Pilots rip Santorum over US Airways comments [View All]

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04259/379749.stm

The union for US Airways pilots today blasted Sen. Rick Santorum for his comments about the pilots' role in the airline's latest bankruptcy filing.

Santorum, R-Pa., met with company officials yesterday.

Afterwards, he criticized the four pilots' union leaders from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, who control the votes of the union and would not accept the latest contract concession demands from the airline.

"The union got their pound of flesh. Now where are we?" Santorum said. "These four individuals decided they could take the airline down, and they did."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04259/379304.stm

Santorum blasts Pittsburgh, Philadelphia pilots union leaders
Wednesday, September 15, 2004

By Ann McFeatters, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



WASHINGTON -- After emerging from a half-hour meeting with US Airways Chief Executive Officer Bruce Lakefield, Pennsylvania's two senators said yesterday that they were sobered by the scope of the bankrupt airline's financial troubles and blamed the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia representatives of the pilots union.

Sens. Rick Santorum and Arlen Specter, both Republicans, said that while past management of the nation's seventh-largest airline, now in bankruptcy for the second time, is responsible for bad decisions, it is a "fact" the Chapter 11 filing was spurred by the pilots union's refusal to let members vote on a contract this past weekend.

Santorum said he was "very, very upset" with the four representatives of the pilots' union board who voted against taking the company's last offer to its membership, noting that eight of the 12 board members voted for it. Because the two Pittsburgh and two Philadelphia union leaders represented a majority of pilots, they were able to block the motion to send the proposal to rank-and-file pilots.