Labor Problems Still Unresolved on Two Year Anniversary of US Airways Merger

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-26-2007/0004670552&EDATE=

Labor Problems Still Unresolved on Two Year Anniversary of US Airways Merger

PHOENIX, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This Thursday, September
27, marks the two year anniversary of the merger between America West
Airlines and US Airways, yet flight attendants see no reason to celebrate.
Single contract talks between management and flight attendants have dragged
on for over 19 months with simple non-economic issues unresolved. Both
groups of flight attendants are represented by the Association of Flight
Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA). A single working agreement between US Airways and
America West flight attendant groups is necessary for the operational
merger to be complete.

"Flight attendants have reached their limit in the level of frustration
with management over the status of contract negotiations, as well as the
operational and service failures that have disrupted the travel plans of
thousands of US Airways passengers over the summer," said Gary Richardson,
America West, AFA-CWA President.

"Since the financial merger of the two carriers was consummated, US
Airways has racked up nearly a billion dollars in profit, and yet
management refuses any meaningful improvements to wages or benefits for
flight attendants," said Mike Flores, US Airways, AFA-CWA President. "The
virtual merger and profits all continue to be the result of employee
concessions and give backs and now is the time to recognize those
sacrifices at the bargaining table."

Flight attendants at America West have not seen raises or workplace
improvements in over four years. US Airways flight attendants continue to
work under a concessionary agreement put in place during the last
bankruptcy, which eroded pay scales, terminated pensions and slashed
benefits. Passengers have been exposed to poor operations, short staffing,
delays, and merger related system failures. Yet while employee and
passenger relations continue to decline, US Airways management has reaped
millions in bonuses.

On October 16, flight attendants from twenty AFA-CWA carriers across
the nation and the world will descend on Phoenix, for informational
picketing and protest activities in a mass demonstration of solidarity and
support for flight attendants at US Airways.

For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been
serving as the voice for flight attendants in the workplace, in the
aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill. More than 55,000
flight attendants at 20 airlines come together to form AFA-CWA, the world's
largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong
Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at
http://www.afanet.org.