Not a rumor....

 

Comair Workers Ordered To Pay Back Unemployment Money - :: Cincinnati news story :: LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV in Cincinnati

Comair Workers Ordered To Pay Back Unemployment Money

Comair airline workers are suddenly being denied unemployment insurance from the state of Kentucky. These are workers who left Comair as parent company Delta was downsizing the airline. Local 12 Troubleshooter Howard Ain says this has come as quite a shock to a lot of these former workers.

Kentucky unemployment officials tell me about 150 former Comair employees are affected by this. These are people who took buyout packages as the company was in the midst of downsizing its operations here. Kristina Spivey of Wyoming who worked as a Comair scheduler. "Comair began offering buyouts. I think they offered 3 or 4 buyouts in the past 5 years. There's been a lot of people take these buyouts. We actually went from an office of 18 scheduled down to 3."

Workers took the buyouts and collected unemployment from the state of Kentucky until just this week when they got this letter saying they voluntarily quit their jobs and so are not entitled to unemployment benefits. And according to the letter. Spivey collected unemployment checks for 21 weeks but now Kentucky wants that money back. Spivey would have to repay $4700.

Spivey says all this make no sense because Kentucky unemployed checked into this last September when she first applied. "They held my checks for a while because they said since I took the buyout and got a severance that they had to check into this. I called Comair. Comair said they were not contesting it. I did end up getting my checks."

Another former employee, Vanessa Webb, told Ain, "Before I did this I looked on the website to make sure we were eligible to it and also our package said we were eligible for it to. So Comair made that claim that you could get it? Exactly."

For it's part, Comair issued a statement which reads, "Comair has followed Kentucky state laws applicable to unemployment benefits, and has not contested the payouts of these benefits to any its' employees." Kentucky unemployment officials tell me its important all affected workers file an appeal right away. So far about a dozen appeals have been filed. The key to the case will be the language from Comair regarding the buyouts and unemployment insurance.

Comair workers need to get a copy of their buyout packet so they can explain what led to their decision to take the buyout. A hearing will likely be held via teleconference sometime in March, and a decision returned about a week later.

 

And I am not shocked one bit!! Hopefully Bendo took care of that the on 1 of the 4 days of the week he actually occupies his office!!! Why can't I work from home like he does on long call!!!

 

Another screw job to the Comair employees. Someone's head should roll for this.

 

Interesting factoid.

According to the January 2012 Seniority list:

79.8% of First Officers are maxed out on the pay scale (8+ years).

72.4% of Captains are maxed out on the pay scale (18+ years).

 

It seem that the problem is in the state of KY only. So I would't call it a Comair screw job.

 

Yesterday in DTW I saw one of our previous 700 with the GoJet logo on the nose. I almost puked.

 

Always remember that it's a Delta plane. Think how their pilots feel walking DTW B&C concourse.

 

Their pilots don't feel sh!t! Must suck for them to constantly get blocked on the radio in DTW and having to repeat themselves. Those scumbags can go to hell, yes, even if you are ex-Comair and went to that mickey mouse operation.

 

How very dare you spoilers! For that you get 10 hail Deltas and 1 walk around with your hat on in August.