Budget Rent A Car Workers Join Local 201
Sixty workers at Budget Rent A Car bolstered IUE-CWA Local 201’s strength at Logan Airport last week by voting to join the union. The vote was 2-1, despite the company’s pleas to “give us another chance”. Budget also made individual promises to workers, warned about the “high dues”, and claimed that the Budget workers receive everything that their unionized fellow workers at Avis have. Top managers from New York flew in to Logan to try to turn workers against the union. The Budget workers didn’t buy it. “We want equal treatment, not favoritism”, said Miriam Flores of Lynn, who was part of the union organizing committee. “I work hard, and they leave us outside in the rain and the cold while managers are inside taking a break.” Emmanuel Chery, also of Lynn, agreed. “We want respect on the job.” Chery was also a member of the organizing committee.
Budget workers earn less money for the same work as Avis workers, and want a voice on the job if they are mistreated. “The workers at Budget are like workers anywhere”, said Sheila McGillicuddy, Local 201 organizer. “They want decent wages and benefits and fair treatment. Our job now will be to get them up to a fair standards and treatment. That’s what we’ll do.
Budget is now owned by Avis, and the two companies are merging operations. A strong internal committee at Budget kept in touch with co-workers every day. Jorge Rivera, Local 201 Executive Board member from Avis, worked with the inside committee.
Congressmen Capuano and Tierney wrote letters to Avis/Budget asking for a fair and swift election. Local 201 members organized a three day stand-out at the airport facility to welcome Budget workers before the vote.
“Local 201 will always be known as a strong GE union”, said Jeff Crosby, Local 201 president, also of Lynn. “But since our national union merged with the Communications Workers we are reaching out to build strength in the area. We now have the Saugus librarians and the Avis and Budget workers, as well as the Lynn Waste Water Treatment Plant and Ametek Aerospace, which was formerly a GE plant in Wilmington. It’s in all of our interest to grow and help each other.”
“These Budget workers are a proud addition to Local 201”, he added. “Now we start the process of negotiating a first contract. Since we already have a relationship with Avis, we hope that it will go smoothly.” Budget is already 26% organized nationally, and Avis is unionized at a similar rate.
For further comment: Jeff Crosby, (781)598-2760
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