United mechanics protest lack of contract
Union members express their dissatisfaction after three years of negotiations with the carrier
Days after voting down United Airlines’ contract offer and threatening to strike, mechanics with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters protested Friday near Bush Intercontinental Airport.
About 175 people picketed in shifts throughout the day, with one group standing along Will Clayton Parkway and another along John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
“They’re protesting to get the company back to the table and to show them they’re serious about getting an agreement,” said Bob Clever, president of Teamsters Local 19 that covers mechanics in Houston.
On Tuesday, more than
“They’re protesting to get the company back to the table and to show them they’re serious about getting an agreement,”
Bob Clever, president, Teamsters Local 19
93 percent of mechanics who voted cast ballots against United’s offer. They have been negotiating a contract for more than three years, and the mechanics are working under contracts from before Chicago-based United merged with Houstonbased Continental Airlines in 2010. Clever said former Continental and former United mechanics can’t work side by side, which hurts the air- line’s efficiency.
Union members also voted Tuesday to authorize a strike.
“We’re not making the threat idly,” Clever said. “It’s a promise more than a threat. It’s going to be up to the company to see if we have to carry that out.”
In a statement issued Tuesday, United said that it remains in mediation with Teamsters and that the National Mediation Board indicated it will call the two parties to a status conference in Washington, D.C., on March 3.
“Negotiations can be difficult, and although we are disappointed by this outcome, we are eager to get right back to the table,” Oscar Munoz, United’s president and CEO, said in the
statement. “Our technicians are the best in the business, making our product and operation better and more reliable every day. I will personally meet with our labor leaders to make sure we reach an agreement that will work for our technicians.”
Clever said the mechanics want a contract that specifies work duties and assures their jobs can’t be outsourced. They’re also seeking better wages, benefits and retirement plans.
Mike Bergen, a mechanic for 30 years, first at Continental, then United, said the airline has promised an industry-leading contract, but that’s not what it’s offering union members.
“We’re actually just trying to send a message to the company of our soli- darity,” he said during Friday’s protest.
Mike Morris, a mechanic for 29 years who also began with Continental, added that they should have received a f air contract years ago. He said he doesn’t think a strike will happen, but he is prepared to join one. “We know how cheap talk is,” he said.