IAM Aims to Ensure Continental and United Merger Doesn't Happen at Expense of Workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/14057

Submitted by Jesse Russell on August 23, 2010 - 7:10am
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Lede: The proposed merger of United and Continental Airlines has a green light from Europe, but approval by Congress is still up to five months away. Workers and their unions at the airlines are concerned about job loss if the merger is approved. Doug Cunningham has more.

By Doug Cunningham

The International Association of Machinists represents 26,000 workers at United and Continental Airlines. IAM General Vice President Robert Roach says the union will work closely with Congress and with the Transportation and Justice departments to try to ensure that if this merger happens it won’t be at the expense of airline workers. Roach told Houston’s Voices At Work radio show that the big concern is over jobs being lost in this merger.

: “There should be a public forum where people can speak out – and we’re represented by the Congress of the United States and they should be speaking out and finding out exactly what’s gonn happen. This is a very dangerous situation, especially in today’s economy, where people re looking for jobs. To have a move y two airlines that can literally cost thousands of jobs. The Northwest-Delta merger has already caused thousands of people to lose their jobs.”

The Association of Flight Attendants CWA says a new improved contract for its members must be finished before that union can support the United/Continental merger.