(The Associated Press circulated the following article on August 17.)
WASHINGTON — A majority of 3,100 America West customer service representatives have voted to join the Teamsters, the union and the airline said Tuesday.
The election results were announced at the National Mediation Board. The workers are in 50 airports and two reservation call centers across the country.
The Phoenix-based airline said it was disappointed by the outcome, but will “respect the decision made by the majority of our customer service employees. It is now time to move forward together,” chairman and chief executive officer Doug Parker said in a statement.
“We welcome them into the Teamster family and look forward to bargaining with the company on behalf of these dedicated employees,” said Teamsters President James P. Hoffa.
The customer service workers were the only segment of America West employees not represented by a union.
The 1.4 million-member Teamsters union represents 35,000 workers in the airline industry, including customer service representatives at Continental, U.S. Airways, Air Canada and others.