Union Members (And Only Union Members) Have Legally-Binding Merger Protections
Justice at JetBlue
21 April 2022
The benefits of a Union Contract: legal protections in the event of a merger.
JetBlue’s bid to acquire and merge with Spirit Airlines comes with many questions and uncertainties. Who will run the combined airline? What future guarantees do non-union JetBlue employees have?
Which carrier’s business model will be employed?
As we have seen in merger after merger in the last 15 years, airline executives make a lot of promises to win government approval. But, many of those promises can be broken if workers don’t have a contract to protect them.
A contract guarantees that workers will maintain their employment, seniority, wages, benefits, and working conditions when a merger occurs. Without these protections, management can change almost anything it wants, whether it benefits workers or not.
However, if workers are unionized and have representation, then their rights and interests are represented throughout the process.
For example, in the ten years since American and US Airways merged, IAM- represented workers’ wages have increased by approximately 50%, seniority was integrated fairly and benefits and working conditions greatly improved. After the merger of United and Continental much the same occurred, with about 15,000 pre-merger Continental workers gaining union contracts and the protections afforded by them.
The fact is, only union representation and a legally enforceable contract can provide the much-needed protection that JetBlue GO Crewmembers deserve.
Study: JetBlue as a Career
Is Ground Operations at JetBlue a good career choice? Do you plan to work at JetBlue long-term? How do you think your time at JetBlue will end? Let us know by participating in our careerism study below.
Related News
Machinists, Labor Delivers Working People’s Win in Georgia
The hard work of IAM members from the Southern Territory, Transportation Department and Grand Lodge, who volunteered their time over the past months, has paid off with historic wins for pro-worker candidates, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, in the Georgia U.S....
141 Video Report: District 141 Communications Team
The IAMAW District 141 Communications Department at the 2019 IAM Communications Conference. From left, Eric Price, Ines Garcia-Keim, and Dave Lehive. This week, the IAM141 Communications Team makes a rare appearance in front of the camera to talk to Dave about some...
Abusive Protesters Prompt New Flight Restrictions at American Airlines
[supsystic-social-sharing id='3']Abusive and disruptive acts by Trump supporters prompt American Airlines to impose new restrictions on flights to and from Washington, DC.Repeated attacks on flight crews and passengers involve confrontations over face masks, racist...