PBGC Director Josh Gotbaum on the Importance of American Airlinesf Pension
Plans
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2012 - PBGC
WASHINGTON—Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Director Josh Gotbaum
released the following statement today on the American Airlines' pension
plans:
Some have suggested that American must duck its pension commitments and kill
its pension plans in order to survive. We think that commitments to
130,000 workers and retirees shouldn't be disposable, that American should have
to prove in court that this drastic step is necessary.
For other airlines, it hasn't been. American's competitors found ways
to increase revenues and get competitive costs while honoring pension benefits.
Delta maintained its non-pilots plan, and both Northwest and Continental kept
their plans going after their bankruptcies.
Counsel for American claims that it needs to kill its employees' pensions in
order to be competitive with other major carriers. The numbers tell a
different story: Delta Airlines, which reorganized in bankruptcy,
pays an average of $13,210 per employee in pension costs - almost 2/3
more than American's pre-bankruptcy cost of $8,102. (Source: 2010
annual reports)
American has more than $4 billion in cash; some of that money should already
have been paid into its pension plans. However, Congress, hoping to
preserve plans, allowed American to defer the payments. It would be a
tragedy if American repaid Congress's generosity by turning around and killing
the plans anyway.
PBGC is always ready to provide a safety net to employees whose companies can
no longer afford their commitments, but that doesn't mean that it's good for
employees and retirees when we do. There are legal limits to the amounts
we can pay, and we don't cover retiree health care. That's why PBGC always
tries first to preserve plans. We will continue to encourage American to fix its
financial problems and still keep its pension plans.
We stand with American's workers and retirees who are concerned about their
futures. Many of the airline's employees took lower wages so the plans
could continue. Now, it's American's turn to step up so workers aren't
short-changed.
About PBGC
PBGC protects the pension benefits of 44 million Americans in 27,500
private-sector pension plans. The agency is directly responsible for paying the
benefits of more than 1.5 million people in failed pension plans. PBGC receives
no taxpayer dollars and never has. Its operations are financed by insurance
premiums and with assets and recoveries from failed plans.
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PBGC No. 12-12