'Don't be fooled': JetBlue president warned workers against joining a union

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

‘Don't be fooled’: JetBlue president warned workers against joining a union

Revealed: Joanna Geraghty claimed the company’s successes wouldn’t be possible if employees unionized

Michael Sainato
Thu 7 Feb 2019 11.00 GMT

The JetBlue president, Joanna Geraghty, warned employees against joining a union or participating in union activity in an email last month and claimed the company’s successes wouldn’t be possible if workers unionized, the Guardian can reveal.

“As a result of our success, there will always be union reps, and even fellow crew members, who try to convince you that paying dues and having a union would be a better way to go. However, a union would never be able to give you a list of accomplishments like this,” Geraghty wrote in the email seen by the Guardian.

The accomplishments cited in the email include a holiday party, adding more nail polish colors to the uniform policy, an app launch, and new bag scanners. “So if anyone asks you to sign a card, I’m asking you to decline. Don’t be fooled – the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence and you don’t have to look over that fence to see what unions have done (or failed to do) at other airlines,” the email said.

The warning from JetBlue’s management came in response to organizing drives by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) to unionize about 6,400 airport operation agents and roughly 1,000 mechanics at JetBlue.

“We watched the pilots get a union, we watched the inflight get a union, and we’re all Jetblue, we’re one big Jetblue family, but we’re now three different groups with three different rulebooks, and they pit us against each other,” said a JetBlue airport operation agent helping to lead the committee to organize a union. The agent requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/07/jetblue-president-warned-workers-against-joining-union

[The Truth Is Here]

1. The only two daily nonstops to New York from here that Jetblue serves (as well as serving Boston)

are very, very expensive. I could fly on Southwest for 1/3 of the fares that Jetblue asks for.

No wonder why there is a need of an union there.

[louis c]

2. Unions protect and represent workers...

...there is a reason that the shrinkage in union membership over the years directly correlates to the decline of the middle class.

That's not a coincidence.

[zipplewrath]

3. And the rise of HR

At the same time as we've seen a decline in unions, we've seen a rise in Human Resource departments. HR has become to companies, what unions are to employees.

[CurtEastPoint]

4. Bingo. I never thought of it that way but you are spot on. HR human resource plundering

[geardaddy]

5. Yep.

HR departments are the worst.

[zipplewrath]

6. I've been under both

When your in a union and you have questions, you talk to your union rep.
When you're salaried, they tell you to talk to HR.

Your union rep works for you.
HR works for the company.

[geardaddy]

7. "HR works for the company."

Bingo!