CHICAGO — Orange wristbands are a hot accessory among United Airlines workers, and the latest sign of fraying labor relations at the nation’s second-largest carrier.
About 20,000 wristbands bearing the phrase “Glenn’s Gotta Go” have been distributed among United workers recently, according to the Association of Flight Attendants, one of the unions pushing to oust chief executive Glenn Tilton.
“This isn’t about just not liking Glenn,” said Sara Nelson, spokeswoman for the flight attendants union. “It’s about showing real concern for United.”
United’s management wishes that workers would air their concerns less publicly and has sent letters to both the flight attendants and pilots unions asking that they curb this form of protest. The pilots union declined to comment on the matter.
“Our employees do great work every day, and they are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of safety, customer service and professionalism; disparaging each other in any way only detracts from all our efforts,” United spokeswoman Jean Medina said.
United’s workers are ratcheting up pressure on the carrier to open talks on contracts slated to be renegotiated by 2010.
United’s pilots have stopped wearing their caps as a show of protest. Pilots last year formed a “dishonor guard” outside an exit of the carrier’s annual meeting, throwing their caps to the ground as Tilton walked by.
Analysts say United has the right to ask workers not to air the carrier’s dirty laundry in front of passengers. But United’s efforts to stamp out the wristbands last week may have fueled the protest. Nelson said the flight attendants union didn’t start spreading the wristbands among its members until it received an Aug. 14 letter from United demanding that it cease doing so.
