CAL fleet service workers, mechanics and pilots rallied outside CAL headquarters in Houston last Monday, January 4 demanding a stop to the company’s sleazy anti-union campaign, and demanded fair bargaining. In Newark, our co-workers, Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Teamster International Union Vice President Fred Potter delivered a strong letter to CEO Jeff Smisek with similar demands. CAL response to our campaign to form a union continues to strengthen our resolve to win and build a strong union.
REMEMBER TO VOTE TODAY! REMIND YOUR CO-WORKERS TO VOTE AT THE NEAREST COMPUTER OR PHONE! YOU CAN VOTE ANYTIME—24 HOURS A DAY.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, in a video greeting, urges us to look out for the voting instructions inside the envelope with “National Mediation Board” written in the top left corner. Mr. Hoffa urges us to open the envelope, read the instructions and to vote now. See the video here.
Please remember, if you don’t get your voting instructions by Saturday, January 9, contact your Organizing Committee member, or call our hotline at 1-866-832-6787 to make sure you get duplicate voting instructions.
In a letter to us, our CAL Committee for Victory is urging us to stay strong, calm and focused as management unleashes its anti-worker, anti-union, voter-suppression campaign.
Also, Scott Philipsen, our coworker in IAH, is appearing on video with a similar message, and also urges all of us to vote right away once we get our voting instructions.
To get involved with our campaign, call 1-(866) 832-6787, or visit our Facebook group, CAL Fleet Service Teamsters.
To read our committee’s letter, click here.
On Monday, three of our coworkers testified before the National Mediation Board (NMB) about unfair union election rules. Earlier in the year, the NMB proposed changing those rules to make them more fair for employees in the airline and rail industries. Under the proposed rules, union representation would be determined by the majority of voters instead of the majority of the bargaining unit, which is how the rules are currently set. Although we are moving forward with our campaign and a change of rules will not affect us, we feel testifying before the NMB was the right thing to do because it shows our support to other workers like us to want to form unions.
Teamsters Airline Division Director Captain David Bourne answers questions from part-time CAL Fleet Service Workers Reggie Robinson IAH, Tom Adams MCI and Alonzo Sheppard IAH. Bourne makes solid commitments to improve and protect part-time jobs.
Continental Airlines joined the Star Alliance on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and now that this has occurred we need a union more than ever.
“This news makes forming our union with the Teamsters more of a priority than ever before,” said Gary Welch, a fleet service worker in Houston. “If a merger were to take place down the road, we are all vulnerable without a strong union contract in place like the mechanics have. We need a Teamster contract as soon as possible. I hope all my co-workers recognize the importance of this.”
Continental now joins the Star Alliance network of 25 global carriers. This draws Continental near to UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, about 18 months after Continental ended merger talks between the two carriers.