Statement By Captain David Bourne, Airline Division Director, International Brotherhood Of Teamsters
The following statement was released by Director Bourne regarding the upcoming press conference by Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL 4th), regarding the proposed United Airlines merger with Continental Airlines. Information on the press conference follows the statement.
“We are very appreciative that Congressman Gutierrez’ is reaching out to allow those with issues about the proposed UAL – CAL merger, to voice those concerns at his meeting in Chicago this coming Monday. We urge employees and the travelling public to attend.
It is our express hope that the Congressman will take a very strong position about the concerns we have in several areas regarding this merger. First, it must be an imperative of this merger that the jobs of hard working employees are preserved. This merger should not focus solely on shareholder benefit. It must address the reality that in addition to the millions of dollars in wage cuts and work rule concessions already endured by both airlines employee groups, the pensions United employees; worked so hard to plan for their retirements, were wiped out with the stroke of a pen.
Attention must also be focused on the thousands of jobs that have been lost in maintenance cost cutting. The continued push to outsource airline maintenance jobs to offshore repair facilities (MRO’s), that do not provide the level of security, pre-employment screening, or substance abuse testing is a particular concern. Of even greater concern is the lack of FAA oversight and regulation allowing these facilities to use untrained or poorly trained workers who perform critical safety repairs on aircraft with little or no oversight.
This is not just an issue of lost American jobs and wages going elsewhere. It is about critical aircraft maintenance being performed based on the lowest cost, not expertise. The employees who fly these planes and the American travelling public deserve the safest airliners possible, not ones repaired by the lowest cost, marginally supervised bidder. We hope Congressman Gutierrez will join us in supporting the House language on MRO’s and will insist that this merger provide job protections and that jobs lost to offshore, marginally regulated facilities must not be allowed with this merger.
Additionally, we hope that Congressman Gutierrez will also provide a strong voice of support for the House language in the current FAA Funding Authorization for the regional carriers that will wear the colors and name of the new United Airlines and others; specifically requiring that new pilots must hold, at the minimum, a valid FAA Air Transport License (ATP) prior to consideration for employment. The travelling public must have confidence that when they step off a large jet and on to a regional carrier; one who is being sold to the customer as an extension of that mega carrier, that the crewmembers have met the highest levels of training and experience. We disagree with the premise proposed by some, that a college degree and bare minimum of flight time provides sufficient experience to professionally operate airliners full of our loved ones or potentially dangerous cargo. We therefore urge Congressman Gutierrez to fully support the House language. I look forward to meeting with him in the coming days to discuss the futures of our United and Continental employees and the critical matters we have raised here.”
Information from Congressman Gutierrez follows
WHAT: Chicago stakeholders discuss United/Continental merger from the point
of view of workers and consumer
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Monday, June 7, 2010
WHERE: Sheraton Hotel, Ohio Room
(301 E North Water Street, Downtown)
WHO: Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez and Representatives of:
- Air Line Pilots Association ;
- Association of Flight Attendants;
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
- ChicagoFederation of Labor, AFL-CIO ; and
- The Teamsters.