11.30.04 – (LAA) – Judge Nina Gershon’s Ruling to Dismiss the TWA Seniority Lawsuit

This is Tommie Hutto-Blake, APFA President, with an update to this week’s hotline.

Today is November 30, 2004 and on today’s date in the United States District Court in the Eastern District of New York, Judge Nina Gershon’s 22 page ruling was forwarded to the parties involved. Judge Gershon has granted the motions of both APFA and AA to dismiss in its entirety the Amended Complaint in the lawsuit filed by the former TWA flight attendants as represented by the International Association of Machinists. The issue in this Amended Complaint is the challenge to the 2001 Seniority Integration Agreement between APFA and AA. Again, Judge Gershon has dismissed the Seniority Integration Lawsuit in its entirety.

This Federal District Court ruling is a giant step toward putting this piece of our history behind us. We must remember that former CEO Don Carty created this dispute with the 2001 purchase of TWA. The after shocks of this purchase are still felt by our combined workgroup – both active and furloughed. With today’s ruling the active AA flight attendants are the victors. The APFA membership must now move forward together, with strength and dignity for all. APFA has much to do in the next leg of our collective journey. We, the AA flight attendants and APFA membership, have created our career together and now we must protect and perserve our overall contract – together. Today was a remarkable day for APFA.