Release #05.055
December 16, 2005

ALPA Looks to U.S. House/Senate Conference to Protect Pensions

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Capt. Duane E. Woerth, president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Pension Protection Act (H.R. 2830) by a recorded vote of 294-132.

“The Air Line Pilots Association salutes the House for passing its version of pension legislation, the ‘Pension Protection Act of 2005.’“We look forward to moving to conference between the House and Senate as soon as possible. We will work together with our carriers to obtain a final product that mirrors the airline-related provisions contained in the Senate bill (S. 1783); specifically, the amendments offered by Sen. Akaka and by Sen. Isakson that were overwhelmingly adopted.

“Thousands of pilots and other hard-working airline employees have invested billions in their companies’ futures. Congress must act swiftly when it returns in January to secure the pensions of these faithful employees.”

ALPA represents 63,000 airline pilots at 40 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Its website is at www.alpa.org.

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ALPA CONTACTS: John Mazor, Linda Shotwell, (703) 481-4440, or media@alpa.org.