American Airlines workers petition Justice Department to allow merger
By KYLE ARNOLD World Business Writer on Aug 29, 2013, at 2:32 AM Updated on 8/29/13 at 6:03 AM
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Some travelers will encounter the most tangible evidence of the reboot of American Airlines on Monday when the airline begins flying its first Airbus A319 jets.
The American Airlines bankruptcy judge issued a written opinion Friday stating that he took the financial sacrifices made by union members into account when rejecting a $20 million severance deal for CEO Tom Horton.
A "convoy" of American Airlines jet maintenance workers will deliver a petition of protest to local Department of Justice officials Thursday morning at the federal courthouse in downtown Tulsa, labor officials say.
The protest comes about two weeks after the Justice Department sued to block the merger plan between American Airlines and US Airways on antitrust grounds, saying the combination will irreparably hurt competition on hundreds of routes across the country where the two carriers go head to head.
The Transport Workers Union, which represents about 4,600 workers in Tulsa and nearly 12,000 overall at American Airlines, will deliver the 8,000-signature petition.
"If this merger goes through, it will protect the jobs of our members and allow us to give consumers excellent service and real choice," TWU Local 514 president Dale Danker said in a statement. "If the DOJ succeeds with its wrong-headed attempt to block this merger, we'll lose jobs and income, and consumers will have fewer choices at higher costs. That's why we're asking Eric Holder to reverse course and drop the DOJ lawsuit."
The Justice Department and the airlines are scheduled to meet Friday to sort out a trial date for the antitrust lawsuit. The airlines are seeking to start the trial Nov. 14, while government lawyers want to delay it until March.
American Airlines and US Airways have agreed to merge and create the world's largest airline, with about 100,000 employees. But the Justice Department lawsuit has forced the two companies, as well as a bankruptcy judge in New York, to delay the merger until the dispute is sorted out.
Kyle Arnold 918-581-8380
kyle.arnold@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Workers petition for merger of airlines
Complete coverage of American Airlines
Find all the stories, photos, videos and
about Tulsa’s largest employer.
American Airlines
Some travelers will encounter the most tangible evidence of the reboot of American Airlines on Monday when the airline begins flying its first Airbus A319 jets.
The American Airlines bankruptcy judge issued a written opinion Friday stating that he took the financial sacrifices made by union members into account when rejecting a $20 million severance deal for CEO Tom Horton.
