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Health Care Matters PR Jan
30, 2004
AFA Press Release
UniTED Airlines Flight Attendants Hold Press Conference to Announce Major Campaign to Fight to Save Retiree Benefits
Date: January 30, 2004
Contact: Sara Nelson Dela Cruz 617-794-8951
February 2, 11 a.m., Chicago O'Hare Airport Terminal 1 In Front of United Ticket Counters
Media Events, Leafleting and Picketing in Cities across the Country
CHICAGO —United Airlines flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, will hold a press conference at Chicago O'Hare Airport at 11 a.m. on Feb. 2 to unveil a major legal, legislative, media, advertising and public information campaign to stop United from devastating retirees.
Retirees will be on hand to tell their stories about how United's proposed changes will affect their lives, and current United employees will join in the fight to inform the public of United's bait and switch tactics.
On that same day, flight attendants will also be leafleting passengers and picketing in cities around the country. Events will be held in the following cities:
- Chicago O'Hare Airport — Press conference at 11 a.m. followed by picketing and passenger leafleting until 1 p.m., Terminal 1 near United ticket counters.
- Denver — Retiree press conference at 12 p.m.
Arapahoe Library District Annex Building, 12855 E. Jamison Circle, Centennial, Colorado. - Los Angeles Airport — Passenger leafleting
11 a.m. until 2 p.m., United Terminal 7, Upper level. - Miami — Picketing and passenger leafleting
5:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., United Ticket Counters, Concourse F. - Newark Airport — Retiree airport walk
9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., Ticket Counter Level, Door 1. - New York La Guardia Airport — Picketing and passenger leafleting, 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., In front of United Ticket Counters.
- San Francisco Airport — Passenger leafleting
9 a.m. until 1 p.m., Terminal 3, United doors 1-6. - Seattle — Protest and picketing demonstration
11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., Westlake Park on 4th and Pine in downtown Seattle, Across from the old Nordstrom building. - Washington Dulles Airport — Passenger leafleting
2 p.m. until 6 p.m., Upper level, Doors 7 and 8.
United management signed a letter of agreement in May 2003 to ensure that flight attendants retiring before July 1, 2003 would have access to health care benefits that were less costly and more comprehensive than those that would be in place for those who retire after that date. Based on that agreement, over 2,500 flight attendants retired before the July 1 deadline, only to find out just six months later that United intends to double-cross them and cut their benefits. These changes will force retirees to pay hundreds of dollars more per month of their modest pensions just to continue health insurance.
More than 46,000 flight attendants, including the 21,000 flight attendants at United, join together to form AFA, the world's largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000 member strong Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.unitedafa.org .