On The Go

Next week the Teamsters Negotiating Team will be traveling to San Francisco to resume negotiations. Then continuing on the following they will meet in Washington DC at the Teamsters Headquarters October 6th – October 8th here is a map to the Headquarters.

In addition, I am being removed from the Matrix next week. If I get an Internet signal, I will post updates. Thanks for checking in.

"Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies."
Thomas Jefferson President 1801-1809

Jock

American Airlines to end health plan

American Airlines has notified its non-union retirees that the carrier will no longer pay for health insurance coverage for retirees past age 65.
"This is not right," said retiree Deanna Soltis, 70, who left her Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport job with American in 1995. "The majority of us have worked 35, 40 years for this company. Yes, we can have Medicare. "But this was part of our retirement package that they shouldn't be able to take away from us," Soltis said.
Click here for the rest of the story.

The Story of the Day?

MIGHTY MANURE: Poop-to-power plant now generating electricity.

FAA Policy Change

Airlines will no longer be called ''customers'' of the FAA, the agency responsible for regulating aviation safety said. Randy Babbitt, the new Federal Aviation Administration chief, said Thursday that the agency will stop calling air carriers its ''customers'' -- a practice adopted by the Bush administration. Lawmakers have complained the agency places the welfare of industry above the safety of passengers.

"Customers" what a bunch of crap! Who in the world thought that one up and what about their real jobs? Oversight?
Sorry about the rant but come on! Thank you Randy Babbitt. You all should check out Randy's bio and you can see why President Obama appointed him as the head of the FAA.
Jock

Constitution Day

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created.

Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787.

UAL Board of Directors

United Airlines has named former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey to its board of directors, effective Sept 23. Garvey is the chairman of Meridiam Investment Fund NA. She also serves on the Bi-Partisan Policy Project, which is examining the future of transportation policy in the United States. She most recently served on the transition team for President Barack Obama, focusing on transportation policies and related infrastructure challenges. Prior to that, she headed the U.S. Public/Private Partnerships at JPMorgan, where she advised states on financing strategies to facilitate project delivery for state governments.

Speaking of pay

Looks like Glenn got a 19% pay raise last year and the CEO of Continental Airlines took a 6% cut in pay. I added the CEO of Delta just because he seemed to have a very good year.

Glenn F. Tilton Chief Executive Officer UAL Corporation
In 2008, Glenn F. Tilton raked in $1,702,697 in total compensation. In the previous year the CEO of this company made $1,428,393.
Total CEO compensation has increased by 19%.

Lawrence W. Kellner Chief Executive Officer Continental Airlines Inc.
In 2008, Lawrence W. Kellner raked in $6,265,314 in total compensation. In the previous year the CEO of this company made $6,686,512.
Total CEO compensation has decreased by 6%.

Richard H. Anderson Chief Executive Officer Delta Air Lines Inc.
In 2008, Richard H. Anderson raked in $17,442,655 in total compensation. In the previous year the CEO of this company made $359,223.
Total CEO compensation has increased by 4756%.

Jock

Health Care

The Kaiser Foundation has posted a new report on the cost of health care. According to their site, premiums have risen 131% since 1999 and workers contributions have increase 128%.

Meanwhile Congress is dead lock on any type of reform. The bill that is due out of the Senate finance Committee is looking more like a blank check to the insurance companies. At least with the bank bailout they have to pay back the loan with interest.

Some are saying they do not want the government to get between my doctor and me. What do you think the insurance companies are doing? How do you think United Health group can afford to pay their CEO $25 a minute (annual compensation $3,241,041)?

Call your Congressman and demand they have a public option in the bill. Click here to find your representative.

Jock

Bankruptcy

We all know the meaning of that word. Today is the one year anniversary of the largest bankruptcies in the United States. Lehman Bothers was founded in 1850 and collapsed in 2008.

Behind every success or failure there are the CEO’s and board of directors. One name you might recognize from the board for Lehman Brothers would be Stephen M. Wolf. Wolf was the Chairman of Lehman Brothers Private Equity Advisory Board.

December 1987 Mr. Wolf was named the head of Allegis Corp., at the time the parent company of United Airlines. Prior to his coming to United Airline he and Frank Lorenzo took Continental into bankruptcy in 1983. Here are a few other companies that Mr. Wolf was a member of the board.
Republic Airlines
Flying Tigers
Pan American World Airway
United Airlines
US Airways
How many of these companies were taken into bankruptcy or ceased to operate?

