I joined the United Airline Pilots, Air Line Pilots Association, the Association of Flight Attendants, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, Professional Airline Flight Control Association, and International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers on the picket line today.Their experience is a symptoms of what is happening to many workers throughout Colorado and the U.S. Are we watching the end of an era of any corporate Patriotism?

When United was going through bankruptcy, United’s workers were asked “share in sacrifice” for the survival of the company. So how has that sacrifice been “shared”?

WORKERS “SHARE”:

• Experienced a 50% cut in pay and benefits since 2003
• Lost more than $1.4 Billion annually from 2003 - 2010
• Had Health Insurance reduced by more than 20%
• Loss of Retirement Pensions

CEO / MANAGEMENT “SHARE”:

• 3,533% Compensation Increase for the CEO
• $40 Million paid to the CEO

The company posted a quarterly profit of $274 million.

When CEOs give themselves pay increases while cutting their workers wages and benefits, it doesn’t looking like “sharing the sacrifice” to me. My grandfather, was an airline pilot for United, and would be rolling over in his grave to see the fate of a company that used to make the American Dream come true.

In the modern era a CEO makes an average of 500 times his or her average worker (up from 40 times the average salary in the 1980’s).

You, and I, and our workers, are paying for this decadence in the form of higher prices, lower wages, reduced benefits, and reduced services.

Hats off to these workers who are doing their part to raise important issues that impact us all!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2007 at 3:16 pm and is filed under Elected, Democratic Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.