Landslide Vote Shows Dissatisfaction with Proposal
WILMINGTON, Ohio, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ABX Air, Inc., flight crewmembers today rejected the company's most recent contract proposal in a landslide vote. Flight crewmembers are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1224.
The 509 ABX Air (NASDAQ:ABXA) crewmembers who voted rejected the offer by a margin of 98.8 percent to 1.2 percent. Nearly 90 percent of the 578 eligible crewmembers participated in the balloting.
"We took this vote to demonstrate to ABX Air management that what they are offering is unacceptable to the crewmembers and does not adequately fulfill the quality-of-life needs of our members and their families," said Capt. Dave Ross, president of Local 1224.
Among the major deficiencies in the ABX offer are compensation, retirement, management flying, and staffing and assignment issues. The offer included a side letter regarding operations in Asia for All Nippon Airways.
Tensions are high at the cargo carrier as the company has failed to adequately staff the airline, resulting in management's abuse of an emergency staffing system used to staff regularly scheduled flights.
"The scheduling abuses have multiplied over the last year," said Ross. "The results of today's vote make clear that our members demand a contract that will allow them to provide for their families and not be subjected to the abuse of emergency staffing for non-emergency situations." ABX Air has petitioned the National Mediation Board for its mediation services. The company and Local 1224 will begin mediated negotiations in Washington, D.C., with the NMB on Tuesday, November 13.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters represent 1.4 million hard-working men and women in the United States and Canada. DATASOURCE: International Brotherhood of Teamsters CONTACT: Brian Gaudet of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, +1-202-494-4332, Web Site: http://www.teamster.org/
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