Why We Should Remain Union Free…

Some of you may be wondering why we believe so strongly that ABX Air should remain union free. Maybe union organizers have tried to tell you what ABX thinks about a union. We think it's best if you hear it from us. Here's the REAL truth:

• We are in an extremely competitive industry and depend on fostering good relations with customers.

• Customers may not want to risk their business with a company that is unionized and which could face potential work stoppages.

• Unions cannot change marketplace realities or the current work environment no matter what they promise.

• Unions don't add value or increase the bottom line of the company. In fact, many times unions add to the cost of operating the facility.

• Unions often make it hard to recruit new staff. Some employees may leave because they don't want to work in a union environment.

• Management and employees may lose flexibility in a union environment. Management may lose its ability to treat employees as individuals on various issues due to contract restrictions.

• Employees can lose "independence" and in some cases "confidentiality" in a union environment when they must bring their issues through the union and their shop stewards.

• Communications in a union environment are far more "secretive" and not as freely and candidly shared as current communication channels.

• The presence of a union could change relationships between managers, supervisors and employees.

• Unions may control members by union rules and regulations, called "bylaws", that they write and interpret. For example, if you try to get rid of the union or cross a picket line, you could be disciplined by the union.

• In a union shop, employees could be forced to pay dues. If employees do not want to pay these fees, they risk the union demanding their termination.

• With a union, all current wages, benefits, and working conditions are subject to negotiations. They could go up, stay the same, or go down. There are no guarantees.

• Unions can and do trade away employee benefits in bargaining to get things important to the union, i.e., union shop.

• If they get in, unions can be very difficult to get out. There is no formal way to decertify a union under the Railway Labor Act.

Here are ten additional reasons why staying union free is the right choice for ABX.