Jock

Patriot day

We all remember September 11th 2001 and how our country was hit, one of the worst day in our nation since Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941. Patriot day is a day to remember. Tomorrow don’t forget to put up a flag and take a moment to remember our coworkers of Flight 93 and all the men and woman lost on that day.

Jock

Chicago to give UAL an extra $10M to move

Crain's reports: The Daley administration is coughing up an additional $10 million to entice the parent of United Airlines to move its operations center downtown from the northwest suburbs, boosting the total subsidy to nearly $36 million. A $10-million grant comes on top of a tax-increment financing subsidy of roughly $25 million that city officials disclosed earlier this month when they announced UAL Corp.'s decision to move 2,500 jobs from Elk Grove Township to Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Drive. Full story

Freedom of Speech

Today the Supreme Court will hear arguments again, in a case that could reverse major gains made in recent decades to reduce the influence of corporate money on federal elections.

The court heard this case last June, but in a surprising move, Chief Justice Roberts said that it would rehear it and also reconsider two previous landmark campaign finance cases. In other words, the Supreme Court has transformed a case that posed a limited challenge to the McCain-Feingold law into a sweeping challenge to a century old support of campaign finance restrictions on direct corporate financing of candidate campaigns.

Since 1907, the United States has recognized that corporations have certain rights, but they are not citizens, they do not vote, so those rights can be limited.

Corporate campaign contributions were banned in federal elections in 1907 and in 1947, the law was amended to affirm what had been understood to be the case.

It would not take too many $10 million campaigns by a corporation to defeat a House member who voted against that corporation or establish a threat to obtain undue influence over other House members.

The issue is the First Amendment right of free speech. Conservatives who oppose campaign finance regulation argue that corporations have the same right to free speech and to political speech as anybody else does.

The First Amendment gives people rights, no place in the Bill of Rights does it give any rights to a corporation. With our current conservative court, we could see corporations gain even more power.


Jock

Who flies the passengers out of SeaTac airport ?
Carrier Passengers Share May 2009
Alaska 10,543
Horizon Air 3,458
Southwest 2,724
United 2,132
Northwest 1,726
Other 7,573

Carrier Passengers Share May 2007
Alaska 10,580
Horizon Air 2,809
United 2,667
Southwest 2,653
Northwest 1,709
Other 6,928
Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Labor Day History

As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living. Children were also working, as they provided cheap labor to employers and laws against child labor were not strongly enforced.

With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions became more prominent and voiced their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. Participants took an unpaid day-off to honor the workers of America, as well as vocalize issues they had with employers. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later.

On May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They sought support from their union led by Eugene V. Debs and on June 26 the American Railroad Union called a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. Within days, 50,000 rail workers complied and railroad traffic out of Chicago came to a halt. On July 4, President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago. Much rioting and bloodshed ensued, but the government's actions broke the strike and the boycott soon collapsed. During the course of the strike, 13 strikers were killed and 57 were wounded. An estimated 6,000 rail workers did $340,000 worth of property damage (about $6,800,000 adjusted for inflation to 2007). Debs and three other union officials were jailed for disobeying the injunction. The strike brought worker's rights to the public eye and Congress declared, in 1894, that the first Monday in September would be the holiday for workers, known as Labor Day.

President Cleveland's bid for re-nomination at the 1896 Democratic National Convention failed because of his response to the strike.

Please support Amerijet Pilots

Amerijet Video to be Watched and Shared with Others.

David Bourne, Teamsters Airline Division Director, asked that the following link be sent to all Airline Division members and locals, as well as all other Teamster divisions and locals, with the request that members send it to everyone they know, especially U.S. Congressmen and Senators. Video

Internet's 40th "Birthday" Marked

In fall 1969, computers sending data between two California universities set the stage for the Internet, which became a household word in the 1990s. Article

September 2nd 1969, in a lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, two computers passed test data through a 15-foot gray cable.

“Cash for Geezers”

As I was listening to my favorite talk show host, he was talking about an idea to bring down unemployment and to stimulate the economy. Lower the SS retirement age to 55 and increase the benefits to the levels you could live on. This would open up the job markets to a new workforce, people can then pay off student loans, buy new houses and cars, and otherwise drive the economy from the bottom up. Which will further increase tax revenues further strengthening the Social Security system.

He coined this new plan “Cash for Geezers” you can read the rest of the article by clicking here.
Seemed to work for the "Cash for Clunkers" program.
Jock