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American Airlines Retiree Committee  

This group is newly formed and has the purpose of representing retirees in the bankruptcy proceeding.    Go to www.AMRRC.net  to get involved. Jill Frank has been elected to represent Flight Attendants.   The AMRCC needs financial support to cover expenses. If you would like to join please send a check for $50 made out to "AMRCC". Send to:  Jill Frank Smoak    3157 Mary Street, Coconut Grove, FL 33133

 

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Latest AMRRC Updates

AMRRC Town Hall Meeting

 

News from Tommie Hutto Blake and Susan Evans

 

AMRRC Briefing for April 8, 2012
American Airlines Retirees Committee

 
This weeks member’s briefing has lots of important news for the American Airlines/TWA Retirees. Please pass this information on to all members and friends.
 
First, our web address has changed. Please take note that AMRRC (the American Airlines Retirees Committee) official website has moved to WWW.AMRRC.NET.

On that note earlier this week the United States Trustee of the Southern District of New York, Tracy Hope Davis, who is the federal bankruptcy trustee in AMR’s case (No. 11-15463 SHL) issued a notice to all non-union retirees and unrepresented union retirees of American Airlines and American Eagle that a “Retiree Committee Questionnaire Form” was now available to be completed by any interested retiree who would like show a willingness to serve on the Retiree Committee pursuant to Section 1114 of the Bankruptcy Code.
 
As published in last week’s briefing the Bankruptcy Court had ordered the appointment of this Retiree Committee in accordance with Section 1114. This section of the bankruptcy code was established to protect retiree benefits during a bankruptcy process. Since AMR management had noticed the Court that they fully intended to alter both pension plans and retiree health care benefits the AMRRC filed court papers that this appointment was most appropriate to begin early in the bankruptcy process. Though AMR had attempted to block any Section 1114 action until the Section 1113 (for active employees) was completed.
  
All retirees must stay informed and close to this court administered restructuring of our former employer. It is to our benefit and to the benefit of all future AA retirees!
                                 AMRRC Board of Directors
                                 WWW.AMRRC.NET            

 

AMRCC Breifing March 21, 2012

 

 Yesterday (March 21, 2012) Susan Evans & I (Tommie Hutto-Blake) were the retired flight attendant representatives on a conference call of retiree volunteers with AMRRC (AMR Retirees Committee) Chair Paul Mazzara and Networking Coordinator Cynthia Scroggins. This email is our personal AMRRC update to our retiree 'email contacts' about the latest news of this new retiree organization. We want to encourage each of you to pass our message on to your retiree contacts.
 
First off, both of us want to share with you that we were most impressed with the content of this conference call, the enthusiasm of the volunteer participants, and the strategies discussed as to how to best represent the interests of AA retirees throughout the bankruptcy process and beyond. Retirees from most work groups were represented on this call - reservations, airport agents, management, ground, sabre, & flight attendants. The AMRRC board also includes many different work groups. The membership of AMRRC represents all AMR work groups.
 
There is no doubt that as a result of AMR's bankruptcy AA retirees will ultimately be impacted. Currently the question is how much and will we (AA retirees) have representatives, sanctioned by the Court, speaking for us during this process? The judge in the AMR bankruptcy case is currently reviewing AMRRC legal arguments on this matter and we hope a favorable ruling will be forthcoming.
 
One thing that we do know for sure, this retiree organization, could potentially have direct impact both during the bankruptcy process and beyond. A major focus at present is on our retiree health benefit plans and sitting on the AMRRC board are not only AA retirees but  also benefit professionals. In the weeks ahead AMRRC must think smart in this area of retiree benefit plans.
 
Susan & I have made the decision to stay engaged in this process and we hope you will decide to join us in your own way. We believe it is important for AA retirees to remain involved in this bankruptcy case. The first step of involvement, if you have not already done so, is to join AMRRC. Simply go to www.amrrc.net to find how to become a member. A second step would be to encourage others to do the same and pass this information on to other retirees.
 
The AMRRC website has lots of fact based information posted and is constantly being updated. Currently on the home page you will find both an introduction of the webmaster AND last week's AMRRC Weekly Briefing. The AMRRC's webmaster has an interesting bio - a retired Delta pilot who headed the primary retiree website during the Delta bankruptcy (2006-2007). You will find Jim Freeman's comments and experience quite informative. 
 
The AMRRC Board is meeting today and by week's end the AMRRC Weekly Briefing will be updated. If you are a member of AMRRC you will receive a copy of the Weekly Briefings via e-blast. If you would like to be more involved please let one of us hear from you. Stay updated to the facts surrounding AMR's bankruptcy. The ramifications of this process just might lead to some group opportunities for a large group of AMR retirees.
 
AMRRC volunteer communicators,

Tommie L. Hutto-Blake 38 years AA FA retired 2008

Susan Evans - 35 years  AA FA retired 2003

 

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About AMRRC - A Letter from Jill Frank Smoak

Greetings to Retired American Airlines Flight Attendants.

 

  I retired from American in 2006 after 39 ½ years as a Flight Attendant.  I spent the last eight years of my career working with APFA to obtain and administer first rate retirement benefits.  

 

With American Airlines filing for bankruptcy these retiree benefits, specifically our health coverage, travel and life insurance are in jeopardy. 

