Say what you want, but unions are killing the industry.
Except they're not.
Wages are about 40% of what they were 20 years ago at AA, adjusted for inflation.
Executives get the credit when companies are successful. They get the blame when they're not.
American Airlines flight attendants protest bosses' executive bonuses at JFK airport
BY LORE CROGHAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
American Airlines flight attendants picketed at JFK Airport Wednesday to protest fat bonuses for their bosses in the face of big losses for their carrier.
About 30 workers and retirees waved signs saying "Bonuses for Failure?" and chanted "Down with corporate greed" on the sidewalk across the roadway from American Airlines' terminal.
Drivers of some passing cars honked to show solidarity with the flight attendants, many dressed in their navy-blue work uniforms.
"The top people have a lot of nerve taking their bonuses," said demonstrator Connie Patrick, 62, of Newtown, Conn., who has worked as a flight attendant for the airline for 43 years. "They're a bunch of Bernie Madoffs."
The top five execs have reaped $100 million in bonuses since 2005, while the carrier lost more than $4.2 billion. In 2003, the flight attendants agreed to cuts in pay and benefits worth $340 million annually, which they say kept American out of bankruptcy.
"We were promised when American got back on its feet that we would share in the profitability," said another protestor, Marilyn Catania, 60, of Rockville Centre, L.I. "But only the top people get the money.
"I had hoped to retire by now, but I'm going to have to work a few more years," said Catania, who's been an American flight attendant for 40 years.
The carrier's flight attendants earn $30,000 to $40,000 per year, which puts them in the middle of the pack on pay among the major airlines, said flight attendant Raymond Lewis, 40, of Stroudsburg, Pa., who's a rep for their union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
"A regular work schedule is 75 to 80 hours a month, but most people I know in New York can't live on that," said flight attendant Jan Gadd, 44, of the lower East Side. "Most work at least 100 hours; I know people who work 140 hours to make ends meet."
The union issued a mock "14-count indictment" of their bosses charging "managerial incompetence" and "moral bankruptcy."
Protests were also held at LaGuardia Airport and nine other airports nationwide where the carrier has a presence.
It employs nearly 18,000 flight attendants. Their union has been in labor contract negotiations for three years.
The union bought a half-page ad in Wednesday's USA Today that trumpeted, "Wall Street greed is alive and well at American Airlines," and debuted a TV commercial that takes aim at American's CEO, Gerard Arpey.
After the protests, a company spokeswoman defended the bonuses and offered a hopeful word about labor negotiations.
"Performance-based compensation plans are considered good corporate governance," Missy Cousino said in a statement.
"We remain committed to working with all the unions to reach agreements addressing the needs of both parties that are in the long-term best interests of the company and all of its employees," she added.