Missouri Senator (elect) Claire McCaskill
vows to help former TWA'ers win extended recall rights!
Claire
McCaskill
McCaskill
For US Senate
St. Louis
P.O. Box 6771 • St. Louis, MO 63144
Phone : 314-918-8683
(VOTE)
CLAIRE
Fax: 314-918-8696
CLAIRE
Fax: 314-918-8696
Kansas City:
6614 Blue Ridge Blvd. • Raytown, MO 64133
McCaskill
Mc Caskill Phone:
816-356-1659
FOR U.S. SENATE
Fax: 816-358-7134
October 30, 2006
Dear Former TWA Flight Attendants,
I am writing to express my public commitment to the issue of F/A furlough recall rights.
If I am elected as U.S. Senator from Missouri, I plan to pursue direct involvement in talks between APFA and American Airlines for the express purpose of extending furlough rights for those F/As affected by 9/11. This would include retroactive extension for F/As whose five years have already expired. It is apparent to me that American Airlines has received millions of dollars in post 9/11 recovery funds, and that the same recovery benefits have not been extended to those furloughed. I also plan, if elected, to investigate the possibility of legislation to correct this injustice.
TWA has a proud heritage in Missouri, and the former TWA employees can hold their heads high remembering their work. The unfair treatment of those same employees is an issue I hope I have the opportunity to address.
Claire McCaskill
www.ClaireOnline.com
Paid for by McCaskill for Missouri.
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Paid for by McCaskill for Missouri.
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2 comments:
Thank you so much Senator McCaskill for all your efforts to extend the recall rights of all furloughed airline personnel. I cannot believe it has been 4 years since I lost my career. I have moved on to other jobs but it is just not the same. Terrorism takes all shapes and I cannot believe a large corporation like American would take advantage of 9/11 to not recall their experienced workforce. I hope you have a long successful tenure and continue to work for those who need a voice.
I worked as a crew member the morning of 9/11. The events of that day could have happened to any one of us. I look back on that flight as a sort of time capsule because after we parked at the gate and opened the door the world had changed.
I had a decision to make after 9/11. I decided to fly. I flew because I did not want the terrorists to dictate the skies over my country. I flew because I had 15 years of experience in aviation. I flew because my country needed me to fly. I flew because I wanted to keep my end of the bargain with American Airlines.
I returned to work and found that I was not alone. The determination of my co-workers to get those airplanes back in the sky makes my heart swell with pride every time I think of them. I was told at the time that TWA was the first airline in this country that was 100% up and running after the attacks. I have had the privilege to witness first hand what is finest of the American spirit.I watched my co-workers help restore aviation in this country armed with nothing more that courage and determination.
I also look back on those days with sadness. I remember four women who demanded that I throw a man off the airplane because they did not like the way he looked. In my own way I stood up again for my country. I was where the rubber hits the road in this democracy. I refused to throw that man off the airplane but rather invited those women to exercise thier freedom to leave the aircraft. I am sorry to report that was not the first nor last time I encountered that sort of person. You see, the absolute demand of democracy is that we must be brave enough to let the other guy be free.
I was laid off in January 2003. I turned in my badge and flight manuals. I remember that they were giving us our personnel files. My personnel file was lost and with it so was 17 years of career documentation. I asked my suprivisor for a letter of recommendation. In the end I was escorted to a basement side door which led out of the building. I was utterly discarded. I had no job, no personnel file and no letter of recommendation.
Today American Airlines is the largest airline in the world. The top executives have rewarded themselves with $160 million in stock. Where are the TWA employee owners in this equation? I have heard that only 7% of the former TWA workforce is working today at American Airlines. This is a stark contrast to what was promised to the TWA employees and the American government.
The fight for recall extension is really a fight to make American Airlines honor its promise to the American people. I do not think it is unreasonable that we should expect to be fairly represented by the union, an organization which exists solely, in theory, to represent labor. In the end the credibility of both of these organizations is in question. Today these institutions point at each other and proclaim no responsibility. Together they have been allowed to diminish our contribution to this democracy and devalue our patriotism.
In conclusion, I challenge you to consider that society only works when we the people believe it will. When law makers turn away and disregard the spirit of good will and patriotism in favor of institutions who do not fulfill the promises they have made, it creates a breeding ground for malignant abuse of the people and a sneaky contempt for our laws. I thank Senator McCaskill for her help in this matter.
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