August 26, 2013
By Neal Tepel
Washington, DC – Unions representing 70,000 Airline employees issued a joint statement regarding the importance of an early date for trial and completion of merger. The labor organizations affected echoed the companies' request for a November 12, 2013 trial date in connection with the US Department of Justice's ("DOJ") lawsuit.
The unions issued the following statement:
"We urge the U.S. District Court and the Department of Justice to begin the trial on November 12, 2013 in order to get to a speedy resolution to this exciting merger.
Our message to consumers everywhere is simple: "Let us compete for your business" starting as soon as possible.
Our members want a fair shot at competing in the marketplace. The airlines we work for, US Airways and American Airlines, can together succeed in a way that neither airline can alone, bringing new competition to the domestic and international airlines that serve Americans. The improved network and higher quality product will attract new customers, allowing the airlines to compete with the megacarriers in a way neither airline can do alone, creating greater job security for our members as a result.
Delaying a trial puts our families and our customers at further risk. For American and its employees, the uncertainty of the last two years in bankruptcy has already exacted a heavy toll. Employees at US Airways have had similar hardships with two bankruptcies since 9-11. In order to make new American competitive, that uncertainly should be ended as soon as possible.
The livelihoods of hard-working aviation professionals at American and US Airways hang in the balance. Jobs are at stake if this merger does not go through. For our members, job security that comes with truly competitive airlines is on hold as we wait for trial.
Our members have borne the brunt of the severe turbulence in the aviation industry. Justice delayed is justice denied for our members. This merger makes sense for competition, customers, and the members we represent who want nothing more than to compete aggressively on a level playing field to serve those customers."
The coalition of unions include: The Allied Pilots Association ("APA"), the US Airline Pilots Association ("USAPA"), the Association of Professional Flight Attendants ("APFA"), Association of Flight Attendants-CWA ("AFA"), the Transport Workers Union ("TWU") and the Communications Workers of America ("CWA"). These unions represent 70,000 American Airlines and US Airways employees. The workers from these labor organizations include pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, technicians, aircraft dispatchers, call center representatives, and others.
