APFA Prez Laura Glading: Lawsuit Jeopardizes Virginia jobs

In the wake of Tuesday's announcement by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott that he would withdraw from the lawsuit to block the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, the flight attendants at American are calling on Ken Cuccinelli and attorneys general from five other states to do the same.

"Anyone standing in the way of the merger is also standing in the way of hard-working Virginians. Ken Cuccinelli is trying to kill this deal at the expense of thousands of airline workers in his state," said APFA President Laura Glading. "I'm not sure why he joined the suit in the first place. If he had given it more careful consideration he would have arrived at a different decision. He didn't do his homework. On behalf of Virginia's flight attendants and their families, I'm calling on General Cuccinelli to rectify his mistake."

Unable to compete with United and Delta, which had recently merged with Continental and Northwest, respectively, American Airlines was forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November of 2011. It is clear that in order for American to be competitive, it needs to merge with US Airways. The merger plan has had the strong support of employees at both companies since its inception. Unfortunately, the US Department of Justice and attorneys general from seven states and the District of Columbia filed an eleventh-hour lawsuit to block the merger in August of this year.

The union says the new American Airlines will offer consumers more destinations and a better product. It will also give flyers a third choice – in addition to Delta and United – for their travel needs. The merger will also provide job security for approximately 100,000 employees nationwide, many of whom live in Virginia.

"There are thousands of Virginians depending on this merger. For them, finalizing the deal could mean the difference between good middle class job security and layoffs," Glading said. "General Cuccinelli should be on the side of Virginia jobs, not the Holder Justice Department."

FMI: www.apfa.org