TWU Local 514 members, retiree’s, and others from the community participated as part of a nation wide picket at the Tulsa International Airport, Wednesday, February 29th. Several thousands of our members and supporters around the system conducted similar pickets. The purpose of this Rally was two fold: First and foremost was to raise awareness of the devastating effects the impending job cuts will have on our families, our country, and our communities; The second purpose was to keep a spotlight on our website that was created shortly after AA announced their desire to eliminate 13,000 jobs system wide. The website “ISupportAmericanJobs.com” has received more then 16,000 signatures of support. The site has several videos worth watching. Also, many of our members spoke to the media including Greg Sewell, quoted in the Tulsa World:
“We’re feeling frustration, said Greg Sewell, an inspector at American’s Maintenance & Engineering Center, which employs 7,000 people in Tulsa. Eight years ago, we gave up a third of our wages and benefits in their program of shared sacrifices – allegedly – which we never saw, as management gave themselves multi- million-dollar bonuses. They said they had to give the bonuses to retain talent in management. The truth of it is that talent was lining its own pockets. If they had been talented, we wouldn’t be in bankruptcy.”
We want to thank all who participated in the Rally.