Teamsters Conclude Second Round of Bargaining in Denver
Today, the Teamsters wrapped up the second round of negotiations with United Airlines in Denver, Colorado. After an initial tentative agreement was reached to increase the Teamsters’ recall rights from six to 10 years, the company has not made movement on all other non-economic proposals presented by the union.
“After three days of negotiations, it’s clear that United Airlines isn’t committed to meaningful progress on our issues and would rather string us along than treat us as equal negotiating partners,” said Clacy Griswold, Chairman of the United Airlines Teamsters National Negotiating Committee. “If United is going to take this position and stubbornly refuse to listen to our demands, we are ready to meet them at their level and play their game right back at them. The company believes they can take advantage of us. They are sorely mistaken.”
United Continues to Delay Guaranteeing Teamsters Rights
Throughout the week, the subcommittees responsible for negotiating Article 6 on RIF and Recall; Article 18 on Union Security and Representation; Article 19 on Grievance Procedure; and Article 20 on Board of Arbitration met with the company with the aim of reaching a tentative agreement on these issues. However, the company continues to impede progress on these matters and deny Teamsters’ protections at work.
“If the past three days have taught us anything, it’s that United isn’t taking this process as seriously as the Teamsters,” said Jasmine Johnson, a member of Local 986 and rank-and-filer on the Article 18 subcommittee. “We came to Denver in good faith hoping to make progress on critical issues, but United thinks they can divide us by delaying movement. Well, the Teamsters have a message for United: we are not going to be divided, and we are going to fight for all the proposals we have put forward to the company.”
Negotiations will continue on September 16. To keep informed and engaged, download the Teamsters Airline Division app at http://ibt.io/AirlineDivisionApp.