A Letter to JetBlue Managers
Is JetBlue About to Outsource Work at JFK?
We are writing this letter to determine if JetBlue will outsource any of the baggage handling work that is currently being performed by employees hired directly by your airline at JFK, and to ask for a solemn commitment that no such work will be outsourced to low wage, low-quality contractors at any point in the future.
Outsourcing to low-quality contractors represents a destructive amputation of critical portions of a company’s workforce. These are the women and men that do the actual work at a company, and they cannot simply be replaced. Outsourcing weakens rights in the workplace and reduces wages and benefits, all of which harms the ability of the company to do business.
We are asking your office to state unequivocally, in front of investors; the flying public; lawmakers; city, state and federal regulators; and most importantly; the Crewmembers working hard day in and day out to perform all the most necessary functions at JetBlue… that under no circumstances will the company resort to outsourcing.
If any possibility exists that Crewmembers at JFK might be outsourced, please provide us details regarding the criteria that will be used to determine which workers will be selected for job loss. We remind you that it may be a violation of law to take any action that might disproportionately impact minorities, women, persons with minor disabilities, veterans or seniors. The IAM will make every effort to educate Crewmembers about their rights.
All airline workers know firsthand the pain of outsourcing. Everyone in this industry knows or has seen the financial and emotional devastation that comes with suddenly losing a job, the ability to pay for a home, and the loss of self-respect. This is why the IAM has strong job protections as a basic part of the contracts that we negotiate with companies like JetBlue. The effectiveness of these contracts is proven: more IAM members retire with a pension than are fired or outsourced each year.
So, we are not asking if there are any “plans” to outsource these valuable workers, or if any outsourcing is “on the horizon. We are asking for a binding commitment that no JetBlue Crewmembers will be outsourced – ever.
JetBlue Crewmembers make up the largest share of the company, and perform tasks that cannot be completed without high levels of training, commitment and personal risk. Most of these workers will suffer an injury, or will know someone who has. All of them deserve an honest answer from company managers, as soon as possible.
Outsourcing to low-quality contractors represents a destructive amputation of critical portions of a company’s workforce. These are the women and men that do the actual work at a company, and they cannot simply be replaced. Outsourcing weakens rights in the workplace and reduces wages and benefits, all of which harms the ability of the company to do business.
We are asking your office to state unequivocally, in front of investors; the flying public; lawmakers; city, state and federal regulators; and most importantly; the Crewmembers working hard day in and day out to perform all the most necessary functions at JetBlue… that under no circumstances will the company resort to outsourcing.
If any possibility exists that Crewmembers at JFK might be outsourced, please provide us details regarding the criteria that will be used to determine which workers will be selected for job loss. We remind you that it may be a violation of law to take any action that might disproportionately impact minorities, women, persons with minor disabilities, veterans or seniors. The IAM will make every effort to educate Crewmembers about their rights.
All airline workers know firsthand the pain of outsourcing. Everyone in this industry knows or has seen the financial and emotional devastation that comes with suddenly losing a job, the ability to pay for a home, and the loss of self-respect. This is why the IAM has strong job protections as a basic part of the contracts that we negotiate with companies like JetBlue. The effectiveness of these contracts is proven: more IAM members retire with a pension than are fired or outsourced each year.
So, we are not asking if there are any “plans” to outsource these valuable workers, or if any outsourcing is “on the horizon. We are asking for a binding commitment that no JetBlue Crewmembers will be outsourced – ever.
JetBlue Crewmembers make up the largest share of the company, and perform tasks that cannot be completed without high levels of training, commitment and personal risk. Most of these workers will suffer an injury, or will know someone who has. All of them deserve an honest answer from company managers, as soon as possible.