Hudson Hero Speaks For All Airline Employees

Sully Sullenberger landed over 100 people safely on the Hudson River and now is speaking out for all airline employees in the halls of Congress. Testifying in front of the House Aviation Subcommittee, Sullenberger told Representatives that problems in the airline industry began in the 1970’s with deregulation. Then “the bankruptcies were used by some as a fishing expedition to get what they could not get in normal times.”

Sullenberger testified that his pay had been cut by 40% in recent years and his pension has been terminated and replaced with a promise “worth pennies on the dollar” from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. These cuts followed a wave of airline bankruptcies after Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks compounded by the current recession, he said.

“For the last six years I have worked seven days a week between two jobs just to maintain a middle class standard of living.” He went on to explain that pilots are leaving the airline industry because they feel they have no future there.

Sullenberger’s testimony reads like a recap of all of our lives. His income is higher because of his pilot status but the story is the same. Many Delta employee works two jobs, sometimes three to make ends meet. Every scrap of overtime is sucked up. Those who can are getting out. Those who are new leave as soon as something better comes along.

Is this the business model that makes sense? Drive out experienced employees, create a revolving door for those who are new, sacrifice customer service, sacrifice the foundation of our airlines? Sullenberger said that the current direction of airline management will have “negative consequences to the flying public.”

If Richard Anderson succeeds in his dream of creating a huge non union airline empire, this process will only get worse. Our uniforms might as well say Walmart. Or maybe they will say “Regional Handling Service – Ready Reserve.” In the coming months we can change the script written by Anderson by voting union.