June 6, 2019
Robert Isom
President, American Airlines
4333 Amon Carter Blvd.
Maildrop 5608
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Mr. Isom:
On May 21, at a Company ‘town hall meeting’, you made a commitment to TWU International President John Samuelsen to send your negotiators back to the negotiating table. As you are well aware, this meeting was videotaped and has been broadly distributed.
To this date, we have not heard from you.
Instead of living up to your promise, you have directed your Company to continue its frivolous lawsuit against your employees. We believe this course of action is at best irresponsible and at worst destructive to American Airlines’ very future. Your continued refusal to negotiate is leading to irreparable harm to your relationship with your employees and any ability to recover once these issues are finally resolved.
You have tried to bring negotiations directly to the breakrooms, shop floors and airport work areas. With this failed strategy, you and your senior executives have personally undermined the efforts – by both company and union negotiators – that have occurred in negotiations so far. The result has not brought us closer to final agreements, it has driven us farther apart.
We cannot overstress the alarm and concern we have with your behavior. This type of anti-union posturing is not only disrespectful of your employees it is destructive.
We write directly to you today to demand that you live up to your obligation and promise to get back to the bargaining table. Give your negotiators the authority to reach agreements. As you well know, no contract can be achieved in the courtroom, in the media or by lobbying politicians. Negotiations is the only arena where our differences can be resolved.
We reaffirm that we are ready to meet at any time. Just pick up the phone and make a call.
Director, TWU-IAM Association
International Executive Vice President
Transport Workers of America
Vice Director, TWU-IAM Association
General Vice President
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers