Reps. Veasey, Pastor and Colleagues Call on Obama Administration to Settle Lawsuit with US Airways and American Airlines

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Marc Veasey (D-TX) and Ed Pastor (D-AZ) and 66 of their Democratic colleagues sent a letter to President Barack Obama calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to allow American Airlines and US Airways to move forward with a merger. In the letter, they voiced concerns about the legal challenge’s economic impact on the workers, the traveling public and the numerous communities across the country that would be negatively impacted by the DOJ’s legal challenge.

The new American Airlines will be headquartered in Dallas-Fort Worth and will maintain a significant corporate and operational presence in Phoenix. The merged airline is also expected to maintain its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., where it will continue to support and strengthen those communities as a major employer and active corporate citizen.

“With more than 20,000 American Airlines employees in the DFW area alone, I have serious concerns about the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against US Airways and American Airlines which will put the jobs of these hard working Texans and thousands of other Americans at risk. I believe this merger is good for our local economy, good for consumers, good for competition and should be approved,” said Congressman Veasey (D-TX).

“I’m proud to show my support for the merger of American Airlines and US Airways because it creates new economic opportunities for thousands of workers in Arizona and more choices for travelers. I hope the administration will recognize the benefits of this combination and settle the lawsuit immediately,” said Congressman Pastor (D-AZ).

Below is the text of the letter.

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October 15, 2013

The Honorable Barack Obama

President of the United States

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC

Dear President Obama:

As Members of Congress representing thousands of American Airlines and US Airways employees, we are writing to express our respectful disagreement with the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit against the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways. We believe DOJ’s legal challenge puts at risk the future economic security of our constituents, tens-of-thousands of unionized workers at both airlines, and the economic well-being of communities that we represent.

The proposed merger will not only increase competition, but will also increase opportunities for airline workers and the communities serviced by both American Airlines and US Airways. The combination will make both airlines a much stronger competitor against other airlines like United, Delta, and Southwest that have benefitted from recent mergers as well as a growing number of air carriers like Virgin America, JetBlue, and Spirit.

The new American will provide millions of consumers’ with new choices onboard a premier global airline with a much broader network that will be a viable alternative to other large, global carriers – both domestic and foreign. In doing so, the new American will provide financial stability for its workers, vendors, suppliers and communities who all rely on a healthy airline.

We are concerned that the DOJ’s lawsuit creates an atmosphere of uncertainty for our respective congressional districts and constituents. While we share your concern regarding any potential impact on consumers as consolidation in any industry is contemplated, we believe that DOJ’s concerns as outlined in the complaint filed last month are not an adequate representation of all of the facts.

We urge your administration to reconsider its efforts to prevent the American and US Airways merger from going forward. It is our hope that all parties involved can reach an amicable resolution that will not jeopardize the significant economic benefits this merger provides for the employees and communities of both carriers and the constituents we represent.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Representative Marc Veasey

Representative Ed Pastor

Representative Alcee Hastings

Representative Gregory W. Meeks

Representative Robert Brady

Representative Eddie Bernice-Johnson

Representative Mike Quigley

Representative Ruben Hinojosa

Representative Joe Garcia

Representative Ann Kirkpatrick

Representative Joyce Beatty

Representative Frederica Wilson

Representative Chaka Fattah

Representative Kyrsten Sinema

Representative Tim Ryan

Representative Yvette Clarke

Representative Janice Hahn

Representative Danny K. Davis

Representative Jared Polis

Representative Henry C. Johnson, Jr.

Representative Karen Bass

Representative David Scott

Representative Jan Schakowsky

Representative Ron Barber

Representative Tammy Duckworth

Representative Dina Titus

Representative Luis Gutierrez

Representative Gloria Negrete McLeod

Representative Steven Horsford

Representative Matt Cartwright

Representative Robert E. Andrews

Representative Charlie Rangel

Representative Loretta Sanchez

Representative Gene Green

Representative Brad Schneider

Representative Nick Rahall

Representative Dan Maffei

Representative John Delaney

Representative Mike McIntyre

Representative Patrick Murphy

Representative Pete Gallego

Representative Raul Grijalva

Representative Tony Cardenas

Representative Ted Deutch

Representative Filemon Vela

Representative Richard Neal

Representative Dan Lipinski

Representative Frank Pallone

Representative Bill Owens

Representative Donald M. Payne, Jr.

Representative Julia Brownley

Representative Cheri Bustos

Representative John Barrow

Representative Alan Lowenthal

Representative Carol Shea-Porter

Representative Joe Crowley

Representative George Miller

Representative John Lewis

Representative Sean Patrick Maloney

Representative Carolyn Maloney

Representative Robin Kelly

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee

Representative Grace Meng

Representative Lois Frankel

Representative Paul Tonko

Representative Elijah Cummings

Representative Maxine Waters

Representative Donna Christensen

cc: United States Attorney General Holder

United States Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx

Texas State Attorney General Gregg Abbott

Arizona State Attorney General Tom Horne

Michigan State Attorney General Bill Schuette

Tennessee State Attorney General Robert E. Cooper, Jr.

Virginia State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Pennsylvania State Attorney General Kathleen Kane

Florida State Attorney General Pam Bondi

District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan

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