Screwed Before Christmas
It was a month before Christmas when it went down.
The company went broke and Arpey skipped town.
It first became known when I saw on the news.
That AA filed Chapter 11 and we were all screwed.
We’d been in negotiations for over four years running.
To try to get back some benefits and a little bit of money.
The unions had all sacrificed back in 2003.
To save the airline from having to file bankruptcy.
They had cut our vacation and sick time and pay.
Five holidays were even taken away.
“We’ll share the sacrifice.” They said as they lied through their teeth.
“We’ll make lots of money. You just wait and see.”
But the fat cats at headquarters didn’t want to share.
They had drug their feet at the negotiation table cause they didn’t care.
They preached gloom and doom and spread around fear.
While they took all their raises and bonuses each year.
They were getting an even bigger piece of the pie.
But complained to us all. “Our labor costs are still too high.”
“Other airlines have an advantage.” They loudly exclaimed.
And they pointed at charts as they called them by name.
“Delta, United and U.S. Air.
Have all slashed their costs.” They said with despair.
“They don’t do their maintenance in the U.S. any more.”
“They and Southwest send overhauls to Asia and El Salvador.”
“We’ve been nice to you and did we forget to mention?
That at least you got to keep all your precious little pensions.”
The unions had heard from the guys on the floor
That they had given all they could and couldn’t give any more.
Last year the union brought back an agreement and thought they were done.
But the membership voted it down by more than two to one.
The company threw us a bone in a lump sum raise.
But it was the retiree medical they wanted to take.
TWU international was willing to give this benefit away.
To keep the head count high as well as their own six figure pay.
They told us to buy it and they didn’t agree.
That it was the pension and retiree medical we wanted to save since 2003.
Negotiations didn’t progress, not one little bit.
And it got no better when the mediator decided to quit.
So they set more dates for them and the company to meet.
And the airplanes flew full, nary one empty seat.
The company claimed losses and the workers said it was bull.
How could you not make money when the airplanes are full?
The fat cats had an answer it was the only one they had.
The high labor costs, they said, made the outlook look bad.
But there always seemed to be money for them to stuff in their pockets.
As billion dollar losses showed up on their dockets.
The board of directors did nothing and just sat around.
As our management team flew American Airlines right into the ground.
The biggest and best airline we once were in the past.
Was in a death spiral and it was going down really fast.
Then they filed Chapter 11 and we know now what they’ll do.
They’ll take even more from the pilots, mechanics and stews.
The CEO quit. Arpey had to go.
Now there’s a guy called Horton who’s running the show.
They’ll dump all the pensions for the people who have given the most.
We’ll get smaller pay checks and they’ll lower their costs.
They’ll get all of this done with the stroke of a pen.
All we have sacrificed has been forgotten by them.
Jim Little told us he’ll fight and will fight like hell.
But it will only be to save his annual pay of over a quarter mil.
Our futures are gone as well as our plans it seems.
Our retirement, it turns out, was just a pipe dream.
This really sucks and it’s not at all fair.
I remember when we were something special in the air.
They took lots of money and threw it away.
When they bought up Air Cal, Reno and TWA.
It’s hard to stay focused and not hold a grudge.
When our whole way of life is in the hands of a bankruptcy judge.
But we’ll all keep on working and keep airplanes flying.
And upper management people will keep right on lying.
They’ll all get huge bonuses and still cry that labor’s to blame.
They’ll keep all their pensions and get raises while our dreams go down in flames.
They’ll buy vacation homes and boats with teak decks.
And lot of other stuff with those huge bonus checks.
But we’ll miss out on the only thing we desire.
When we are old enough we won’t be able to retire.
We’ll get up every morning and lace up our work boots.
While the guys that destroyed us are gliding with their golden parachutes.
That’s what it’s like in the airline industry these days.
Management gets richer by lowering our pay.
It was a month before Christmas when it went down.
The company went broke and Arpey skipped town.
It first became known when I saw on the news.
That AA filed Chapter 11 and we were all screwed.
We’d been in negotiations for over four years running.
To try to get back some benefits and a little bit of money.
The unions had all sacrificed back in 2003.
To save the airline from having to file bankruptcy.
They had cut our vacation and sick time and pay.
Five holidays were even taken away.
“We’ll share the sacrifice.” They said as they lied through their teeth.
“We’ll make lots of money. You just wait and see.”
But the fat cats at headquarters didn’t want to share.
They had drug their feet at the negotiation table cause they didn’t care.
They preached gloom and doom and spread around fear.
While they took all their raises and bonuses each year.
They were getting an even bigger piece of the pie.
But complained to us all. “Our labor costs are still too high.”
“Other airlines have an advantage.” They loudly exclaimed.
And they pointed at charts as they called them by name.
“Delta, United and U.S. Air.
Have all slashed their costs.” They said with despair.
“They don’t do their maintenance in the U.S. any more.”
“They and Southwest send overhauls to Asia and El Salvador.”
“We’ve been nice to you and did we forget to mention?
That at least you got to keep all your precious little pensions.”
The unions had heard from the guys on the floor
That they had given all they could and couldn’t give any more.
Last year the union brought back an agreement and thought they were done.
But the membership voted it down by more than two to one.
The company threw us a bone in a lump sum raise.
But it was the retiree medical they wanted to take.
TWU international was willing to give this benefit away.
To keep the head count high as well as their own six figure pay.
They told us to buy it and they didn’t agree.
That it was the pension and retiree medical we wanted to save since 2003.
Negotiations didn’t progress, not one little bit.
And it got no better when the mediator decided to quit.
So they set more dates for them and the company to meet.
And the airplanes flew full, nary one empty seat.
The company claimed losses and the workers said it was bull.
How could you not make money when the airplanes are full?
The fat cats had an answer it was the only one they had.
The high labor costs, they said, made the outlook look bad.
But there always seemed to be money for them to stuff in their pockets.
As billion dollar losses showed up on their dockets.
The board of directors did nothing and just sat around.
As our management team flew American Airlines right into the ground.
The biggest and best airline we once were in the past.
Was in a death spiral and it was going down really fast.
Then they filed Chapter 11 and we know now what they’ll do.
They’ll take even more from the pilots, mechanics and stews.
The CEO quit. Arpey had to go.
Now there’s a guy called Horton who’s running the show.
They’ll dump all the pensions for the people who have given the most.
We’ll get smaller pay checks and they’ll lower their costs.
They’ll get all of this done with the stroke of a pen.
All we have sacrificed has been forgotten by them.
Jim Little told us he’ll fight and will fight like hell.
But it will only be to save his annual pay of over a quarter mil.
Our futures are gone as well as our plans it seems.
Our retirement, it turns out, was just a pipe dream.
This really sucks and it’s not at all fair.
I remember when we were something special in the air.
They took lots of money and threw it away.
When they bought up Air Cal, Reno and TWA.
It’s hard to stay focused and not hold a grudge.
When our whole way of life is in the hands of a bankruptcy judge.
But we’ll all keep on working and keep airplanes flying.
And upper management people will keep right on lying.
They’ll all get huge bonuses and still cry that labor’s to blame.
They’ll keep all their pensions and get raises while our dreams go down in flames.
They’ll buy vacation homes and boats with teak decks.
And lot of other stuff with those huge bonus checks.
But we’ll miss out on the only thing we desire.
When we are old enough we won’t be able to retire.
We’ll get up every morning and lace up our work boots.
While the guys that destroyed us are gliding with their golden parachutes.
That’s what it’s like in the airline industry these days.
Management gets richer by lowering our pay.
