¶ 10:44 AM
Flight attendants strip in protest Group sells "Stewardesses Stripped" calendar to boost awareness of pension crisis; t-shirts too. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Some United Airlines employees at risk of losing their shirt are taking it all off instead.
A group of five flight attendants who are at risk of having their pension plans terminated decided to show some skin in a 2006 calendar titled "Stewardesses Stripped (Of Their Pension?)" to publicize their plight.
{SNIP}"We are producing this calendar because we are facing the frightening probability that our 'guaranteed' pension will be terminated," the group, who call themselves the "The Stews," said on their Web site. Three of the flight attendants are retired. Two are active.
"Our mission is to create a national awareness to the naked truth that no retirement fund is completely secure and that there is a definite crisis in the pension guaranty system."
The calendar was released to coincide with a bankruptcy court's approval this week of United's plan to terminate $9.8 billion in employee pension obligations. Under that plan, the government will take over United's pension plans. Government payouts, however, will be lower in most cases.
While United is never specifically named on the Web site, each photograph in "Stewardesses Stripped (Of Their Pension?)" is accompanied by a comment related to the airline's pension default.
"To all who believe that their pension is safe and secure, we hope our message gives you a wake-up call," they said.
United airlines was not immediately available for comment.
