Candidates That Speak Airline

See the first Q&A just below this article!

Saturday we had the pleasure of attending the "re-launch" of Paul Rancatore's campaign for Congress. Paul is running in my district but he is running for you! Paul is an American Airlines pilot, an Air Force reservist (works at the Pentagon) and is very pro labor. He is a Democrat but more importantly, he is a an airline pilot. He wants to go to DC and be available to all of us!

Additionally, I am pleased to announce that Bud Gammon, active pilot from US Air (east) is seeking the Congressional seat in the 11th district of Ga. Bud, like Paul, wants to go to Washington and make a difference to us!

Should both of these gentlemen be successful, you and I would have friends in Washington. Representatives we can access, men who don't need tutoring in the problems we face. Congressional offices who have the info or the contacts to question without relying on CEO's and airline executives to "explain" the state of the industry. Military men with an interest in veterans and the benefits they have been promised.

Both Paul and Bud need your help. It is conceivable that these 2 races are more important to you than the one in your district. Both candidates are available to answer your questions and make their respective positions clear on any issue you may be interested in.

Please take the time to ask questions ..........let's get our issues in front the politicians. Whatever it is......... pensions, age 65 retirement, mergers, the PBGC, open skies........... you ask it and they will answer it.

Send your questions to me: editor@bigjetcity.com and then watch the site as they let you know what they can and maybe(?) can not do for us.

If there are other airline candidates running please send me the info so we can publicize their efforts as well.

Le Anne Ottmann
editor@bigjetcity.com

First Candidate Questions and Responses

Paul Rancatore's answers appear in blue, Bud Gammon's answers appear in red. Please continue to ask questions and submit opinions. editor@bigjetcity.com

Dear Sir:

I see your promise of bread and Circuses for Airline pilots.

Is that all you got? Surely you can give me more.

Capt. David Mullins

David, not sure what you mean by bread and circuses. If you mean that all we have received in our careers is empty promises, then I agree with you. How many members of Congress have had their pay cut in half or worse, lost their pension and benefits, had friends and family murdered on 911, friends and family commit suicide or divorced because of financial and emotional stress from bankruptcy's, defaulted on loans and/or mortgages, and now forced to find a job a 60 to make ends meet. The answer is zero! The only promise I can give, is that I understand the problems and strains that all of us have gone through and want our employees made whole. If that means having the federal government assume the debt, then so be it!

Paul

Capt. Mullins, I have served for 29 years as an airline pilot. In m mid 50's I was told I had no pension, Today, part of my platform is to go after the CEO's of my company and others. I want them to explain under oath before Congress why they make more in 10 minutes than I make in a year. Their leadership has destroyed thousands of lives, not to mention their families .I am a candidate in the State Of Georgia, District 11. While you can't vote for me I am asking for your support. By the way Captain, your name sounds familiar. Not sure if we fought in the Air Force together or I had the honor of sharing the cockpit with you in a civilian airliner. Bud

OK, ask them this one - straight out:
Why is our entire government standing behind the 9-11 story that a goodly number of "us" know beyond any doubt is totally false? And what is your position, as an airline pilot, on that story?
Trig Johnston

Trig,

All I can say is that many of my friends were murdered that day, and I have worked with Members of Congress and the unions to strengthen our aviation system. Unfortunately, most of our recommendations were under minded by certain lobbying groups (ATA, cargo association). Now with a Democratically controlled Congress, many of those recommendations are being revisited and brought back for review and adoption.

Paul

I was off 9/11. That day 2 friends at my airline lost their wives. The Captain of one aircraft served in My Air Force Reserve unit. On another one, the co-pilot was a freshman when I was a senior at the military school I attended. While there are thousands of airline employees we are a close knit community. I am an avid fan of the FFDO program. I look forward to your future questions. Bud

Hi,
I wish both the candidates well in their campaign efforts. Although I'm in California, as you stated, just having anyone who knows anything about and has some feelings for the airline industry employees and what they have endured since 9/11 can only be helpful.
My only question would be along the lines of anything that can be done to recoup our pensions from the unscrupulous tactics of those airlines who invoked bankruptcy with the express purpose of ridding themselves of their obligations to those who had spent all but the last few years of their careers with the assurance of a retirement only to have the airline executives falsify evidence of the true condition of the pension funds in order to divest themselves of it (USAirways specifically).

Thanks, and again, good luck!

Terry Bock
USAirways (retiree - NOT!)

Terry,

I believe that the Congress should direct the DOJ to prosecute all CEO's that abrogated and abdicated their fiduciary responsibility and committed fraud. I also believe that the DOJ should confiscate all the assets of these individuals and BOD's. Furthermore, I believe that the federal government should make the employees "whole". Why is it okay to bail out the banking industry for their greed but not help people that have been victims of fraud and deceit?

Paul

Terry,

I am a 24 year veteran of the same airline. Please read my response to previous questions. I will do everything in my power to serve justice to our management along with others. One last thing. I want you to know what I say today will not change when I get to Washington.

Why do companies like Delta Airlines punish the non-union employees when you apply for Social Security and take back part of your pension? They lied to a Senator recently when he called Delta on my behalf. Delta management said it was a Federal requirement and they had no choice. If that was true then why is it Delta only made the Pilot Retirees only give back $98.00. If it was a Federal requirement then the pilots would have to give back exactly half of whatever their Social Security check amounts to. Delta is going to take back $1040.00 from my pension check when I apply for Social Security soon. I am not a pilot.Management at Delta Airlines robs the little guys (non-union) to pad their pockets . The Flight Attendants at Delta have an on-going union vote as we speak Let's hope they have enough employees to vote this in and then maybe they will be treated with some respect and began to change the way Delta treats the rest of the company. Jim Bu rchell (Retired Mechanic, 36 years at Delta)

Jim,

I don't have an answer for this one. My only suggestion is for you to contact your accountant or the SS administration to see if this indeed is the true. Why are you being penalized after of life time of working and paying into a system and others at your company are supposedly not?

Paul

To Jim:

Delta Airlines

Jim, I along with Paul don't have an answer. I have a call in to some knowable people and I will try to get you an answer. Hard to belive after 36 years of service. Bud

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Email: info@bigjetcity.com