would justify major layoffs, especially since the TWU represented workforce is highly productive—at the Kansas City and St. Louis facilities, and throughout the system.
To betray hard-working employees who have gone the last mile to demonstrate their loyalty and commitment to American is ethically wrong. Don’t do it! Work with us instead on the collaborative basis you promised when we reached the agreements that saved this company. Together, we can build a strong and prosperous airline. Apart, we are bound to fail.
If you have questions about the issues I have raised, I would welcome the opportunity to address them.
Sincerely,
James C. Little
Director Air Transport Division
Intl. Administrative Vice President
cc: Richard Gephardt
Sonny Hall
Jeff Brundage
Ed Wytkind
ATD-Staff
AA/TWU-Presidents
Art Luby, ESQ
David Rosen, ESQ
Mr. Gerard Arpey
President & COO
American Airlines, Inc.
PO Box 619616 MD 5621
DFW Airport, TX 75261-9616
Dear Mr. Arpey:
On behalf of the Transport Workers Union, I strongly urge the Board of Directors to maintain our system-wide workforce at current staffing levels. Elimination or downsizing of Kansas City or St. Louis operations, or to otherwise downsize the system-wide workforce would be a complete breach of faith by Management.
For American to recover from its current perilous situation and to thrive in the future, Management must have the trust of its unionized workforce. That trust was sorely tested during our recent negotiations. In spite of obvious lack of transparency on a number of important issues, AA’s unionized employees did the right thing. They shouldered their fair share of the burden and saved American. But they did so with a clear understanding—that Management would reciprocate by doing everything possible to ensure their future with the airline. To downsize operations without absolute and irrefutable justification to our membership would be an especially cynical violation of this understanding.
The impact on downsizing was discussed in the reorganization meetings and active engagement meetings, and at no time was the downsizing of St. Louis or Kansas City discussed. We discussed that a reduction in staffing beyond our reorganization agreement would be unjustifiable because it is not essential to American’s long-term survival. The size of the current workforce is the minimum necessary for safe and efficient maintenance and servicing of your aircraft, equipment, and facilities. Furthermore, the savings American accrued most recently through the sacrifices unionized employees made in their revised contracts are substantial and we believe are more than adequate. Nothing has changed since these agreements were reached that would justify major layoffs, especially since the TWU represented workforce is highly productive—at the Kansas City and St. Louis facilities, and throughout the system.
To betray hard-working employees who have gone the last mile to demonstrate their loyalty and commitment to American is ethically wrong. Don’t do it! Work with us instead on the collaborative basis you promised when we reached the agreements that saved this company. Together, we can build a strong and prosperous airline. Apart, we are bound to fail.
If you have questions about the issues I have raised, I would welcome the opportunity to address them.
Sincerely,
James C. Little
Director Air Transport Division
Intl. Administrative Vice President
cc: Richard Gephardt
Sonny Hall
Jeff Brundage
Ed Wytkind
ATD-Staff
AA/TWU-Presidents
Art Luby, ESQ
David Rosen, ESQ
