Judge tosses out Continental Airlines suit claiming 9 pilots got sham divorces

A federal judge Monday tossed out a Continental Airlines Inc. lawsuit accusing nine pilots of getting sham divorces so their ex-spouses could collect the pilots' retirement benefits while they kept flying.

[Prost]

So when a non upper management person finds a loophole in the system, and uses it there is a lawsuit. When the upper management gets awarded bonuses from thier buddies on the board of directors that is not a problem?

[Nomad]

The SCABs triumph again.

[Floyd]

Prost wrote:

So when a non upper management person finds a loophole in the system, and uses it there is a lawsuit. When the upper management gets awarded bonuses from thier buddies on the board of directors that is not a problem?

Actually this is NOT a pilots vs. management scenario. The fact is that they are screwing their fellow pilots. Sooner or later if this scam continues the lump sum option will disappear. Currently CAL pilots can take 100% of their retirement in a lump sum. This is one of the few good deals from CAL.

[Prost]

Floyd wrote:

<quoted text>
Actually this is NOT a pilots vs. management scenario. The fact is that they are screwing their fellow pilots. Sooner or later if this scam continues the lump sum option will disappear. Currently CAL pilots can take 100% of their retirement in a lump sum. This is one of the few good deals from CAL.

Doesn't the tax man just rape you then? I guess grab what you can now is better than hoping you don't lose most of it like UA et.al.

[flying]

Nomad wrote:

The SCABs triumph again.

This guy is a idiot. He has been spoon feed all his life and never had to fight for his living. GROW UP.

Willing to bet he went right from college to a commuter to the majors in 3 years or less because of the timing not because he was the most qualified out of hundreds or even thousands of other appllicants when jobs were scarces.

Then again this so called man would let his kids go hungry just for his false pride.

There is so much more to be said, but I have waisted enough of my time on this piece of trash.

[Floyd]

Prost wrote:

<quoted text>Doesn't the tax man just rape you then? I guess grab what you can now is better than hoping you don't lose most of it like UA et.al.

No, the tax man does not rape you if you are smart enough to roll it over into an IRA and you do not make large withdrawals until you are 59 and 1/2 years old. As far as grab what you can is concerned, Yes but do it legally. Otherwise we could all just go rob a bank in preparation for our retirement. The Delta guys bailed out although I think they could only take 50% in lump sum. The difference is that they had to retire, which when you think about it is when you usually expect to get RETIREment. In UAL's case, yes, bankruptcy sucks but CAL is nowhere near bankruptcy. Nice for a change!

[Insidethebeltway]

Facts will show that Continental, under the worst management team in many years lost millions of pension dollars in the recent market collape. they are only trying to recoop some money so they don't look so bad in the near future when this will come to light. Stay tuned, there will be much more to come on this. These pilots are going to win on the double down.

[Floyd]

Insidethebeltway wrote:

Facts will show that Continental, under the worst management team in many years lost millions of pension dollars in the recent market collape. they are only trying to recoop some money so they don't look so bad in the near future when this will come to light. Stay tuned, there will be much more to come on this. These pilots are going to win on the double down.

And perhaps you can name the corporate management that MADE millions of dollars for their pensions in the big market collapse. Even Warren Buffet lost BILLIONS. How did YOU do?

[Insidethebeltway]

My friend Floyd,

The management of CAL has lost nothing for themselves. In fact the board of directors give the CEO's of airlines full pension benefits even though they have worked there half the required time. The pilots pension is independent of all other employees at CAL and it was squandered by a slimy Harvard bean counter mentality.

Fact: Airlines executive do not lose their pensions when they leave. In fact hey receive a hefty golden severance package which usually includes an office on the top floor.

Please try to educate yourself as to who is the real criminal here.

[Floyd]

Insidethebeltway wrote:

My friend Floyd,
The management of CAL has lost nothing for themselves. In fact the board of directors give the CEO's of airlines full pension benefits even though they have worked there half the required time. The pilots pension is independent of all other employees at CAL and it was squandered by a slimy Harvard bean counter mentality.
Fact: Airlines executive do not lose their pensions when they leave. In fact hey receive a hefty golden severance package which usually includes an office on the top floor.
Please try to educate yourself as to who is the real criminal here.

Dear Inside,

I can't argue with the contention that executive compensation in this country is way out of line but I don't think the Cal folks come anywhere near qualifying for the top 100 highest paid executives. But that really has no bearing on the pilot's case. If you believe in stealing because someone else does, you are no better.

As far as squandering the pilot's retirement, they didn't squander mine, although it was paid out before the big crash. I don't know if you read the papers but there was a stock market crash a year ago. That is why the value of the retirement fund has fallen. The company has continued to fund the plan and I hear that about 200 pilots will be retiring next month WITH THEIR FULL, UNSQUANDERED LUMP SUMS!

I can tell you suck up all of the "gotta hate your company" union propaganda and that because you are a pilot the world owes you a zillion dollars a year, but keep in mind who signs your paycheck because if your company goes out of business, ALPA isn't going to send you your salary.

[Insidethebeltway]

You sound like a brown nose sim instructor I used to know.

[Floyd]

Insidethebeltway wrote:

You sound like a brown nose sim instructor I used to know.

And you sound like the guy who I had to fail because he had a bad attitude and his flying was below minimum standards.

[oh well]

I thought Continental had good relations with their unions, but the tone of the comments sounds otherwise?

Regarding these 9, there was nothing in the rules that prevented them, so although the action they took was maybe morally regrettable, it was not forbidden by the pension rules.

In this day and age, if I thought my pension was going to go away or get cut by a large percentage, I might be tempted to do the same. If, you know, I was a married pilot nearing retirement age.:)