Less than two months after Continental Airlines rebuffed United Airlines' merger overtures, the two airlines have announced a comprehensive global alliance.
The airlines issued statements indicating they developed teams to achieve significant cooperation on frequent flier programs, lounges, facility utilization, information technology and procurement.
The airlines' statement read, "This work was assisted by the efficiency opportunities identified and relationships developed during the parties' earlier merger discussions." Specifics of the cooperative agreement have not been released.
The Machinists Union has contacted both carriers demanding all details of the agreement so we can assess the impact on workers at both airlines.
"Alliances like this are just mergers on the installment plan," said IAM General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. "Integrating programs and technology today will make it easier for the airlines to complete a merger tomorrow. The IAM will remain vigilant in our fight to block mergers that hurt employees."
Oberstar Tells DOJ to Scrutinize NWA/Delta Merger
"I strongly urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) to oppose the Delta/Northwest merger that has been filed with the DOJ," said Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN), the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in a June 5th letter to the Department of Justice.
"I urge the DOJ to conduct an exhaustive review of the Delta/Northwest proposal," wrote Oberstar. "Many past mergers have resulted in financially weaker carriers."
General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. and members of the IAM's Transportation Merger Team met with Congressman Oberstar on June 19th in our continuing effort to stop the Northwest/Delta merger from negatively impacting employees, passengers and the cities served by the two airlines.
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Transportation NewsWire IAM Transportation Department General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. 9000 Machinists Place Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 www.goiam.org/transportation March 6, 2007 Appeals Court Backs Rail Unions in FMLA Case In an important legal victory for workers covered by the Railway Labor Act, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently upheld a lower court ruling that said when vacation use is a subject of collective bargaining agreements, employers cannot unilaterally force employees to use vacation time in conjunction with the Family Medical Leave Act. The ruling follows a lawsuit by a coalition of rail unions, including the IAM and the TCU, who opposed rail carriers requiring workers to use paid vacation time as part of leave that would otherwise be mandated by FMLA guidelines. "Unions have fought to secure workers vacation rights for decades," said IAM General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. "This decision rightly puts the choice of how to use vacation time in the hands of the workers who earned it." "The vacation agreements are the subject of apparently hard bargaining," the court said in its ruling. "The right to time one's vacation...is a hard-won right of railroad workers. It would seem quite odd indeed to say that this...can be wiped out by unilateral action on the part of the carriers." The court's ruling is available at www.goiam.org/transportation.
Transportation NewsWire IAM Transportation Department General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. 9000 Machinists Place Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 www.goiam.org/transportation December 13, 2006 Machinists Respond to UAL/Continental Rumors The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' (IAM) General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. today issued the following statement in response media reports that Continental Airlines and United Airlines are discussing a possible merger: "The Machinists Union has not been contacted by United or Continental about any potential merger. The IAM is fully prepared to defend the wages, contracts and defined benefit pension plans earned by our 25,000 members at United and Continental. The IAM's Transportation Merger Team is also prepared to respond to any airline merger scenario. In the event a United-Continental merger did occur, United's Flight Attendants could gain the defined benefit pension plan currently enjoyed by our United Airlines members and being ratified by our Continental Flight Attendants." The IAM represents 16,000 United Airlines Ramp & Stores, Public Contact, Food Service, Fleet Technical Instructor, Maintenance Instructor, Security Officer and Food Service employees. United's IAM members are the airline's only employees to successfully negotiate a defined benefit pension plan in bankruptcy, the multi-employer IAM National Pension Plan. The Machinists Union also represents more than 9,000 Continental Airlines Flight Attendants; the highest paid Flight Attendants in the industry. Already the largest union at Continental, the IAM has active organizing campaigns underway for the airline's Fleet Service, Passenger Service and Reservation employees.
