Hoffa: Economic slowdown strengthens union’s case

Grace Leong

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002 | 11:28 a.m.

Teamsters President James P. Hoffa, rallying for America West Airlines and Clark County School District workers Wednesday, said the recession following the 2001 terrorist attacks has made union representation critical in ensuring job security and fair working conditions.

At Wednesday's rally of several hundred Teamster members and union supporters at McCarran International Airport, Hoffa downplayed reports of declining union membership and listed a series of "record-setting" contracts recently achieved by the Teamsters including a $9 billion, six-year contract with United Parcel Service Inc.

"These are tough times. We have a recession and a war going on ... This is a time you need a union more than anything else," he said.

"How strong are the Teamsters today? We've just negotiated the UPS contract for 210,000 workers that was ratified by 72 percent. Our contract with Southwest Airlines mechanics was negotiated and ratified," Hoffa said. "We're implementing programs to get new members into the Teamsters. ... We still offer the best pension, wages and job protection."

"There's a big movement from America West workers that want union representation because they don't have a good contract, they don't have adequate pay and most importantly, they don't have a grievance procedure. Union representation will change that situation," he said.

Of the 1.4 million national Teamster membership, some 55,000 are airline workers.

Some 400 to 500 America West employees in Las Vegas are among an estimated 4,100 customer service representatives and reservations agents -- the last major groups at America West not represented by unions -- casting votes by telephone on union representation in a campaign that will end Nov. 8.

America West officials, fighting the union drive, said unions cannot guarantee job security and that employees and management have worked well together since the terrorist attacks.

Several America West workers criticized the company's work rules, including an allegedly unfair sick leave policy where workers who fail to use their sick days lose them or are penalized in their wage evaluations if the days are used.

Bernadette McCulloch, a Teamsters International coordinator, agreed, accusing America West management of stepping up its anti-union tactics ahead of upcoming negotiations for a Teamsters national contract with 800 America West mechanics by holding "extreme anti-union meetings and encouraging workers to rip up their voting instructions."

Meanwhile, Kathy Naumann, a Local 14 business agent, said a meeting is scheduled Nov. 15 in hopes of resolving differences between the Teamsters and the Nevada Local Government Employee Management Relations Board (EMRB) over the way elections by school workers are to be held.

A vote on Teamsters' representation by school 8,347 support staff including custodians, bus drivers, food service workers and office personnel was delayed by a Clark County District judge after the workers' current union -- the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) -- challenged the state labor board's September ruling that the election be held.

While the legal challenge makes its way through the courts, the labor board has gone ahead and set the parameters for the election. While the ESEA has accepted the board's terms, Teamsters representatives are contesting the requirement that they show majority support from the total number of support employees -- not just those voting.