Dear Brothers and Sisters,

By now you may have received a promotional flyer in the mail from American Airlines called “From the Ground Up”, a slick pitch intended “only to provide a description of the facts and issues already presented at the bargaining table.” A couple of questions immediately come to mind. First, how much did this flyer cost to produce and mail to nearly 10,000 fleet service households? Second, how accurately can these bullet point “facts” represent the complex realities that have been central to these negotiations for well over two years?

Despite the flyer’s disclaimer that asserts it is not negotiating directly with you, the membership, be assured that is exactly what it represents. Putting management’s version of the facts before you, without the years and months of context that defines both their table position and ours is a divisive, dividing tactic. The pages presented in this supplement are intended to bring balance to American’s message and to give you some insight into a difficult negotiating environment, one that has strained the resources of our Locals and the patience of our members.

The TWU is committed to bringing back a contract that is fair and non-concessionary. Your negotiating committee has made reasonable, credible, creative proposals during the past 31 months that have addressed each and every one of the Company’s competitive issues. These proposals were crafted in ways that would not degrade your contract or do harm to current or future members; they were proposals that would provide AA with long term competitive changes that would address their needs in the long run. But they want it all now. Management continues to pass proposals that will degrade our agreements permanently in exchange for pocket change. They seek fundamental modifications but refuse to assign dollar values to them. In the end they want a bankruptcy agreement without the bankruptcy.

Management asserts that they are simply giving you “facts”. Their flyer does present facts, but in isolation – they are not all of the facts, they are often facts out of context, and they are arranged such that related facts are presented separately so that their full impact is hidden. In total, “From the Ground Up” is the facts viewed through the Company’s rose colored glasses, and as a result is a distortion of those facts.

The TWU believes that a healthy, competitive, and profitable American Airlines is the key to our futures and job growth. We have worked towards this goal by being collaborative and supporting the Company’s “working together” initiatives. We are not, however, interested in further gutting what is left of our contracts as a sacrifice to make American healthy – we already did that. In the end we are not interested in voluntarily giving up 900 jobs, placing small cities at risk, or degrading your fundamental benefits.

When you read the Company’s flyer, please review it with this TWU Supplement at your side as an additional resource that will help you get the whole picture. Only then will you have an unbiased version of the facts. Thank you for supporting your negotiating team as it continues to work towards a fair agreement for our members.

Fraternally,
John M. Conley
Airline Division Director International Administrative Vice President