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Health Care Matters Legislative Letter
Draft of Letter to Glenn Tilton from 19 Members of the Senate
See also: Letter from the House of Representatives
Glenn Tilton, Chairman
President and Chief Executive Officer
United Airlines
1200 East Algonquin Road
Elk Grove Township , IL 60007
Dear Mr. Tilton:
We are writing to express our concern about United Airlines' current proposal to modify its retiree health benefits and increase health costs for large numbers of retirees.
We understand that in the time since United entered bankruptcy proceedings, its employees and retirees have made many sacrifices to help United reduce its costs and reorganize successfully. Pilots, flight attendants, maintenance workers, and customer service workers have made substantial concessions to assist the company.
As part of these concessions, employees have agreed to a reduction in future medical benefits and an increase in health care premiums. United gave employees the option of retiring before July 1, 2003 in order to qualify for existing retiree medical benefits without reduction and without increased costs. Thousands of employees retired in the first six months of 2003 in order to preserve their retiree health care coverage.
Recently, however, United announced that it plans to make additional modifications in health care coverage under its bankruptcy plan. These changes would require thousands of retired employees to pay as much as ten times more for their coverage. Such increases in retiree health premiums would mean great hardship for many of our constituents and their families.
We urge you to reconsider these harsh reductions in benefits and to continue to maintain a fair health plan for employees and retirees that provides affordable retiree health coverage.
Thank you for your consideration of our request, and we look forward to working with you on this important issue.
With respect and appreciation,
Sincerely,
Edward Kennedy (MA)
Chris Dodd (CT)
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Jim Jeffords (VT)
Patty Murray (WA)
Jack Reed (RI)
John Edwards (NC)
Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY)
Paul Sarbanes (MD)
John Kerry (MA)
Harry Reid (NV)
Daniel Akaka (HI)
Dianne Feinstein (CA)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Ron Wyden (OR)
Charles Schumer (NY)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Jon Corzine (NJ)
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)