IAM T RA N S P O RT AT IO N D E P A R T MEN T Organizing Update O C T OBER , 2 0 0 6 V O L UME 1 , I S S U E 4 TERRITORIAL ORGANIZING LEADERS JAY CRONK COORDINATOR 3 0 1 -9 6 7 -455 8 TONY KLINAKIS EAST 7 7 0 -3 2 9 -615 1 RENEE CICERO CENTRAL 2 1 0 -2 4 0 -923 0 TIM KLIMA WEST 6 1 2 -8 0 4 -446 5 ORGANIZING WEBSITE: WWW.GOIAM.ORG ORGANIZING HOTLINE: 1 -8 0 0 -9 9 8-3 5 5 4 This organizing update provides an overview of active Transportation Organizing campaigns. The information is provided so it can be used when giving organizing reports at Local Lodge meetings and recruiting volunteers to assist in our organizing efforts. Railroad Appalachian and Ohio Railroad A contract has been negotiated and is now in place for the recently organized machinists employed at the Appalachia and Ohio Railroad. Progress Rail District 19 reports continued progress in the campaign to bring representation rights to Progress Rail employees working in Patterson, GA. Air Transport Gulfstream Airlines On the heels of our successful organizing campaign in which Gulfstream Flight Attendants overwhelmingly voted for IAM representation, the Transportation Department filed for a representation election among the Fleet Service employees of Gulfstream on August 28, 2006. The NMB has recently ordered a Telephone Electronic Voting election which will begin 12:01 a.m. October 12 th and run through 2:00 p.m. November 2 nd , with the vote tally to follow. Continental Airlines The Customer Service/Reservations campaign is progressing well. The current focus is on the three reservation centers, in Houston, Tampa and Salt Lake City, which are typically the most difficult to access. Spirit Airlines Mechanic and Related - After the Machinists Union filed our application, Spirit was required to submit a list of eligible voters. The IAM believes that list included many voters who should have been deemed ineligible, but the NMB ruled otherwise. NMB regulations require a union to show interest in an election through signed authorization cards from at least 35% of eligible voters. After Spirit Airlines inflated the eligibility list, the number of cards the IAM submitted fell just short of the 35% required for an election. This will in no way deter the Machinists Union from our goal of providing Spirit Airlines employees with first-class representation and a new card drive will begin immediately. JetBlue Currently collecting authorization cards from Fleet Service and Customer Service employees. In-house committees are being developed. The NMB's one-year election bar for Fleet Service employees expires in July 2007. Comair We are in the initial stages of a campaign for Ramp and Customer Service agents. Major locations are Cincinnati and Orlando. ORGANIZE!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006, 02:07 PM EST
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Transportation NewsWire IAM Transportation Department General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. 9000 Machinists Place Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 www.goiam.org/transportation August 14, 2006 Transportation Adds 900 US Airways Members The National Mediation Board (NMB) has certified the Machinists Union as the collective bargaining representative for the Mechanic & Related class and craft at US Airways. The IAM and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters were both competing for representation rights following the airline's merger with America West Airlines. The Teamsters represented America West's 900 mechanics, while the IAM has represented workers at US Airways and its predecessors since 1949. The NMB's action extinguished the Teamsters' representation rights for the former America West Mechanics. "IAM members showed tremendous support for their union while ignoring an intense Teamster campaign of lies and empty promises," said General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. "We are prepared to immediately enter into transition negotiations with US Airways to ensure fair seniority integration, provide the secure IAM National Pension Plan and provide active and furloughed employees of the combined airline with the job opportunities they deserve." The NMB determined the Teamsters failed to show sufficient interest from the combined workforce to call for an election and on August 11, 2006 granted the IAM's request for certification. On May 11, 2006 the NMB certified the Machinists as the representative for the combined airline's Fleet Service employees, adding 2,400 new IAM members. The IAM's application to represent US Airways' Stock Clerks was filed on August 2, 2006, but the NMB has not yet made a determination on the issue. IAM Members Excel, TSA Falls Short During Security Threat The enhanced security procedures enacted last week caused disruptions at airports across the country, but not the widespread chaos predicted by the media. "The new procedures increased workloads and generated many questions and unexpected situations that IAM members handled with their usual professionalism," said General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. "The job IAM members continue to perform under extreme circumstances is commendable. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), however, could have responded better." Following the announcement of the latest terror threat and increased security procedures, passengers were herded into massive lines that snaked through airports. Upon reaching the front of the lines, passengers at many airports were met with an unexpected site - closed screening lanes. Expensive security screening machines paid for by the same passengers waiting in line stood idle because the TSA is limited by law to only 45,000 screeners nationwide and does not have the necessary manpower to operate an appropriate number of security lanes at many airports. Additionally, the TSA recently nixed plans for Gulfstream Airlines, whose Flight Attendants are represented by the IAM, and Delta Airlines to begin service this fall to Marathon Airport in the Florida Keys because they could not provide the required screeners. "The TSA has finite resources for managing security services in airports around the country and it's difficult for us to add new airports," said TSA spokesman Christopher White. "The TSA is forced to under staff airport screeners, limit cargo inspections and neglect Amtrak and commuter rail security because of budget constraints," said GVP Roach. "Transportation security and the industry's growth are crucial to our nation's economy and should not be cheated by short-sighted policies that erode our nation's security."
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