Eating Their Own: Teamsters Acting Like ‘Parasite’ Stealing Other Unions’ Members
With nearly $15 million at stake, the Teamsters raid two airlines' unions
Wars between rival unions, though infrequent, go back more than a century. Now, as union membership continues its decades-long decline, union efforts to pilfer members from other unions seem to be making a comeback.
At the head of the pack is the infamous International Brotherhood of Teamsters. With efforts underway to lure workers at both US Airways and American Airlines away from their existing unions, the Teamsters are, once again, creating enemies in the union movement.
Last week, the Teamsters asked the National Mediation Board (the agency that governs labor relations at airlines and railroads) to hold a representation election among the mechanics and related employees at US Airways.
This is on top of the months-long effort to steal the mechanics of American Airlines who are currently represented by the Transport Workers Union (TWU).
