URPBPA LEGISLATIVE ALERT
January 12, 2006
The following was prepared by retired United pilot Jim
Hosking:
Our next campaign beginning with this Request Letter is to
target the Senate.
The House Democrats, lead by Congressman George Miller
(D-CA) enthusiastically backed the inclusion of United Airlines in the final
pension reform legislation. The Senate Democrats on the other hand have
been less than enthusiastic about United’s inclusion. The same can be
said of the Senate Republicans. It is up to this list to fire up the
Senate so they will want to include United Airlines in the final bill coming
out of the Conference Committee.
We must begin to work on the Senate in the same way we have
been working on the House. We, however, do not need to chastise the
Senate Republicans as we did the House Republicans because they have never
actually voted against the employees and retirees of United Airlines, they just
have not included them.
Two very important major delegations have not supported us.
They are the delegations from
The reason these two delegations are important is that both
states have a high population of United Airlines employees and retirees.
These two states are very important because the other Senators look
to the Senators from these two states for leadership in this United Airlines
pension matter. Basically, the direction these four Senators decide to go
in this matter the other Senators will have a tendency to follow.
United Airlines has also spent a great amount of time and
money successfully lobbying the Senators of
Two other key Democrat Senators which should be
enthusiastically on our side but are not are Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) and
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). We need to encourage these two Democrat
Senators to support our labor cause over the interests of the corporations. It
is very important that each of us fax and phone our own two Senator’s offices,
both their state offices and their
For those of you on Fax4Word, I am attaching 3 new
databases, the full Senate, Senate Republicans and the Senate Democrats.
Please saturate these offices with faxes as you did for the House. Anyone
needing further information about Fax4Word,
please send me a note requesting information. This is a program that
allows you to fax through your completely unattended computer sending out
approximately 1100 faxes a day.
Our message is the final bill to come out of the Conference
Committee on pension reform legislation MUST INCLUDE PROVISIONS TO SAVE THE
PENSIONS AT UNITED AIRLINES.
The House and Senate have each passed their own version of
pension reform legislation but neither the House nor Senate versions have
language that includes United Airlines. The Miller-Cardin Motion to Recommit had the language necessary to save the pensions at
United Airlines and it is up to this list to let the Senators know that we
desperately want and need this language to be included in the final pension
reform bill.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO SAVE THE PENSIONS AT UNITED AIRLINES
BUT WE MUST ALL WORK TOGETHER TO ASK THE SENATORS TO INCLUDE UNITED AIRLINES IN
THE FINAL PENSION REFORM LEGISLATION.
You may use the following talking points to compose your
letters, it is important that your letters are in your own words. Form
letters are not very impressive.
Talking Points:
· The House Miller-Cardin Motion to Recommit
had the language to save the pensions at United Airlines. This bill would
ask United to exhaust all alternatives to termination. If it was proven
in court that United could not survive without termination of the pensions they
would be allowed to terminate. There are provisions to protect United
Airlines from liquidation.
·
To not include United Airlines in the final
pension reform legislation will set up a competitive imbalance and all the
legacy carriers will have to terminate their pension plans to stay competitive
with United.
·
The Conference Committee needs to step up and
do what is right, United Airlines must be forced to exhaust all alternatives to
termination.
·
Put personal and Party politics aside and do
what is right, see that the Conference Committee includes United Airlines in
the final pension reform legislation.
·
The Senate and House versions of pension
reform legislation have left the employees and retirees out of the
equation. Are the pensions of United Airlines employees any less
important that those of Delta and Northwest Airlines?
·
The Senate bill (S.1783) has a 20 year
amortization schedule for pension liabilities for airlines, but it is
VOLUNTARY. If United is allowed to DUMP their pensions on the public the
unintended consequence will be that Delta, Northwest and American will have to
dump their pensions in order to remain competitive with United Airlines.
·
The employees and retirees of United Airlines need to be
included in the pension reform legislation. Do not forget about us.
·
Voters support the politicians and Party that
supports them when they have a need. The employees and retirees of United
have a need and are asking for your support.
Jim Hosking, j.hosking@verizon.net
Sample Phone Message:
I have repeatedly written Senator ____________ asking
him/her to support ANY pension reform legislation that would save the pensions
at United Airlines. The current Senate bill does nothing to save the
pensions at United Airlines.
The pensions at United Airlines must be saved or the
pensions at Delta, Northwest and American will be terminated in order for these
companies to remain competitive with United Airlines.
I am asking Senator ______________ to do everything in
his/her power to see that the Conference Committee includes United Airlines in
their final pension reform legislation and the Senator support this final
bill.
Sample Letter/Fax/E-mail:
January _, 2006
Senator ______________,
Dear Senator,
The Senate and the House have each passed their version of
pension reform legislation and the Conference Committee will soon be appointed
and will meet to compose a final bill on which you will vote.
Both the House and Senate versions of pension reform legislation do not include United Airlines. To not include United Airlines would be a mistake, it would create a competitive imbalance in the airline industry subsidized by the government. The other airlines would be forced to terminate their pension plans in order to stay competitive with United.
Congressman George Miller has written a bill that has
language that would possibly save the pensions at United Airlines by requiring
United Airlines to prove in court that they have exhausted all alternatives to
plan termination. If United can prove that there are no alternatives,
they will be allowed to terminate the pensions. The employees and the
retirees of United Airlines have never had their day in court on this issue and
United Airlines never investigated alternatives to plan termination.
I am asking that you put personal and Party politics aside
and do what is right and see that the Conference Committee includes provisions
to save the pensions at United Airlines. I am part of a large group that
is following this legislation and we will support the politicians and the Party
that help us in our time of need.
Please see that Conference Committee includes United
Airlines in the final pension reform legislation.
Respectfully
Digitally Sign (See instructions in previous Request Letter)
Printed Name, Address, City, State Zip, Phone (optional)
Addresses for Senators
mentioned in this letter:
Senator Richard Durbin
332 Dirksen Senate Office
Building,
Phone: 202-224-2152, Fax: 202-228-0400
District Offices:
Phone: 312-353-4952, Fax: 312-353-0150
701 Court Street,
Senator Barack Obama
713 Hart Senate Office Building,
Phone: 202-224-2854, Fax: 202-228-4260
District Office:
Phone: 312-886-3506, Fax: 312-886-3514
Senator Dianne Feinstein (Next election November 2006)
331 Hart Senate Office Building,
Phone: 202-224-3841, Fax: 202-228-3954
District Offices:
Phone: 310-914-7300, Fax: 310-914-7318
750 “B” Street,
Phone: 559-485-7430, Fax: 559-485-9689
Addresses for Senators mentioned in this letter:
Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building,
Phone: 202 224-3553, Fax: 415-956-6701
District Offices:
501 I Street,
Phone: 415-403-0100, Fax: 415-956-6701
Phone: 213-894-5000, Fax: 213-894-5042
Phone: 619-239-3884, Fax: 619-239-5719
210 North E Street,
Phone: 909-888-8525, Fax: 909-888-8613
Senator
Edward Kennedy (Next election November
2006)
317
Phone: 202-224-4543, Fax: 202-224-2417
District Office
Phone: 617-565-3170, Fax: N/A
Senator Max Baucus
511 Hart Senate Office Building,
Phone: 202-224-2651, Fax: 202-224-0515
District Offices:
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