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News & Updates
"We Are the World" Class of 2010
Many of the nearly 20 Machinists members who graduated on June 26, 2010 felt gratitude both for their union and the opportunity provided by the IAM.
Machinists File for Union Elections
at Delta Air Lines
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today is filing applications with the National Mediation Board (NMB) for rulings that will lead to union representation elections for more than 30,000 employees at Delta Air Lines.
“The election process will give Delta workers an opportunity to determine their future,” said IAM General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. “Delta employees deserve to be represented by an organization whose sole purpose is to protect workers.”
The IAM is requesting separate “single carrier” rulings from the NMB with respect to the carrier’s fleet service and passenger service classifications. These rulings would establish that Delta and Northwest Airlines are operating as one carrier for representational purposes in each of these classifications, clearing the way for elections to be scheduled for each of these combined work groups. The Machinists Union is still investigating the single carrier status of stock clerks and office & clerical employees.
Following the NMB’s single carrier ruling, the IAM will have 14 days to provide evidence that sufficient interest exists in that employee classification to warrant an election. Proof of interest is demonstrated by a combination of the IAM’s current pre-merger Northwest membership plus signed election request cards from pre-merger Delta employees totaling at least 35 percent of eligible employees in each classification.
“The IAM campaign at Delta is about giving workers a voice, securing pension benefits and making sure Delta’s merger with Northwest does not strip workers of their right to an independent voice at work,” said IAM District 143 President Stephen Gordon.
Pre-merger Delta employees’ must sign election request cards to secure an election. If the NMB verifies sufficient interest exists, it will schedule and conduct separate elections for each classification. No set timeline exists for the NMB to hold elections.
The Machinists union is the largest airline union in North America, representing more than 110,000 airline workers, including 12,500 pre-merger Northwest Airlines fleet service, passenger service, office & clerical, stock clerks, simulator technician and plant protection employees. More information about the IAM’s campaign at Delta Air Lines is available at www.IAM4Delta.org.Machinists Call for Airline Industry Re-regulation
After two days of Congressional hearings into the proposed merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines, many in Congress are questioning whether further airline consolidation is in the best interest of employees, passengers and taxpayers.
“United and Continental are repeating a strategic move that many airlines before them have made but that has brought sustained success to none,” said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) who cautioned the airline’s executives that he would draft legislation to re-regulate the airline industry if the Department of Justice approved the United-Continental merger.
“Hardly a day passes where I don’t walk out on the (house) floor that someone asks me, ‘When are we going to re-regulate the airlines?’” said Oberstar after the first of three hearings on the proposed merger.
General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr., who was the only
labor leader to be invited to speak at all three hearings, repeated
in his testimony the IAM’s call for re-regulation.
“The Machinists Union opposed de-regulation in the 1970’s and have
been calling for re-regulation ever since,” said GVP Roach. “It is
clear that airline deregulation has failed to deliver on its
promises of a stable and profitable industry. The argument of
industry instability that United and Continental are making to
support their merger is the same argument for re-regulation, with a
major distinction – more than 30 years of airline consolidation has
proven that mergers have not helped the industry.”
“Some industries are too vital to our nation’s commerce to be allowed to regulate themselves,” added Roach. "One just needs to remember the billions of taxpayer dollars that went to bail out the financial industry and millions of barrels of oil floating in the Gulf of Mexico to recognize that some industries are too essential to the United States' economy to be left to their own destructive ways.”
The airline industry generates $1.4 trillion in economic activity and contributes $692 billion dollars per year to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.carriers.Machinists Union Questions United/Continental Merger
IAM International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' (IAM) General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. will testify before three Congressional Committees this week about the proposed merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines.
“The IAM is concerned that the new entity may be too big to succeed,” said Roach. “Failure of such a large entity could be disastrous to employees, the industry and the national economy. Our concern is for the entire industry, and we do not believe mergers alone provide the answers. The only way to establish an air transportation industry that is both competitive and profitable is through some form of re-regulation.”
Two June 16, 2010 hearings will be before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as the Committee on the Judiciary. The IAM will also testify at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on June 17, 2010.
The Machinists Union represents 26,000 workers at the two carriers. The IAM's complete testimony is available at www.goiam.org/mergers.
“As this merger proposal moves forward, the Machinists Union asks regulators to take the merger’s impact on employees into consideration,” said Roach. “A combined carrier must offer employees more stability and opportunity than are available at the two independent airlines.”
The IAM represents 16,000 United Airlines Ramp, Stores, Public Contact, Fleet Technical Instructor, Maintenance Instructor, Security Guard and Food Service employees, and another 76 employees at United’s frequent-flyer program, Mileage Plus, Inc. The IAM also represents Continental Airlines’ 9,500 Flight Attendants, 250 Flight Attendants at Continental’s wholly-owned subsidiary Continental Micronesia and 1,200 Flight Attendants at Continental and United regional partner ExpressJet Airlines.
The Machinists Union is the largest airline union in North America, representing more than 110,000 airline industry workers. The latest United/Continental merger information from the Machinists Union is available at www.goiam.org/mergers.IAM, PBGC Discuss UAL/Continental Pensions
IAM Machinists’ Union representatives met with acting director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) Vince Snowbarger and his staff this week to discuss the impact a merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines could have on employee pension plans.
General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr., District 141 President Rich Delaney, District 142 President Tom Higginbotham and members of the IAM’s legal and strategic resources departments described the importance of preserving our member’s defined benefit pension plans and retirement security.
“This meeting was part of a continuing process to address our membership’s concerns,” said GVP Roach. “The IAM will take whatever steps necessary to protect our members."
Continental ramp service, stock clerks and public contact employees all participate in a Continental company-sponsored defined benefit pension plan, while their IAM-represented counterparts at United participate in the multi-employer IAM National Pension Plan (NPP). Continental’s IAM-represented flight attendants also participate in one of Continental’s defined benefit pension plans and have negotiated the IAM NPP as a contingency plan. United flight attendants do not currently have a defined benefit pension plan.
“The Machinists Union will not allow pensions to become a causality of this merger,” said Higginbotham.
“Pensions are not a reward,” added Delaney. “Our members have earned their pensions over a period of decades.”
The PBGC supplied general responses to the IAM’s questions, but would not address UAL/Continental specifically. They did, however, advise that we should discuss any proposals concerning pensions with the PBGC before any agreements are reached. As the merger proposal moves forward, the IAM and PBGC will remain in touch to discuss developments that may occur.
