Union seeks new vote for airline ramp workers

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1998 | 11:31 a.m.

A union organizing America West Airlines ramp employees is filing today with a national labor mediation board for a representation vote.

A spokesman for the Transport Workers Union said the organization has collected enough signatures for a vote and 350 America West employees in Las Vegas will receive a mailing on the election.

Frank Trotti, a union organizer based in America West's corporate home of Phoenix, said the TWU wants to establish collective bargaining and a contract for the company's 2,000 ramp and cargo handling employees systemwide.

America West, which has more than 80 flights from 26 gates at McCarran International Airport, serves 42 destinations from Las Vegas. The nation's ninth largest air carrier has 12,000 employees.

The airline had no comment on the TWU's organization bid.

Trotti, a former America West employee who worked 11 years on the ramp, said the vote will be the TWU's third attempt to organize employees. Last year's attempt failed by 76 votes, Trotti said.

"What employees want is a written agreement, just like Mr. (William) Franke and Mr. (Richard) Goodmanson have," said Trotti. "At the present time, there is no pay scale at America West. Everything is done strictly by merit, so if they say there are no raises, they don't have to pay them and the employees can't do anything about it."

Trotti said the union already represents Southwest Airlines' ramp employees and American Airlines' ramp and maintenance workers. Recently, the TWU began representing America West's 35 dispatch employees in Phoenix. Dispatchers develop flight plans and work with pilots to execute flight operations. In April, the union and America West signed a five-year contract.

The New York-based TWU has more than 120,000 members nationwide and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. The company represents workers in mass transportation, airline, railroad, utility, universities, municipalities and service and allied industries.

Trotti said national mediation board conducts union votes if 35 percent of an employee group seeks representation. Once the results are certified, the board conducts an election by mail within a 30-day period. Trotti said he hopes to know the outcome of the America West vote by December.

Getting union representation for ramp employees has been difficult, Trotti said, because the company hires "union busters" to discredit the organization.