United Airlines flight attendants and retirees, represented by the
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, will picket and leaflet at
Newark Airport on March 11 and San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose
airports on March 12 to protest United’s plan to break its agreement with
flight attendant retirees and change their health benefits.
Leafleting will be held on March 11 at: * Newark Airport—Entrance to
United ticketing, Upper level, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Local Contact
Karen Mazuer, 917-428-6777. Picketing and leafleting will be held on March
12 at: * Oakland Airport—In front of United ticket counters, from 4:30
a.m. to 4 p.m. Local contact: Cicina Norton, 510-390-3011. * San Jose
Airport—Terminal C, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local contact: Ruthie Funk,
408-858-1765. * San Francisco Airport—Domestic Terminal, Entrances 1-8,
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Local contact, Stan Kiino, 415-902-5764.

United management signed a letter of agreement in May 2003 to ensure that
flight attendants retiring before July 1, 2003 would have access to health
care benefits that were less costly and more comprehensive than those that
would be in place for those who retire after that date. Based on that
agreement, over 2,500 flight attendants retired before the July 1
deadline, only to find out just six months later that United intends to
double-cross them and cut their benefits. These changes will force
retirees to pay hundreds of dollars more per month of their modest
pensions just to continue health insurance.

An examiner has been appointed by the bankruptcy court to investigate
United Airlines’ scheme to intentionally mislead thousands of flight
attendants into ending their careers or retiring early, defrauding them
out of their retirement benefits. He will present his findings in
bankruptcy court in Chicago on March 19.

Retirees will be on hand at all of the airport events to tell their
stories about how United’s proposed changes will impact their lives, and
current United employees will join in the fight to inform the public of
United’s bait and switch tactics. Some of these retirees will be attending
events for the first time because cancer treatment prohibited their
involvement until now.

More than 46,000 flight attendants, including the 21,000 flight attendants
at United, join together to form AFA, the world’s largest flight attendant
union. AFA is part of the 700,000 member strong Communications Workers of
America, AFL-CIO. Visit us at http://www.unitedafa.org/.
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