United Airlines Bargaining Update 1/17/25

United Airlines Teamsters National Negotiating Committee Concludes Tenth Round of Bargaining, Tees Up Proposals for Discussion During Next Session

The United Airlines Teamsters National Negotiating Committee concluded the tenth round of bargaining with the airline on Thursday. During Thursday’s session, the committee presented its proposals on Letter of Agreement #24 and Article 13. The committee expects a response from United during next week’s bargaining session. United informed the committee that a counteroffer on the initial economic proposals will be offered next week as well.

“The committee did a great job this week of building the foundation for which we will launch the rest of this campaign,” said United Airlines Teamsters National Negotiating Committee Chairman Clacy Griswold. “We understand that economic negotiations are a back-and-forth process, but we are set up for success in future bargaining sessions. We can’t wait to get back to bargaining next week, where we will continue the fight for the industry-leading contract United Airlines Teamsters have earned.”

The committee also used Thursday to discuss union proposals on the scope of work for United Airlines Teamsters. The union is demanding that United return Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) back to the United States from unlicensed vendors overseas. In addition to MRO work, the committee is fighting for members in facility maintenance and Ground Service Equipment, who also face increasing attempts by the company to outsource their work.

“Since our last contract in 2016, over 90 percent of heavy maintenance has been outsourced to foreign countries. That means less work for United Airlines Teamsters and a higher safety risk for United’s passengers,” said Fred Wood, a technician from Local 856 and member of the negotiating committee. “United says safety is the number one priority, but the company has no problem risking safety by using cheap, unlicensed labor to do our work. We are ready to win back this work when we go back to the table next week.”

Negotiations will resume on January 21 in San Francisco. The committee’s thoughts continue to remain with United Airlines Teamsters impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles.