Special Industry Report: Airlines

The U.S. airline industry says it's facing tough times — higher fuel costs, foreign carriers and competition — but it's airline workers, not executives, who seem to end up paying the price.

Flight attendants, passenger agents and other airline workers have seen their pensions dismantled, their retiree health care eliminated, their wages cut and their hours increased through the bankruptcy process while executives continue to take home multi-million dollar bonuses, salaries and retirement packages.

Understaffing is a critical concern of airport agents at US Airways; any glitch in the system, such as the recent problems in the airline's reservation systems, results in long delays and pressure for agents and customers.

In just the latest abuse of bankruptcy laws, Northwest Airlines'  8,100 flight attendants were forced to accept $195 million in concessions — including pay cuts of 40 percent, reductions in benefits and job changes that require them to work additional hours. Meanwhile, executives received more than $400 million in bonuses as the company used the bankruptcy process to pressure flight attendants and other airline workers.

AFA-CWA and CWA have been fighting back against this attack and are doing more to improve working conditions for flight attendants and agents.

For flight attendants, that means pressing Congress to expand Family and Medical Leave; bringing the protections of the Occupational Safety and Health Act to aircraft cabins; and safeguarding jobs by fighting to restrict foreign carriers in the U.S., among other actions.

CWA successfully pressed USAirways to add 1,000 airport agent jobs and was able to have reservations jobs returned from offshore. Those efforts will continue too.