Former TWA Attendants Press On

At TWA, flight attendants made a series of concessions that eventually reduced their salaries to roughly $30,000 annually, Graham notes. Under American's pay scale, top salary for senior flight attendants is about $46,000 to $50,000 annually. TWA flight attendants were covered by the American pay scales starting in January 2002, but many were laid off before then. By contrast, new hires join American at roughly $16,000 annually.

Seeking a Resolution

American spokesman Tim Smith says the union controls the seniority list, while the contract limits recall rights to five years for all flight attendants. The contract becomes amendable in May 2008.

In September, about three dozen TWA flight attendants picketed the APFA office in Dallas. The union has said that while it regrets the loss of recall rights, it cannot take the risk of reopening contract talks early in order to get the rights extended.

"If we open our contract to amend this language ... all items in the contract would be open for discussion," the union said last month, in a recorded message to members. "Now is not the time for our work group to subject ourselves to the possibility of further concessions while American is just beginning to regain its financial footing."

TWA's flight attendants were members of the International Association of Machinists. The union no longer represents the group, but IAM General Vice President Robert Roach says he met with McCaskill at the commerce committee hearing and asked her to set up a meeting between American, APFA and flight attendants' representatives, including Graham.

"It's not an easy situation," Roach says. "Everybody was promised a job, but then 9/11 came, and American started closing bases and cutting operations. These people were not given seniority, and they went out the door.

"Now it's a matter of collective bargaining, and people are trying to find a resolution," he says. "APFA is motivated to get that done, the senator is motivated and the airline is motivated, so the intent is just to get them all in the same room so they can work it out."