Continental ground workers file union cards
Tulsa World Oct. 19, 2007
Nearly 8,000 baggage handlers and ground service workers at Houston-based Continental Airlines have filed union authorization cards with the National Mediation Board, officials say. The workers are proposing to be represented by the Transport Workers Union of America, which represents 26,000 aircraft mechanics at American Airlines.
"These workers know firsthand what happens when you go without a contract and representation," TWU President James C. Little said in a prepared statement. "Over the past couple of years they've seen very deep cuts."
In 2005, Continental ground workers' wages were cut 10 percent, Little said. Unlike Continental's unionized workers, he said, the ground workers were not provided with "snap backs," which are written guarantees that lost wages would be restored as the airline returned to profitability.
Media reports about a possible acquisition of Continental by Delta Air Lines or United Airlines also increased interest in union representation, Little said. "Consolidation in the airline industry is a fact of life," he said. " . . . Anyone who doesn't have a contract and a seat at the table during a merger or acquisition is destined to lose."
