Clacy Griswold, Chief Negotiator for the United Airlines Mechanics with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, joined the America’s Workforce Union Podcast to discuss contract negotiations and some of the hurdles, such as foreign outsourcing, recruitment of new mechanics and safety issues.
Griswold joined the Teamsters in 1983 and has served as a business representative with Local 986 since 1991. He served as the Teamsters National Airline Division Coordinator from 2008 until 2020. Griswold has nearly 33 years of experience negotiating Rail Labor Act agreements. Since 2022, he has been a retired member of the Teamsters but was asked to return as a consultant to chair negotiations on behalf of the United Airlines Mechanics earlier this year.
The negotiations are in their fourth series and are working through the non-economic issues of a new contract. Griswold said the employer needs to better understand workers' needs. Workers are frustrated by outsourcing heavy maintenance checks to foreign countries and the poor quality of work being done by these foreign groups, he said.
Finally, Griswold discussed how the employer could improve their recruitment of new mechanics. Through better wages and benefits, the employer could be seen as a career and not just a job that serves as a stepping stone to other opportunities. Another factor that could improve recruitment would be establishing better safety standards in the workplace. Griswold also discussed the improvements members would like to see in a new contract.
For more on the contract negotiations for United Airlines Mechanics, listen to the show above.