Home 
Health Care Matters PR Feb
2, 2004
AFA Press Release
UniTED Airlines CheaTED its Retirees
Date: February 2, 2004
Contact: Sara Nelson Dela Cruz 617-794-8951
Flight Attendants File Motion Asking Bankruptcy Court to Investigate Airline's Scheme to Defraud Thousands of Retirees
Kick-off Major Advertising, Lobbying and Passenger Outreach Campaign in Cities around the World
CHICAGO —At a press conference at Chicago's O'Hare airport today, United
Airlines flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA,
AFL-CIO, announced they are undertaking a major legal, lobbying, advertising,
passenger outreach and media campaign to stop United Airlines from cheating
its retirees out of promised health insurance benefits.
"We intend to make sure that everyone knows that UniTED has cheaTED thousands
of workers out of retirement benefits earned after decades of dedicated service
to our airline,” United AFA Master Executive Council President Greg Davidowitch
said. “We will be lobbying on Capitol Hill, we'll be talking to passengers, advertising
in newspapers, on billboards and buses, flight attendants will be hounding United
management at their public events and leafleting and picketing at airports in
cities around the world."
The flight attendants are also filing a motion requesting that the bankruptcy
court appoint an examiner to investigate United Airlines' scheme to intentionally
mislead thousands of flight attendants into ending their careers and retiring
early, defrauding them out of their retirement benefits.
The advertising and passenger outreach campaign's concept "cheaTED" was
revealed at today's press conference at O'Hare Airport in Chicago followed by
passenger leafleting, picketing and media events at nine of United's hub cities
across the country, including: Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York,
San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC.
"United has spent millions marketing Ted as a new, innovative, happy airline—but
it's not,” Davidowitch said. “These contract violations and double-cross tactics
show that there is nothing new at United. Labor management relations are back
to historical lows and the promise of a new United is gone. Through this attack
on retirees, management has proven that what Ted really stands for is cheated."
Retired and active flight attendants are taking their fight to Capitol Hill on
Feb. 4 and 5 to inform legislators about United management's duplicitous attempt
to hide behind the bankruptcy court to renege on their promise to retirees. The
proposed changes were not a part of United's restructuring agreement and are
not necessary for the airline's successful reorganization, but they will devastate
thousands of retirees.
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 workers who retire after that date. Based on that agreement, almost 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 by cutting their benefits
and raising their costs.
Under United's plan, retirees will have to pay up to $650 per month for less
health care — more than 10 times more than they pay now for better health
benefits — and
there is no cap on contributions as health care costs climb each year. For retirees
on incomes that average about $1,200 a month, these cuts will be devastating.
"Although not prepared emotionally or financially to retire, the risks of my
critical illness and not being able to afford my healthcare weighed heavily on
me and was ultimately THE deciding factor to take early retirement," said Eileen
Bugbee, a recently retired flight attendant who is battling colon cancer. "I
am facing additional surgery and if United Airlines is legally successful in
reneging on its word and forcing flight attendants who retired prior to July
1, 2003, to suffer additional insurance costs, I cannot continue to live on my
limited fixed income."
Eileen's story will be featured in an advertisement in the Washington, DC newspaper
Roll Call on Wednesday, Feb. 4, as United retirees and active employees make
visits to lawmakers. It will be the first in a series of ads around the country
that dramatically tell the personal stories of United retirees who will suffer
at the hands of United's callousness.
Log on to www.unitedafa.org to read
the hundreds of personal stories retirees have submitted to the union's
website about the effects the benefit changes will have on their lives.
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.