ALPA USA Reconsiders Age 60 Rule?
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL
94TH REGULAR EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
September 14-15, 2004
SUBJECT
Age 60 Education Campaign
SOURCE
MEA MEC
DELEGATE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
WHEREAS the current financial crisis in the airline industry has
caused tens of thousands of ALPA pilots to experience a dramatic
and permanent reduction in their career earnings through
furloughs, pay cuts, displacements, and reduced promotion and job
opportunities, and
WHEREAS a significant proportion of ALPA's membership has also
experienced an erosion in their projected retirement earnings
through a variety of factors, including the dramatic and
permanent reduction in their career earnings; lower-than-expected
investment returns due to declines in the equity markets, and
increasing pressure on defined benefit plans, including
reductions in benefits, the freezing of future benefit accruals,
or the termination of some of these plans, and
WHEREAS many ALPA pilot groups have not been able to successfully
bargain for defined benefit plans, and
WHEREAS the negotiating environment is not favorable to
addressing these issues in the near future, and
WHEREAS the cost of retiree medical insurance has increased
dramatically over the years, and
WHEREAS airline pilots in the U.S. are required to retire at age
60, and
WHEREAS ALPA policy is to endorse mandatory retirement at age 60,
and
WHEREAS there is a significant gap between the mandatory
retirement age for pilots in the U.S. and the age at which many
pilots are eligible to receive Social Security and Medicare
benefits, and
WHEREAS the Executive Board recently reaffirmed its desire to
obtain necessary changes to the U.S. Medicare and Social Security
laws to make retired airline pilots eligible for Medicare and
full Social Security benefits upon reaching age 60, and
WHEREAS the current White House Administration has not been
amenable to addressing these issues, and
WHEREAS an increasing number of ALPA pilots are concerned that
they may be compelled to work either in other professions or as
pilots outside the U.S. beyond the current U.S. mandatory
retirement age due to a reduction in their career earnings,
retirement earnings, and/or to bridge their income and medical
benefits to Medicare and Social Security, and
WHEREAS an increasing number of ALPA pilots have expressed a
desire to have the mandatory retirement age in the U.S. increased
to enable them to continue to work as a pilots in the U.S to
increase their career earnings, retirement earnings, and/or to
bridge their income and medical benefits to Medicare and Social
Security, and
WHEREAS the Age 60 Rule is a safety rule established by the
Federal Aviation Administration in 1959, and
WHEREAS a change in the Age 60 rule would require a change to
applicable FAA regulations based upon aviation safety, and not
pilot income or benefits, criteria, and
WHEREAS discussions among rank and file U.S. ALPA members
regarding changing the mandatory age raise issues related to the
impact on career earnings, retirement earnings, defined benefit
plan provisions and funding, pilot medical certification
standards, and air safety, and
WHEREAS it is appropriate that Association policy on safety
issues be consistent with the best available scientific
information, and
WHEREAS the establishment of Association policy is driven by the
interests of the rank and file membership, and
WHEREAS arguments both in favor and against maintaining the
current Association policy preserving age 60 as the mandatory
retirement age must be focused on facts rather than emotion or
speculation,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the President is hereby directed to
initiate a thorough communications effort to educate the U.S.
ALPA membership regarding the rationale for the existence of the
Age 60 Rule and the possible implications of increasing the
mandatory retirement age, including the impact on career
earnings, retirement earnings, defined benefit plan provisions
and funding, pilot medical certification standards, and air
safety, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this communications effort shall
include a poll of the U.S. ALPA membership regarding mandatory
retirement age issues, including their views regarding ALPA's Age
60 policy, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President is also directed to
report on the status of this initiative to the May 2005 Executive
Board.