United Airlines reaches tentative labor agreements with ground workers union

KEY POINTS

• United Airlines has reached tentative agreements with a union representing nearly 30,000 ground workers, the labor group said Wednesday.
• The two-year agreements cover "industry-best" wage rates, as well as job protection and certain guards against outsourcing roles.
• The airline remains in negotiations with its pilots over a new contract.

An airline passenger checks in at the United airlines desk at the Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida, January 19, 2022.

Octavio Jones | Reuters

United Airlines has reached tentative agreements with a union representing nearly 30,000 ground workers, the labor group said Wednesday.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said the two-year tentative agreements cover "industry-best" wage rates, as well as job protection and certain guards against outsourcing roles. The specific terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

The deal comes while United is in talks with labor unions representing its pilots and flight attendants. Pilots last year rejected a preliminary agreement, and negotiations have since resumed.

Members of IAM District 141 will receive more details about the tentative agreements, the union said in a statement. The union will soon announce a schedule for a ratification vote.

"Job security and industry-leading wages are rightfully two top priorities for our membership at United Airlines," said Tom Regan, airline coordinator for IAM's Air Transport Territory.

In a statement, IAM District 141 said that if the agreements are ratified by members, the union "will be back in negotiations one year from the date these agreements are ratified to bargain for more."

The two-year tentative agreements cover seven work classifications: fleet service workers, passenger service workers, storekeepers, central load planners, maintenance instructors, fleet technical instructors and security officers.