Message from JetBlue Ground Ops:
JetBlue Bids $3.6 Billion for Spirit; Union Representation Never More Critical
Justice at JetBlue
6 April 2022
JetBlue management yesterday announced it offered $3.6 billion to purchase Spirit Airlines. Airline mergers create many uncertainties, especially when workers do not have a contract with legally enforceable language to protect their rights.
JetBlue management will likely make many promises about what will happen if this merger with Spirit occurs. Many of these promises will center around how the merger of JetBlue and Spirit will create more competition and how workers will benefit. As history tells us, these promises, made by every airline executive after a merger, often turn out to be false.
JetBlue management will likely make many promises regarding what will happen if this merger with Spirit occurs. Many of these promises will center around how the merger of JetBlue and Spirit will create more competition and how workers will benefit. As history tells us, these promises, made by every airline executive
What’s at risk for JetBlue Crewmembers? Short answer, everything. Our jobs, wages, benefits, and working conditions can be changed at any time for any reason now and also throughout the merger/acquisition process. And, during a merger/acquisition, management teams often change, and promises made are routinely broken.
The only real way to make sure our interests are protected is by unionizing and gaining representation through this process. Once we gain IAM representation, we would enter into legally recognized negotiations to protect what we currently have and then negotiate for more.
In every IAM contract, there is strong language to protect the rights of IAM members. Such language mandates that IAM members’ contracts are recognized and respected during a merger. Wages, benefits, job protections, seniority, and working conditions are completely protected. And, when we are unionized, we would then enter into negotiations to combine workgroups and seek further gains and protections. This has occurred in every merger in which the IAM was the union.
Remember that a-cards are only valid for one year, so if you haven’t signed within the last year, renew today. We are making strong progress toward filing for a union election, so don’t delay, sign today!
Related News
The Dawn of the Machinists Union
The Dawn of the Machinists UnionIn the smoky workshops of late 19th century America, a revolution was brewing. The Industrial Age, with its booming factories and powerful railroads, had brought both progress and hardship.The Dawn of the Machinists UnionIAM141.org 14...
Reality Check: The Fallacy of “Just Save More” and Why Union Protections Matter More Than Ever
Reality Check: The Fallacy of "Just Save More" and Why Union Protections Matter More Than EverLast month, T. Rowe Price issued recommendations on retirement savings that, while perhaps well-intentioned, come across as not only unrealistic but downright insulting to...
Union Members at O’Hare Walk Out on Kirby; Sick and Tired of the Same Old Lip Service
Union Members at O'Hare Walk Out on Kirby; Sick and Tired of the Same Old Lip Service7 May 2024 United Airlines is no longer the airline it was under Oscar Muñoz. From 2015 to 2020, this company respected its employees, and, in return, those workers gave the airline...