Coffee? Tea? Or My Retirement Security?
Coffee? Tea? Or My Retirement Security?
Workers for United Airlines are mad as hell and not going to take it any more.
The crowd of very angry current and former workers for United Airlines which showed up at the company’s bankruptcy hearing today was so big the hearing had to be postponed. Why so angry?
United Airlines is trying to dump its pension plan. That’s right, the company wants a judge to approve the default and let it shift its pension plan to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. If that happens, United workers will lose about a quarter of their total pensions.
Pensions aren’t a handout for retired workers. They are money that’s owed to them. Workers take smaller salaries in return for better pensions; as American Progress economist Christian Weller explains it, taking that money away is akin to your boss paying you $20,000, then turning around a year later and demanding $2,000 of that money back. It’s just wrong.
It’s not the first promise United Airlines has broken to retirees. In 2003, the company sweet-talked about 2,500 flight attendants into taking early retirement, telling them if they retired early, they could keep better health benefits. A few short months later, all but yelling, “Suckers!”, United doublecrossed the former workers, cutting those very same health benefits.
United Airlines. Flying the unfriendly skies.
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Isn’t this EXACTLY what we all saw coming? Here’s the 2005 Republican playbook:
1) Remove bankruptcy protection from individuals. Leave loopholes in so the cronies can still get their protection (otherwise the donations will be sure to dry-up)
2) Allow corporations to shirk their responsibilities (legally). Let’s keep an eye on those United pensioners – they’ll be tryin’ to cheat the country out of bankruptcy protection. They’re just a bunch of credit card hooligans livin’ high off the hog on the country’s dime. It’s time they learned fiscal responsibility…
3) Keep your mouth shut and keep cashin’ those checks…
May 10th, 2005 at 3:21 pmyes, my father retired from United and had his health benefits cut and now they are trying to get rid of more of his benefits by defaulting. I don’t know why companies can borrow from pension plans they pay into, just like we borrow from the social security trust fund. i understand united is doing everything they can to stay competitive because of the airline industry in its current state but this whole shit stinks.
May 10th, 2005 at 3:21 pmBut if a company needs to break the rules to stay in business, maybe they should go out of business (or be bought by a more responsible airline).
I’m sure keeping the airline alive will hurt fewer people than removing pensions (lay-offs and such), but if we, as a Country, allow companies to run roughshod over us – what in the hell kind of place is America anyway?
If Southwest and Hooters can make money, then I’m sure it can be done…
May 10th, 2005 at 3:30 pmSouthwest Hooters… now there’s an idea!
May 10th, 2005 at 3:32 pmThat is why I refuse to fly on an airline that does not get a good rating from BuyBlue.org
May 10th, 2005 at 3:36 pmhttp://www.buyblue.org/categories.php?parent_id=55
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp is a travesty. Of course UAL is skipping out on their pension, it’s costing them nothing to do so.
Pensions are not a good thing, and any worker should be extremely wary of them, and avoid them if at all possible. I realize this is not possible in some industries, but it is up to employees to get their companies change to a solution where the employees actually own and control their own retirement assets.
May 10th, 2005 at 4:42 pmThe Pension Benefit guaranty fund is funded by guess who? Us, the taxpayers. This is another corporate scam to leave the taxpayers holding the bag for bad management. Do any of the officers lose their golden parachutes or obscene salaries? No, because they’re critical employees. This is just like the savings and loan scandals of the reagan years. By the way, is Neil bush on the board of United?
May 10th, 2005 at 6:06 pmJust one more good reason not to screw around with Social Security.
May 11th, 2005 at 8:29 amAlso another reason not to fly United.
May 11th, 2005 at 9:06 amJust more of that “morality and values” from the Republican/business alliance……..a rigged system that gives execs millions while the compnaies go bust and screws the workers.
May 11th, 2005 at 11:20 amIt absolutely amazes me that the Rethuglicans are such a strong party, with such a huge backing by so many Americans. It is truly a mark of their success that they are able perpetuate so many horrific schemes right in plain view (social security “privitization,” eliminating bankruptcy protection, tort reform in favor of big business, slashing emission regulations for big corporate polluters so they can pour more filth into our skies and water supply, slashing medicaid for our elderly, giving huge tax breaks to the richest 5%, cutting veteran benefits, etc, etc, etc), while all the while the blind, ignorant Americans raise their little flags and cheer on their great Republican leader and His wonderful policies! And as they get rid of the Filibuster this week in the Senate, which will permit the Republicans to rubber-stamp every one of their far-right corporate-friendly nominees for federal judges, this very United Airlines case might very well be repeated in the near future by some other huge corporation wishing to unload its pension plan for thousands of American workers – and the neo-conservative, pro-big-business judge now sitting on that bench thanks to the Rethuglicans might very well be the one hearing the case. And how do you think he / she will rule? “No, let the little workers keep their pensions! Motion denied.” WRONG.
You gotta give the Rethuglicans credit – they are screwing this country over right and left, and yet able to do so while fooling the average American right in front of their eyes into either 1)not believing what they are seeing happening or 2)not caring because they are able to make these sheep more loyal to their Party than to their country.
May 17th, 2005 at 4:23 pmWhine, whine, whine. So, what’s the alternative? A pension or a job.
I think United needs to give up the ghost and go away. Thier aircraft and employess will find another life. How can it stay in business when JetBlue and Southwest are making profits flying people across the country for $99-129 each way, cheaper than Greyhound.
There is no way these legacy airlines with their union contracts and defined benefit pensions can survive without subsidy. To restore them to profitability means $500 one way cross country tickets and few customers.
Time to move on to another economic model. Painful, but unavoidable.
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