Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today applauded American Airlines announcement that they are rehiring 545 furloughed flight attendants, all of whom were former TWA employees. In 2007, McCaskill helped negotiate a deal between American Airlines and the former TWA flight attendants to extend their recall rights.

"Over the years, I've met so many former TWA flight attendants who loved their jobs and wanted nothing more than to return to work," McCaskill said. "This is a great day for those people, and I couldn't be happier for them."

When TWA merged with American Airlines, TWA flight attendants were placed at the bottom of the seniority list. In 2001, American Airlines laid off 2,500 flight attendants, including many former TWA flight employees. The furloughed flight attendants were guaranteed the right to reclaim their jobs if American Airlines made new hires for five years. As their recall rights were set to expire on January 1, 2008, McCaskill stepped in to help broker a deal between the employees and the airline to extend their rights. Because of this, TWA flight attendants remained on the recall list today when American Airlines announced that they would rehire 545 flight attendants.

"This would not have been possible without Senator McCaskill's help. Without her involvement these flight attendants would have fallen off the recall list and been gone long ago," Roger Graham, a former TWA flight attendant from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, said.

"Without the Senator McCaskill's involvement, many of these employees would have lost the right to return to their jobs at American Airlines; instead 545 flight attendants will soon be back at work. For those who will remain on furlough the extension continues to offer them the hope that they too will be able to resume their careers at American. The APFA will continue to work with American until each and every one of the remaining furloughed flight attendants are back to work," Laura Glading, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), said.

According to American Airlines, recall notices for flight attendants will be sent out in phases. The airlines says that they will send notices first to 225 flight attendants later this month. The additional 320 recall notifications will be sent later in the year.

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