United – Emirates Codeshare: Labor is Watching
Legislation
16 September 2022
Justice at JetBlue requires Just Cause at JetBlue.
“That’s evidence that they are not focused on profitability. They are just focused on flying the airplane somewhere and having the government subsidize it.” -United CEO Scott Kirby.
“Those airlines aren’t airlines. They’re international branding vehicles for their countries.” -Former United CEO Oscar Munoz.
After years of highlighting the unfair business practices of state-owned enterprises (SOE) such as Emirates, Airlines, and other Middle East carriers, United’s announcement of a new codeshare agreement demands scrutiny.
To protect the jobs of U.S. airline workers, there must be continued financial transparency and improved labor standards that ensure fairness is maintained in all Open Skies and codeshare agreements.
Since the beginning of its existence, Emirates Airlines has been sustained by massive government subsidies, unrelated to the global pandemic, used to expand far beyond what market forces could ever support. Their growth, including the Dubai-Athens-Newark service and Milan service, was only possible because of the enormous Emirati funding the airline received. These subsidies put U.S. airlines at a tremendous economic disadvantage and threaten U.S. airline workers’ jobs. American workers can compete with any foreign airline when on a level playing field. We cannot compete against entire countries.
Although the United States and United Arab Emirates signed an agreement in 2018 regarding these issues, the fact remains that there are currently no independent labor unions in the United Arab Emirates. This has led to a systemic, unacceptable assault on airline workers’ rights, with alarming accounts of unfair labor practices and intimidation by employers.
United Airlines employees and union leadership will be watching closely to ensure our scope provisions are rigorously followed and demand the highest labor standards are adhered to across all partnerships. We will act swiftly if needed to protect our long-term career security.
In Unity,
Ken Diaz MEC President AFA-UAL
Richard Johnsen General V/P IAM-UAL
Mike Hamilton Master Chair ALPA-UAL
Craig Symons President PAFCA-UAL
Joe Ferreira Dir. Airline Div. IBT-UAL
United Negotiations Update
United Contract Negotiations Update23 July 2024 Dear Sisters and Brothers, Last week, your IAM District 141 United Airlines Negotiating Committee met with company management to continue negotiations on the collective bargaining agreements (CBA) for several groups....
Three Year Agreement Reached at Flagship Facility Services
Agreement Reached at Flagship Facility ServicesDear Sisters and Brothers, IAM members at Flagship Facility Services located at the San Francisco Maintenance Base voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year agreement. This Agreement creates new payscales that...
Microsoft Update Triggers The Largest Tech Disaster in History
Microsoft Update Triggers The Largest Tech Disaster in HistoryOn Friday morning, a global computer outage led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights across the United States, causing delays and confusion at airports nationwide. The disruption also affected...
Supreme Court Strikes At Federal Experts
Supreme Court Strikes At Federal ExpertsWASHINGTON, D.C. - On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision that will drastically alter the government's ability to enforce workplace safety, aviation standards, and commercial flight operations. This...
Related News
Association Update
This will serve as the official update to the Association membership for M&R, MLS, MCT, MTS, and Fleet Service. September 13, 2024 To Association Fleet Sisters and Brothers, The Association Fleet sub committee met with AA leadership on September 12th to discuss...
Association Update
This will serve as the official update to the Association membership for M&R, MLS, MCT, MTS, and Fleet Service. August 29, 2024 All Association Members: This will serve as the official update to the Association membership for M&R, MLS, MCT, MTS, and Fleet...
United Airlines Negotiations Update
United Contract Negotiations Update20 August 2024 Dear Sisters and Brothers, Last week, your IAM District 141 negotiating team and United Airlines management continued contract negotiations for seven different contracts last week in Chicago, Illinois. The District 141...