Up, Up and Away; JetBlue Management
Again Ups its Bid for Spirit: Now $3.7 BILLION
Justice at JetBlue
22 June 2022
Washington, June 16, 2022 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) applauds the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for approving the Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act (H.R. 7321).
JetBlue management yesterday once again upped its bid to $3.7 BILLION to merge with Spirit Airlines. This is approximately 68% more than the Frontier offer.
You read that right, yes, 68% more.
JetBlue management is totally obsessed with merging with Spirit, and it appears no price is too high.
Management previously cut the summer flight schedule by about 10 percent due to staffing concerns. JetBlue could be investing much more in its people to retain workers that we need and attract new workers, which we also need. But, it seems management is more concerned with merging with Spirit, even as many economists predict a slowing economy
due to rising interest rates to battle inflation.
The tough questions are:
(1) Could this money be utilized more wisely?
(2) Is the total obsession with merging with Spirit good for us?
Management has claimed it will divest routes in the Northeast and gates in FLL. Without a union contract to protect our interests in a merger, we are certainly at risk and that needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
Related News
United Ground Express Negotiations Update
During these sessions, we focused on Section 4 (Hours of Service), where we exchanged and discussed proposals aimed at improving shift bidding processes and the annual frequency of company-initiated shift bids. We also addressed concerns regarding mandatory overtime...
United Negotiations Update for May 13, 2025
We are making steady progress on the Storekeeper contract proposals put forth by our membership. We held productive conversations on key areas such as increasing the use of 10-hour shifts—especially on midnight shifts—clarifying core work descriptions, and improving...
UGE Negotiations Update
We exchanged and discussed proposals regarding Section 4 (Hours of Service), with a focus on improving work schedules, meal periods, break times, and mandatory overtime—among other topics raised in your surveys and contract proposals.United Ground Express (UGE)...