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NEWS RELEASE
November 29, 2011
Statement by
TWU International President James C Little
(TWU Represents the Majority ofAMR Employees) onToday’s Bankruptcy Filing by American Airlines and American Eagle
We are very disappointed by today’s action by AMR. The Transport Workers Union will doeverything possible to protect our members at both American Airlines and American Eagle.Work at both airlines will continue through the Chapter 11 reorganization.Our union had tried to work with AMR managers to make the company more cost competitive and more efficient. In the past month we had reached tentative agreements for
both flight dispatchers and fleet service workers. Fleet service is American’s largest bargaining unit.Other TWU units at both American and Eagle had previously inked agreements. Our aircraft mechanics and maintenance workers, represented by TWU, have saved the company several hundred million dollars over the past decade through boosted
productivity and by bringing inwork from other airlines. While we think this bankruptcy could have and should have been avoided, it does not come
as a surprise. TWU engaged special bankruptcy counsel two
years ago as a contingency and our attorney Sharon Levine
f the firm Lowenstein Sander PC will file claims on behalf of TWU
members later today in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern
District of New York.
This is likely to be a long and ugly process and our union will fight like hell to make sure that front line workers don’t pay an unfair price for management’s failings.We also will do everything possible to protect our passengers. American Airlines does more maintenance in-house and in the
USA than any other major US-based airline. Other bankruptcies in the airline industry have seen aircraft overhaul and other repair work sent to less secure. poorly regulated maintenance facilities in third world countries. We will do everything in our power to maintain quality and safety for this airline and its passengers, while protecting the interests of our members.
Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) represents 200,000 workers and retirees, primarily in commercial aviation, public transportation and railroads. The union is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
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