from In These Times:



Under Cloud of Bankruptcy, CWA Will Try (Again) to Unionize American Airlines Workers
By Mike Elk


On Wednesday, the Communication Workers of America (CWA) filed a federal petition to hold a union election for 9,700 customer service workers who work at American Airlines call centers and flight gates. The workers are the only remaining large sector of the airline that is not unionized. As American Airlines enters bankruptcy, customer service workers' fight to unionize will be vitally important to already unionized workers looking to protect their pensions, healthcare and wages.

AA filed for bankruptcy last week in a move that could help them gut pensions and get out of other contract obligations, as Working In These Times contributor Josh Eidelson wrote last week. CWA claims that American Airlines is currently holding $4.1 billion in cash on hand and that despite this, it’s looking to increase profits by using the bankruptcy process to cut its labor costs, which are among the highest in its industry. Workers are hoping that organizing with CWA may help them fight potential cuts.

"I'm on board, and looking forward to CWA representation to help get us through the bankruptcy process,” said Latricia Beasley, a customer service worker from Dallas.
CWA has been trying to unionize the customer service workers since the 1990s. The new bankruptcy filing by American Airlines has given the union a renewed sense of organizing urgency. In 1998, CWA was unsuccessful in a previous union election with the same group of workers. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/... /