TWA flight attendants: "We are breadwinners'

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By DAVID COOPER and MARK HARRIS "A career in the sky is like none on earth." That's the pitch Trans World Airlines is using to lure potential strike -breakers for use against its flight atten -dants, who have been on strike since March 7. The 6000 striking members of the Independent Federation of Flight Attendants (IFFA), however, know better.

The airline industry is already mired knee deep in employee concessions. But airline newcomer Carl Icahn, the corporate raider who recently took over TWA, wants to go a step further. He is demanding a whopping 45-percent reduction in wages, benefits, and work-rule changes for flight attendants.

Before the strike, flight attendants spent an average of 240 hours a month away from home, and 70 hours in the air. Icahn is demanding changes that would force flight attendants to spend 320 hours away from home, and 83 hours in the air.

All told, management is asking for a minimum of $88 million out of the flight attendants' pockets.

Flight attendants have been particularly angered by the fact that their union, which is 85 percent women, has been singled out for even more drastic concessions than those imposed on the pilots, mechanics, and other ground personnel.

The reason? Women are not "bread -winners," according to Icahn, so they can supposedly afford deeper cuts in their "fluff" money. "We are only in the position of a strike because of the sexist view of Carl Icahn," says Vickie Frankovich, president of the union.

Safety violation

The airline claims to have recruited some 1500 scabs, but in reality less than 700 of these recruits have flown as flight atten -dants. The union learned at the strike's outset that TWA was violating a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) require -IFFA ment that new hires must perform their initial flight service as an extra with "experienced cabin crews.' The FAA ordered TWA on March 11 to cease violating this regulation, which has put a damper on the airline's ability to utilize its hired strikebreakers. Only 112 IFFA members have crossed the line.

The new-hire strikebreakers must pay TWA $2500 for a three-week training course. The scabs, who earn $1007 a month, are also expected to pay $800 for uniforms. After these deductions, the strike -breakers reportedly were paid a grand total of $211 for their first two weeks of work. The IFFA reports that about 90 of the newhires have broken ranks with management and joined the strike.

Management has also been using some reservation agents as flight attendants, turn -ing their jobs over to prisoners in the California Youth Authority, which has contracted with TWA.

Still, the airline is only operating at about half its normal capacity, despite claims to the contrary. And these flights are only about 30 percent full. One local news program ran film footage showing a full passenger load and full cabin team. This deceptive attempt to portray the "limited impact" of the strike was exposed when members of the crew saw themselves on TV from strike headquarters! What had been shown was a seven-year-old training film.

Icahn: A white knight?

When TWA, which lost $193.1 million in 1985, was put on the takeover block last year, the Air Line Pilots Assoication (ALPA) and the Interational Association of Machinists (IAM) actually sought to lure Icahn to TWA with a promise of concessions. Icahn was dubbed a "white knight" by union leaders, who, they hoped, would save the airline from the clutches of Frank Lorenzo, the Texas Air chief with a notorious reputation as the union buster at Continental Airlines.

An IAM adviser had described the union's options during the takeover dealings as "a question of lesser evils." IFFA President Frankovich more accurately described the choice between Lorenzo and Icahn as one of "running from the frying pan into the fire."

Not surprisingly, since taking over TWA Icahn has turned up the heat, threatening to close or break up TWA if he doesn't get what he wants. He claims he can't operate without the demanded concessions, despite the fact that TWA has somehow found $250 million with which to buy Ozark Airlines.

The pilots union, as part of its deal with Icahn, agreed in January to wage- and workrule concessions totaling 26 percent for the airline's 5000 pilots. ALPA also agreed to a no-strike pledge, and has continued to work during the strike. The IAM has also (continued on page 6, in “[assure you that I have international terrorism voll…]”)

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