NATIONAL
Menzies refuses to honor IAM contract at Anchorage airport
ANCHORAGE — The International Association of Machinists (IAM) is asking for union members and community supporters to show solidarity with the working men and women at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in their fight for respect on the job. The union reports that a new out-of-state contractor, Menzies Aviation, is refusing to negotiate with fuelers, plant operators and mechanics who keep that airport running safely and efficiently.
TAKE A STAND — Sign the pledge now to tell Menzies to immediately negotiate a fair contract with Machinists union fuelers at Anchorage International Airport.
Menzies, a non-union outsourcing firm, recently lost its baggage handling contract with Alaska Airlines at Sea-Tac International Airport. In 2005, Alaska hired Menzies to replace in-house IAM workers. The company severely cut wages, resulting in significant employee turnover and a series of mishaps and accidents that damaged Alaska jets. Menzies eventually improved its performance but Alaska decided to replace it with another contractor that has a union contract with the IAM.
Now, Menzies management is refusing to recognize the union contract in place for decades at the Anchorage airport and is refusing to come to the table to negotiate with the union.
Click here to sign the following pledge:
Since 1982, the success of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport has depended on the hard work of fuelers, plant operators and mechanics who service commercial and cargo flights coming in and out of Anchorage. For decades, these working women and men have maintained a labor agreement with their employer that allows them the freedom to negotiate a fair return on their work and, most importantly, safe working conditions that keep the airport operating smoothly and efficiently.
Now, under new management from an out-of-state contractor, good Alaska jobs and safety at the airport are under threat. Menzies Aviation has told airport workers it will not recognize their longstanding labor agreement and will not come to the table to negotiate further. Working families think Menzies’ position undermines good, family-supporting jobs in Alaska, and jeopardizes safety at Anchorage airport and the communities it serves.
We call on Menzies Aviation to negotiate a fair contract with its workers at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. We support the fuelers, plant operators and mechanics who make the airport run. Their jobs are crucial to the airport’s success.
Thank you for supporting these IAM members in Anchorage.
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