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
Machinist & Aerospace History: Buzz Aldrin and the Machinist Moonwalk
On July 20, 1969, millions of people watched in awe as astronauts Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon for the first time. Aldrin, an honorary IAM member, was part of a three-man crew that flew a 240,000-mile flight aboard Apollo 11....
Machinists, Aviation Unions Commend Bipartisan Push for Airline Worker Payroll Support Program Extension
The IAM along with other aviation unions are lauding 223 bipartisan members of Congress for calling for an extension of the CARES Act Payroll Support Program (PSP) through March 31, 2021. The program, which allocated grants to commercial airlines and airline...
Letter Urging Extension of Airline Aid to Prevent Furloughs Has a Majority of Support in Congress
More than 200 members of Congress have signed a letter supporting a union-backed plan that would prevent mass airline furloughs this fall. The letter, written by the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Representative Peter DeFazio...