United reaches agreements with instructors, customer service agents

Chicago-based United Airlines said it has reached several new agreements for employees represented by the International Association of Machinists.

United and the IAM reached a tentative agreement for an initial collective bargaining agreement covering pilot ground school instructors from the company’s Continental subsidiary. Employees will vote on the agreement in the coming weeks.

United also reached an agreement with the IAM regarding the work performed by airport customer service agents that will facilitate the integration and strategic redeployment of aircraft pursuant to United’s single operating certificate and combined passenger service system. In addition, United and the IAM executed an agreement providing for, among other things, seniority integration of the combined group of storekeepers.

United also announced that airport ground handling work at five airports — Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Buffalo, Detroit and Sacramento — currently performed by outside vendors, will now be done by United Airlines employees.

“Each of these labor agreements moves United and our co-workers forward in fully integrating our work groups,” said Mike Bonds, executive vice president Human Resources and Labor Relations. “Working together with the IAM, we’ve addressed co-worker interests across three major divisions — flight operations, technical operations and airport operations — to achieve agreements that are fair to co-workers and fair to the company.”