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Vicious
Truths –
Delta F/A e-mail Newsletter #12
July
29,
2001 CHERRY PICKING IN PENSION LAND Afa proponent Carol Cragg sent out an e-mail knocking our pension because of its Social Security offset. Using someone entitled to a Social Security benefit of $1,200 per month as an example, she said “YOU lose $7,200.00 of YOUR Delta pension in just one year. Live and collect social security for just tens years, and YOU lose $72,000.00 of YOUR Delta pension money.” We commented on this same argument in Vicious e-Truths #3, pointing out that, there are other features of our pension that make it decidedly superior to the United pension regardless of the Social Security offset. We thought she either misunderstood or had been misled about the pensions so we sent her a copy of Vicious e-Truths #3. She replied: “I
have not attempted to compare United's retirement plan with Delta's. My sole
concern has been that DELTA flight attendants be informed about all aspects of
their DELTA pensions, the benefits they will have when they retire, the limits
on those benefits, and whether or not they will have to pay for those benefits.
Please direct your concerns to Dale Williams, who, apparently, has made such
comparisons.”
Right, she wasn’t attempting to compare, she was cherry-picking.
Responding in kind, let’s evaluate United’s pension.
In our example, we’ll use F/As entitled to $1,200 per month in Social
Security and retiring after 30 years earning $56,000.
These United F/As would be entitled to retirement benefits of about
$29,400 per year, including full Social Security.
Now
it’s our turn to cherry-pick. If
United’s pension, which is based upon 48 to 50% of F/As’ average earnings
during their entire career, were instead based upon 60% of final average
earnings like Delta’s, the United F/As’ pension would increase by about
$19,000 a year! Live ten years
after retiring and United F/As will be out $190,000 because United’s pension
does not have a features that Delta’s does. Both
arguments are misleading. Ms. Cragg
conveniently overlooks the fact that Delta’s pension is based on 60% of FAE
and we overlooked the fact that we have a social security offset.
Ours, however, is not intended to mislead.
Rather its purpose is to illustrate how much distortion can result from
cherry-picking. MISUNDERSTANDING OR DECEPTION, YOU DECIDE… Speaking
of misleading, Ms. Cragg sent out another e-mail: “150%
CAP ON MEDICAL BENEFITS FOR RETIREES: 26
years ago, this cap limit did not exist - period. Today, there is a 150% cap on
medical benefits for retirees. What is this cap? This cap is a limit placed on
the average amount of money Delta will pay out in the form of medical benefits
to retirees in any given year, based on 1993 costs. In the year 1993, the
average amount of money paid out in medical benefits to retirees was around
$4,000.00 per retiree. Delta placed a 150% cap on this $4,000.00 figure, which
means that Delta will not pay out more than an average of $6,000.00 per retiree
in any given year.” This
is contrary to our understanding that our maximum retiree medical benefit is $2
million. Since we’re not well
versed on the subject, we took advice Ms. Cragg offered and asked Dale Williams
about it. Here’s his response: “In
1993, in response to the accounting rule changes brought on by FAS [Federal
Accounting Standard] 106, Delta imposed the ‘150% CAP’ on retiree medical
costs. This provision states: ‘When Delta's costs to provide retiree
medical to its retirees exceeds 150% of what it cost Delta to provide retiree
medical coverage in 1993, Delta will cap its subsidy of retiree medical costs
and will decide at that time how to pass along those additional costs in either
higher premiums, higher co-pays, higher deductibles, or possibly another type of
retiree medical plan.’ That has not been discussed or considered at this
time for the following reason(s). ·
Delta's
retiree medical costs averaged approximately $4,500 per retiree in 1993. Because
Delta has since moved to a managed-care medical plan, the cost to provide
medical coverage for retirees (and actives as well) since 1993 has actually
decreased and as of last year (2000), the actual cost per retiree was
approximately $4,400. This is not based on an individual retiree's claims, but
an across the board average of all retirees. ·
Carol's
claims that Delta is within 2 years of reaching the 150% cap is false. 150% of
$4,500 is $6,750. As you can see, we are further away from hitting the
"CAP" than we were even 8 years ago. Accordingly,
the plan may eventually be changed or contributions may eventually be increased,
but there are no circumstances under
which a F/A’s retiree medical benefits would be limited to an average of
$6,000 a year as Ms. Cragg would apparently like everyone to believe. LACK
OF COLA'S, MERCEDES, VILLAS IN FRANCE… Ms.
Cragg goes on to say, “There are no cost-of-living adjustments (COLA'S) on
our pensions. There are no provisions to increase our pensions as the cost of
living increases. This means as the cost of living goes up each year, our
pension dollars will be worth less. This can be a serious problem for people on
a fixed income. The lack of cost of living adjustments will eat into our buying
power each year of our retirement.” She,
of course, would like us to believe we’d get a COLA on our pension if the afa
were to get in – even though the afa has never been able to negotiate one
elsewhere. This is wishful thinking on steroids and kind of makes you
think that if the afa was trying to organize cannibals, it would offer them
missionaries for dinner. What’ll
the pro-afa gaggle cackle about next? RIP UP THOSE CARDS! |
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