United pilots and flight attendants picketed at Denver International Airport on Monday morning, saying they want to reopen their labor contracts to negotiate a reversal of pay cuts and work-rule changes they agreed to through concessionary contracts.
United Airlines, which exited more than three years of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2006, paid chief executive Glenn Tilton $23.8 million in total compensation last year, according to a proxy statement.
The workers carried signs saying “United Pilots demand: Fix it now!” and “Management Feeds From the Trough. Labor Gets the Scraps.”
United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said Monday: “We are focused on making the right decisions for the future of United and all of our constituents.”
She said the company would discuss the workers’ contracts when they become amendable, which comes in 2009 and 2010. The pilots and flight attendants also picketed in front of United’s flight training center in the Stapleton area Monday and plan to picket at other airports around the country in the future.
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-954-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com.
