Pilots rip Santorum over US Airways comments

[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.

[tabasco]

1. It's always the workers fault ...

according to Senator frothymix and the repukes. They are silent when the CEOs bail out with millions.

[Puglover]

2. I feel for the USair folks...

I wonder how many pilots will consider voting for democrats in the next election.

[RamboLiberal]

13. Bunch of US Air Pilots and FA's came to Kerry/Edwards rally

in uniform in Greensburg, PA the Saturday after the DNC. I think he's getting support from many of them.

[gratuitous]

3. Wow, Santorum met with one side

And knows the whole story! Further, he's so well-versed in US Airways' business, that he knows for a fact what has caused their financial trouble.

What a tool. What an intellectually dishonest tool.

[BiggJawn]

4. Sure, blame the Union....

Damn Marxist agitators! Trying to keep good, honest, wealthy men from their god-given profits!

Divine Right of CEO's must prevail, y'know.....

<sarcasm> (if you couldn't guess)

[DBtv]

6. sen. ooze proves Marx correct.

Unregulated capitalism causes a dialectic that will only be corrected by whacking some power elite mo fo's. The "free" market is a bloody bitch when The People dictate a market "correction".

[gottaB]

5. US Airways corportate officers pillaged that company

they were taking home 7 and 8 digits per year, then telling their workers to give up their pensions--and coming to the Congress all boo hoo hoo, I stole tens of millions from my company, and now its bankrupt....boo hoo hoo

Chutzpah

[2Design]

7. and how much do the top 10% make at us airways and where are

there paycuts

let's bring them down to 2 or 3 times as much pay as the lowest worker

[phillybri]

8. He should stick to preventing man-dog relations...

Asshole...:grr:

[Parche]

9. rick santorum

He probably called the UsAir pilots "gay" also.

The management of USAir screwed the airline, the pilots had nothing to do with it.
Their route structure is chaotic, with 3hubs so close to each other

[DemoTex]

10. USAir pilots given-backs are the largest in history of airline industry.

The pilot group has already provided US Airways management with $5 billion dollars in previous restructuring efforts, and we have been in discussions with the company in an effort to yield at least $1 billion more in concessions.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post recently reported that former US Airways CEO Dave Siegel was one of the highest paid Washington area executives in 2003, with over $10-million in compensation. Three other US Airways executives were on that list of 50 top paid DC executives in 2003. Don't forget, on March 31, 2003 these US Airways executives TERMINATED the US Airways pilots' pension plan ... DemoTex's pension plan.

Also, ALPA was very aware that even with a membership ratification of another concessionary agreement last week, US Airways would almost certainly file for Chapter 11 protection within a few days. Santorum showed his ugly ass on this one.

[young_at_heart]

11. Santorum is one the the reasons we left PA

Loved Pittsburgh, but this joker as senator was hard to take!

[TankLV]

12. The greedy CEO got BILLIONS in the aftermath of 911 & pointedly refused to

extend any unemployment benefits for the WORKERS, which they successfully argued out of the bailout package, and now they want to further screw the WORKERS while retaining their multi-million dollar salaries - using OUR money.

Priceless.

And yet, bunkerboy is close in many polls.

[xchrom]

14. evolution took a step backward

with santorum.

[mbperrin]

15. That's the best girlie-boy Santorum could do? Very upset?

Couldn't find any little old ladies or kids to slap around and prove what a MAN he is? Didn't even kick a dog? Wuss.