 

 APFA has indicated that they hope to protect benefits during the 1113 negotiations that will take place, but history has shown that at the end of the contract negotiations companies in Chapter 11 have then gone and requested relief for their ‘legacy’ costs (that is the costs of continuing to cover retirees) and been granted this relief. 

 

American has also asked to terminate all defined benefit pension plans; if that occurs the plans would be taken over by the PBGC and MOST retired Flight Attendant pensions would continue to be paid at the current rate (see www.PBGC.gov)  

 

I have become involved with a group of other retirees and we are filing with the bankruptcy court to represent retirees should American attempt to take away our benefits. 

 

Our organization is AMRRC: www.AMRRC.ORG and I ask that you take a few moments to look at our web page.    AMRRC has, in turn, become affiliated with the National Retirees Legislative Network (http://NRLN.org) which has successfully created a lobbying presence in Washington DC to put forth issues that affect retirees (Medicare, Social Security, Bankruptcy laws, PBGC reforms etc.)  

 

In January I traveled to Washington with two other AMRRC board members and we met with a number of Congressional Staff members and legal council for the PBGC in our effort to protect the benefits we currently enjoy.  

 

I am asking that each of you offer support and join our organization.  Your annual dues of $50.00 will help pay the expenses of travel, maintaining the web site and other start up costs. 

 

We have retained an attorney who has extensive experience with Chapter 11 filings and he will be petitioning the court to have our group be the representatives.   If we are successful the costs ultimately will be assigned to AMR, but until then we are on our own.  Thank you for your support.    

 

Jill Frank Smoak Jill.smoak@amrrcmail.org

Please make checks payable to AMRRC and send to:

AMRRC

Stephen A. Granat

2305 Overbrook Lane

Bedford, TX 76021

Please include:

Name

Address

Email Address

Employment date

Retirement date

Department

 

 

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Peer Support - Susie Wallace

Due to the bankruptcy and the stress that it is causing all employees (former and active) Susie Wallace has activated the Peer Support Program. She is available to give support and is also looking for volunteers to help her with the program system wide.

She can be contacted by email at snucera0815@aol.com or you can call her cell - 203-417-3876.   

 
Some of you may remember this program from when if was activated after 9/11 and 587. Now, as then, don't hesitate to call to get together with trained flight attendants to discuss things you can do to alleviate the stress.

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Gailin David - Aluminum Lady Parody

  If you haven't seen Gailen David's video then go directly to his website  DearSkySteward and watch it.  It is called Aluminum an American Airlines Prime-Time Drama Parody. Very entertaining! He is spot on in this parody.  His first video "The Aluminum Lady" a takeoff of Laurie Curtis has caused quite a stir at AMR. Go to YouTube and search Aluminum Lady to see these.

He has also started a petition to "sAAve AA". You can go to the website sAAveAA.com to see a video of his message and sign the petition.

 

 

Gailin David has been Terminated!

UPDATE 3/15/12: Gailen David, the American Airlines flight attendant who mocked the airline in a series of YouTube videos, has been fired, reports NBC Miami.
A spokesman for American Airlines did not mention the videos in a statement, instead claiming that David's termination was due to his publishing private details of American passengers and promoting of American's competitors on his website.
David contends that it was the videos that led to his being fired and will appeal the airline's decision.
For the rest of the story click here....Gailin David Terminated

 

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Ben Stein -  Our Hero!

News takes on deeper meaning when you put a human face on the statistics. Here's Ben Stein: February 3, 2012 CBS News

 

A few days ago when I opened the newspaper the news was so strange that it made my head spin. There was so much spectacular randomly-acquired wealth and so much misery right next to each other that I couldn't fit it all into my brain.

 

First there are the stories of how much money will be made by people with even the slightest connection with Facebook when it goes public soon. A man who painted murals on the walls of its headquarters will make hundreds of millions. Clerks and programmers will make tens of millions. Early and small investors will make millions and millions - wealth beyond imagining.

 

Then comes the punch to the gut: The lay-offs and pension cuts and health benefit chops at American Airlines. Just for me, I live on airlines. I see how hard the flight attendants and ticket clerks and pilots and everyone else work. They travel, get their internal clocks thrown off, work when they're exhausted, sleep in strange hotels. You would have to appear bright and cheery for us cranky passengers. The way I see it, they're not paid a lot for this.

 

Now, because of the effects of deregulation, high fuel costs, and relatively high labor costs, American is in bankruptcy, and roughly 13,000 of the employees are going to be laid off permanently.

 

Many will probably be older flight attendants and clerks with poor job prospects. Their pensions will be cut off. Their health benefits will be slashed. They will really suffer. I live in the air, as I said, and these people are my family. It is just plain heart-breaking what their future is.

 

When I read about it right next to the stories about the instant, sometimes effortless billionaires of Facebook, I want to lose my mind. Maybe this is a story about how, as John F. Kennedy said, "Life is unfair." Maybe it's a story of the virtue of having your own savings. Maybe it's just a very sad story.

 

I hope the bankruptcy judge who decides what the final steps will be for American just bears this in mind: Those American Airlines folks are great people. They deserve a heck of a lot better than what they're getting.  

 

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Lawrence O'Donnell - The Last Word

 Don't miss this video! It aired on MSNBC - Feb. 1, 2012

and will show you what Bain Capital has been hired by AMR to do.  Rewriting the Bankruptcy - The Last Word

 

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From Marion Knight