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Communications Workers and Teamsters Join Forces at Newly Merged Piedmont Airlines
Washington, D.C. – The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are joining forces to help customer service and ramp employees at Piedmont Airlines get the union representation they need in a changing industry.
About 2,000 Piedmont workers who work at locations throughout the eastern United States are eligible for union representation.
The presidents of the two unions – among the largest in the AFL-CIO – have signed an agreement forming an alliance for a joint union organizing effort among the workers. Allegheny and Piedmont airlines, both wholly-owned subsidiaries of US Airways, formally merged July 1, 2004 to form Piedmont Airlines.
"This partnership was formed in the interests of airline employees who face great uncertainty because of the upheaval in the airline industry," said CWA President Morton Bahr. "We look forward to working together to bring the highest quality of representation to these workers."
"This historic partnership will provide a great opportunity for successful organizing and representation of the customer service agents at the newly-merged Piedmont Airlines," said President James Hoffa of the Teamsters. "Combined, our two unions represent over 2 million members and have tremendous resources available to draw upon in representing the workers' interests."
The IBT and CWA together represent nearly 100,000 employees in the airline industry. Working together to help ramp and customer service workers gain a union voice is the most effective way to put our resources to work and to support workers in today's insecure and often turbulent environment, rather than competing against each other, the unions said.
The Teamsters already represent the customer service and ramp agents at the former Allegheny Airlines, and CWA has been working with union activists at Piedmont for about a year to help the agents gain union representation and a collective bargaining agreement.
Each union represents tens of thousands of workers at dozens of carriers, including United, US Airways, America West, Continental, and Southwest.
CWA represents more than 700,000 workers in telecommunications and information technology, media and broadcasting, printing and publishing, the airline industry, health care, education and public service, and manufacturing.
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About 2,000 Piedmont workers who work at locations throughout the eastern United States are eligible for union representation.
The presidents of the two unions – among the largest in the AFL-CIO – have signed an agreement forming an alliance for a joint union organizing effort among the workers. Allegheny and Piedmont airlines, both wholly-owned subsidiaries of US Airways, formally merged July 1, 2004 to form Piedmont Airlines.
"This partnership was formed in the interests of airline employees who face great uncertainty because of the upheaval in the airline industry," said CWA President Morton Bahr. "We look forward to working together to bring the highest quality of representation to these workers."
"This historic partnership will provide a great opportunity for successful organizing and representation of the customer service agents at the newly-merged Piedmont Airlines," said President James Hoffa of the Teamsters. "Combined, our two unions represent over 2 million members and have tremendous resources available to draw upon in representing the workers' interests."
The IBT and CWA together represent nearly 100,000 employees in the airline industry. Working together to help ramp and customer service workers gain a union voice is the most effective way to put our resources to work and to support workers in today's insecure and often turbulent environment, rather than competing against each other, the unions said.
The Teamsters already represent the customer service and ramp agents at the former Allegheny Airlines, and CWA has been working with union activists at Piedmont for about a year to help the agents gain union representation and a collective bargaining agreement.
Each union represents tens of thousands of workers at dozens of carriers, including United, US Airways, America West, Continental, and Southwest.
CWA represents more than 700,000 workers in telecommunications and information technology, media and broadcasting, printing and publishing, the airline industry, health care, education and public service, and manufacturing.
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