(ORLANDO) – Following an overwhelming 99.5 percent rejection of United Airlines’ latest unrealistic proposal, United Airlines Teamsters aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) rallied outside Orlando International Airport (MCO) after a week of contract negotiations in Orlando.
“Teamsters at United Airlines are putting this company on notice: we will accept nothing less than an industry-leading contract that keeps jobs in America,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “United’s greedy executives disrespected our members with an insulting, un-American proposal last month. It’s time for this company to stop playing games and put real proposals on the table — ones that don’t outsource jobs to China but deliver the dignity and respect our members have earned.”
The Teamsters Union represents over 10,000 United Airlines AMTs across the country. They are demanding a contract with top-tier pay, a faster wage progression for new technicians, and protections from United’s growing practice of outsourcing critical maintenance work to China and other countries.
“United Airlines is one of the most profitable in the entire industry, yet it refuses to reward the workers responsible for those profits with a fair contract,” said Chris Griswold, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division. “We will continue to hold United’s feet to the fire until it recognizes the indispensable role United Airlines Teamsters play in the carrier’s success and the safety of the flying public.”
“United’s previous offer would have slashed our wages and shipped more of our work to China,” said Martin Acosta, a United technician at MCO and member of the United Airlines Teamsters National Negotiating Committee. “If United prioritizes safety like it says it does, it wouldn’t be trying to outsource critical maintenance work overseas. We aren’t just fighting to protect our work — we are fighting to protect the American aviation industry. United has the power to do both by agreeing to our demands for a fair contract.”
