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United Airlines plans to outsource 48 jobs at the Des Moines International Airport as part of a larger agreement with an employee union, a company spokesperson said Monday.
The company is outsourcing more than 600 jobs at 12 small and mid-sized airports, while taking back about 400 jobs that had previously been outsourced at larger airports.
The United Airlines employees will be replaced by contract workers, which union officials say make less than their counterparts employed by the airline.
In Des Moines, the outsourced jobs include ticket and gate agents and baggage handlers. Affected employees will have an opportunity to transfer to similar positions at other airports and will be eligible for regular and enhanced severance options, said United spokeswoman Christen David.
"This is a difficult decision, but we need to ensure that our costs are competitive," David said.
The jobs will be outsourced in October, David said. The affected airports are served mostly by smaller United Express flights.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said that it negotiated seniority protection for many of the workers if they relocate, and that job losses will be limited.
Still, union spokesman James Carlson called the outsourcing a "race to the bottom. How can you compete with vendors paying $12 an hour?" He said United's top pay for the work is about $24 an hour.
The airports insourcing workers are: Denver, Honolulu, Phoenix and Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C.
-The Associated Press contributed to this story.
The company is outsourcing more than 600 jobs at 12 small and mid-sized airports, while taking back about 400 jobs that had previously been outsourced at larger airports.
The United Airlines employees will be replaced by contract workers, which union officials say make less than their counterparts employed by the airline.
In Des Moines, the outsourced jobs include ticket and gate agents and baggage handlers. Affected employees will have an opportunity to transfer to similar positions at other airports and will be eligible for regular and enhanced severance options, said United spokeswoman Christen David.
"This is a difficult decision, but we need to ensure that our costs are competitive," David said.
The jobs will be outsourced in October, David said. The affected airports are served mostly by smaller United Express flights.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said that it negotiated seniority protection for many of the workers if they relocate, and that job losses will be limited.
Still, union spokesman James Carlson called the outsourcing a "race to the bottom. How can you compete with vendors paying $12 an hour?" He said United's top pay for the work is about $24 an hour.
The airports insourcing workers are: Denver, Honolulu, Phoenix and Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C.
-The Associated Press contributed to this story.
