For Immediate Release: May 19, 2008
Contact: US Airways: Mike Flores 704-576-3174 or America West: Gary Richardson 602-625-5573
Flight Attendants Not Celebrating US Airways and America West Merger Anniversary
May 19 Marks Three Year Merger Announcement Anniversary
Washington DC – On the third anniversary of the US Airways and America West Airlines merger announcement, over 7,000 flight attendants at America West and US Airways, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) have no reason to celebrate. A merged contract between both flight attendant groups has not been reached.
“Flight attendants are outraged that management has continually failed to recognize the value and worth of professional flight attendants in this merger,” said Gary Richardson, America West Master Executive Council President. “Flight attendants have sacrificed enough in the hands of this management team over the last three years.”
“After the concessions wrung from the East flight attendants during two bankruptcies, the time is now for a contract that provides the necessary pay and benefits,” said Mike Flores, US Airways Master Executive Council President. “Management continues to reap the benefits of low cost labor contracts and is unwilling to reward the hard work of flight attendants.”
“As speculations of a merger between US Airways and United Airlines continue unabated, shareholders should carefully scrutinize the failure of the current management regime to deliver the synergies that the unfinished merger of America West and US Airways was promised to produce. Until a single labor agreement is reached with flight attendants, these promised synergies are nothing but hollow pipedreams of a management team doomed to fail with this merger and any other,” said Richardson and Flores.
For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for flight attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill. More than 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines come together to form AFA-CWA, the world’s largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afanet.org.
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