9/11 Pilot's Widow Denied Pension by United Airlines

[LiviaOlivia]

Saturday, June 04, 2005
9/11 Pilot's Widow Denied Pension by United Airlines

this says it all... read it and weep... (this letter was originally posted on a privately-run united airlines employee group site...)

To Congressman Miller;

My name is Ellen Saracini. My husband Captain Victor J. Saracini was the captain of United Flight 175 that struck the south tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 at 9:03 am. While no one could have imagined the events of that infamous day, neither could Victor have imagined what would be happening right now to his wife and his two daughters.

I am writing this letter to voice to you what is being taken away from Victor and his family. If you knew my husband you would know he was a true family man who made sure his family's future was provided for. I am currently receiving the spousal portion of Victor's pension, which is 50% of what he thought would be there for his family. After United took away our ESOP stock, this pension is how I am supporting our two daughters and myself.

I was given a choice to sue the Airlines, Port Authority, and others, or join in the victims' compensation fund set up by the government. I pledged I would not sue and proceeded with the fund; after all, this is the company Victor was so proud to work for and the same company of his United brothers and sisters. Every bit of preparation that Victor and I worked for was used against the claim. Life insurance was deducted. My full pension was deducted from the award. Now I will have a double jeopardy as I will again loose my pension with no recourse on either side.

During the last three years, my girls and I have been impacted more than words can explain. One daughter is in counseling, the other won't talk, and both have medical problems stemming from the loss of their father while at the same time maintaining excellent grades in honors and AP courses. I have stood up and been an advocate on the steering committee of the terrorist's lawsuits, gaining information to aid our Government. I have worked with APSA to defend our cockpits. I am fundraising for the Garden of Reflection, a memorial park dedicated to all we lost on that day. I have started a flight scholarship in Victors name to continue his legacy in flight. We are doing everything that can be done to make it better for all.

I can't help but to ask myself at what point are companies allowed to take away so much from the lives of dedicated employees and their families? At what point does our Government step in and stop atrocities such as this before they are allowed to irrevocably change the lives of so many? I refuse to believe that this is the only solution that can be reached.The PBGC's decision to allow United Airlines to end their pensions is just wrong. If this monumental verdict moves forward, I will be faced with many hardships. Victor was a proud United pilot, husband, father and friend who fought a war with terrorists. Never would he have imagined that he would have to fight for his family's well-being with the very company he so proudly spread his wings.

Sincerely

Ellen Saracini

posted by profmarcus at 6/4/2005
http://takeitpersonally.blogspot.com/2005/06/911-pilots-widow-denied-pension-by.html

[izzie]

1. Hard to read and the CEO most likely takes it for him self.

You just can not be to rich. To bad about the kids.

[Ken Burch]

2. Sickening and predictable. Another reason we need

a nonviolent social revolution in this country.

"The Gross National Product measures the cost of everything and the value of nothing."

Robert F. Kennedy, 1968

[Warpy]

3. I hope it will be nonviolent

but I'm terribly afraid that won't be possible, not with the fixed voting machines and the corruption at all levels of government, the military, the corporations, and the press.

I hate what this country has become, what it's doing to the 99.5% of us who weren't born rich enough to benefit from all the corruption.

[mcscajun]

4. Another thread on this...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3784972

[Jensen]

5. Remember United We Stand right after 9-11-01....

Now...It is so sorry too bad!
This letter was written in response to Congress Miller, he has a bill HR 2327 to stop the dumping of the pensions, including United's for six months, for further review.
So far as I understand he has 80 other Congressman endorsing this bill!
www.Unitedafa.org

[geckosfeet]

6. Bastards. Rotten greedy bastards.

[agincourt]

7. this sums up in a microcosm

the direction of our country and what it's become.

[nightfox02]

8. UAL must be dumb as shit

Is their PR guy asleep at his desk? After a month of their CEO and board favoring taking our their unions I will never fly them again. I am not going to fly an airline that pays its CEO but leaves children of its employees hungry at night.

FUCK THAT!

[Skittles]

9. see post #7

it is not just UAL

[cybildisobedience]

12. not sure if the PR guy is dumb or not

Really, where's the outrage?
Maybe if we had a real press, or if this would have happened during the Clinton years....
But I feel that this is the tip of the iceberg -- companies will do this left and right because they know they never have to pay the piper and deal with bad publicity or public outrage.

[tibbir]

10. I fear that United Airlines is just the first

of many large corporations who will find a way, in this environment, to trash their defined benefit plans.

[mn9driver]

11. Tilton was paid more than any other airline CEO last year.

$1.1 million, if I recall correctly. He is also guaranteed $4.5 million when he leaves. This is money that is held separately and can't be touched by bankruptcy. He bears no risk whatsoever--just his employees do--and they have lost.

I feel badly for Mrs. Saracini, but she is far from alone. One way or another, there will be no airline pension plans left in another year. This isn't a maybe, it is certain.

If Congress passes legislation that allows airlines to "freeze" the plans and pay off the liabilities over an extended period, employees of the companies that haven't filed Ch. 11 may see payments equaling what they've earned to date, but that's a "best case" scenario.

There is some preliminary action in that direction (bills in committee), but the Bush administration opposes it--they want to toughen up the rules, which will guarantee bankruptcy for every legacy airline. It will also make Union-busting much easier, but I'm sure Chimpy never thought of that. Right.

http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/for5/200506010943DOWJONESDJONLINE000721_FORTUNE5.htm

If the legislation isn't passed by the end of this year, every airline with a pension plan will end up in bankruptcy, where the pension plans will be dumped onto the PBGC. In that case, employees will see pennies on the dollar.

The pension plans are gone, industry-wide. It's inevitable. It's just a matter of whether the rest of the industry's employees will take it in the shorts as badly as USAir and United employees have.

And the top executives will walk away rich, and do it again somewhere else. And yes, I'm one of those lucky employees who gets to re-plan their retirement.