Eight Years of the "Working Together" Relationship
Flight Attendants have Contributed $2.9 BILLION to AMR's Bottom Line and Yet Executives Still Demand More
With the Aid of the Government (the NMB and now the Bankruptcy Courts) AMR Now Plans to Extort More from Employees
We say it’s Time to Fight Back!!!
As we head into Chapter 11 (Reorganization), it's import to know that employees still have many options available and that APFA can take many directions in addressing membership concerns.
Historically the bankruptcy courts have been hard-hitting on employees while simultaneously being sympathetic to the very executives who instigated the bankruptcy filing. Public opinion on that has changed dramatically in the wake of the mortgage and financial meltdowns, but that doesn't mean that the courts have changed. As the following Bloomberg video points out, AMR was able to file for bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York even though the carrier has no airports in the Southern District. The reason corporations flock to the Southern District is because it's a corporate-friendly environment. The Southern District panders to corporations so that corporations will bring their bankruptcy business to their court. It's a business just like any other.
While it's typical that employees will be stymied from being able to take any strike action against the employer in bankruptcy, that doesn't mean that employees are hogtied. There's a great deal of politics involved in bankruptcy so it's important that employees have a solid plan for dealing with bankruptcy without relying on the government and the courts to protect their interests.
As all three labor groups jockey for position, I want flight attendants to know that we've been talking with a team of professionals (including a top-notch corporate bankruptcy firm) about how to proceed forward. Because we spent eight years fighting AMR in Federal Court over the 2003 Restructuring Agreement, we have the executive depositions to insure that AMR's execs will not back-peddle from what they told the courts in 2004.
To reiterate, AMR admitted that there was no bankruptcy threat in 2003, and that the $1.8 billion demanded annually from employees was nothing more than a plug-and-play figure from a low-cost carrier labor comparison AMR did in 2001 (before 9/11) in an effort to align American with low-cost carriers. It was about changing American' business model, not saving the airline from bankruptcy.
When we consider that five of the six banks targeted by the Occupy the Boardroom movement have an intimate influence on the board of AMR, it's obvious that there's a tremendous amount of of outside influence affecting AMR's decision to file for bankruptcy. Knowing this given employees a plethora of opportunities to fight back.
To learn more, please visit: www.CorporateCampaign.org
The ED Show said it best:
Ed Schultz says that it's "American Airlines turn to screw workers." He also states that AMR has "$24 billion in assets, $29 billion in liabilities and $4 billion in cash." Clearly there's no need for bankruptcy.
It's interesting to note that AMR filed for bankruptcy in the "Southern District" when in reality AMR has no airports in the Southern District.
The reason corporations flock to the Southern District is because it's a corporate-friendly environment. The Southern District panders to corporations so that corporations will bring their bankruptcy business to them.
There's a lot of money in bankruptcy, and the Southern District wants that money spent locally. It's always about money, and the Federal Court system is no different. The tide will change when employees become educated on corporate America's dirty little secret.
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains how the bankruptcy of American Airlines shows us why voting for president is even more important than you think.
"Bain and the other consultant's lawyers working on the american airlines bankruptcy are being paid $14 million a month. that's more than double what american airlines put in its pension fund last month."
Bloomberg Law questions how AMR was able to file for bankruptcy in the Southern District when the airline has no airports in that district. Apparently AMR was able to file there because they own a tiny piece of real estate. My question is, when was it purchased?
"Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia talks with Bloomberg News bankruptcy columnist and editor-at-large Bill Rochelle about the week's bankruptcy news and legal developments including AMR-American Airlines and MD Global."
Ray Rogers of Corporate Campaign, Inc. talks about AMR's sham bankruptcy filing and what the unions should do.
In response to AMR's assault on the Allied Pilots Association, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Transport Workers Union and their members, as well as the CWA, which is involved in organizing American's passenger service agents, the unions should all work together on four key fronts simultaneously. This is necessary not only to protect their own interests and professions, but to help prevent further assaults of this type on other workers within and outside the airline industry.
