Union Aims To Organize Labor Pool Of Close To 8,000

The Teamsters launched an organizing campaign this week to assist nearly 8,000 Continental Airlines fleet service employees in organizing a union, after previous attempts by workers to organize failed.

The union says workers at Continental solicited the Teamsters for help, after a January 2008 vote fell 314 short of the margin needed to agree to representation from the Transport Workers Union.

The Associated Press reports that was the third time in as many years a TWU bid failed; past attempts by the Teamsters and the International Association of Machinists were also shot down. The Teamsters currently represent mechanics at Continental.

"The fleet service workers perform very important jobs every day at airports throughout the country and they need and deserve a strong Teamster contract as well," said Capt. David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division. "We look forward to working with the full-time and part-time ramp workers to help them form their union with the Teamsters. Then, we will work hard to win them a strong contract so they will have a more secure future for themselves and for their families."

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million workers in the United States and Canada.

FMI: www.teamsters.org, www.continental.com