United Contract Negotiations Update

IAM and United management negotiators met this past Friday in Washington DC for 14 hours in an effort to reach agreement on seven IAM contracts covering almost 30,000 United Airlines workers. While United management has finally recognized that to reach any agreement, whether in the current expedited process or traditional “Section Six” negotiations, the issue of job security must be resolved. The parties, however, still remain apart on a mutually acceptable job security construct. 

As we have stated since the onset of this expedited process, IAM-represented United Airlines workers need and deserve job security that prohibits outsourcing and protects our employment and job status (full-time/part-time). While we have made significant progress in the outsourcing and employment protection components of job security, United management has still not offered acceptable protections for full-time and part-time employment and opportunities for part-time employees who seek full-time employment to obtain those positions. 

United management representatives, whether high-ranking officials in negotiations or frontline management personnel have stated to IAM negotiators and IAM-represented United workers across the system that they have no intention of “casualizing” the Ramp and PCE and making those classifications majority-plus part-time work classifications. 

They just refuse to put it in writing. 

Every IAM contract in the airline industry includes protection of full-time employment, which consequently protects part-time employment. Your District 141 Negotiations Committee has proposed language that is reasonable and which exists in other IAM contracts at major airlines. While protecting full-time and part-time employment, our proposals also provide United management the flexibility to grow the carrier, which we all want, and the needed flexibility in case of a reduction in force. 

After Friday’s talks, the gap on the remaining issues has narrowed. But, United management negotiators are still pushing back against what we view as acceptable resolutions to these issues. While there may be a path to an agreement, we are now forced to review our options to exit the expedited process and enter traditional “Section Six” negotiations and possibly request the assistance of the National Mediation Board (NMB) and enter federally mediated negotiations.

We appreciate the patience and strong support of all IAM members at United Airlines. The almost 30,000 IAM members at United Airlines do not deserve to be treated as second-class citizens in the realm of Job Security.

We deserve to know that our jobs and paychecks are secure so that we can care for our families with dignity.

We will advise the membership of next steps later this week.

In Solidarity,

Your Negotiating Committee
Olu Ajetomobi
Joe Bartz
Victor Hernandez
Barb Martin
Andrea’ Myers
Terry Stansbury
Faysal Silwany
Erik Stenberg
Sue Weisner

Recording Secretaries: Please print and post on all IAMAW bulletin Boards.