Urgent Action Needed to Protect Your Pensions

Passage of legislation reforming the pension system is crucial for Northwest flight attendants, and in fact all NWA employees, in protecting their accrued pension benefits.  Congress has delayed passing this legislation for well over 5 months.  We have now reached a critical moment where it is important the Congress pass this legislation.  After many delays and bickering, the House of Representatives finally approved legislation on July 28th.  This legislation would give any airlines that have frozen their pension plans - as NWA has - an ability to make payments into the pension plans over a longer period of time.  Northwest has repeatedly stated that if this legislation does not pass soon, that they will be forced to terminate the pension plans and dump them onto the already overburdened federal agency that takes over terminated plans - the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).

We need you to contact your Senators TODAY and let them know that they must approve, without amendments or changes, the House passed Pension Reform legislation.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Support the stand alone pension bill

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As a flight attendant, and a member of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), I urge you to support the stand alone pension bill as passed by the House of Representatives. Passage of this legislation, WITHOUT ANY CHANGES OR AMENDMENTS, before the Senate leaves for the August recess is crucial for the protection of the defined benefit pension system in this country and the long-term solvency of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).

AFA-CWA has witnessed first hand, over the past several years, the economic uncertainty and severe financial impact caused by termination of pension plans for our members. Our fellow flight attendants at United Airlines and USAirways have had their plans terminated and obligations dumped onto the PBGC. Unfortunately, passage of this legislation will not help them resurrect their plans, but it will help other members of AFA-CWA in protecting their accrued pension benefits. Further, we firmly believe that everything possible must be done to avoid having other plans terminated and handed over to the PBGC. We believe that this legislation will help avoid that fate for other defined benefit pension plans. Failure to act on passage of this legislation will only further jeopardize the financial health of the PBGC and potentially lead to the need for a taxpayer bailout of the currently overburdened PBGC.

It is crucial that the Senate end the uncertainty of the future of pension reform legislation and approve the House passed bill. Failure to pass legislation, and to do so now before the Congressional August recess, only adds greater uncertainty to the process and threatens that yet another Flight Attendant defined benefit pension plan may be dumped on the PBGC. That is something that our members, the PBGC and the American taxpayer cannot afford.

Again, I strongly urge you to support the pension legislation that passed the House without any amendments or changes. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
August 01, 2006


Background Information

Passage of legislation reforming the pension system is crucial for Northwest flight attendants, and in fact all NWA employees, in protecting their accrued pension benefits.  Congress has delayed passing this legislation for well over 5 months.  We have now reached a critical moment where it is important the Congress pass this legislation.  After many delays and bickering, the House of Representatives finally approved legislation on July 28th.  This legislation would give any airlines that have frozen their pension plans - as NWA has - an ability to make payments into the pension plans over a longer period of time.  Northwest has repeatedly stated that if this legislation does not pass soon, that they will be forced to terminate the pension plans and dump them onto the already overburdened federal agency that takes over terminated plans - the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). 

The overall financial health of the PBGC is perilous as numerous employers over the past several years have dumped their pensions onto the PBGC.  That is one of the reasons that this legislation must pass and in order for all NWA employees to ensure that their accrued benefits are protected.

The United States Senate has until Friday, August 4th to pass this legislation and send it to the President to become law.  Because the Senate will join the House of Representatives in taking a month long vacation recess during August, passage of the legislation is needed now!  The legislation must be passed by the amendment without any changes or amendments.  We believe that some Senators may attempt to add amendments or make changes to the legislation, which would only require it to go back to the House for consideration, thereby delaying passage of the legislation for at least another month.  This cannot happen.

We need you to contact your Senators TODAY and let them know that they must approve, without amendments or changes, the House passed Pension Reform legislation.