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.