PSA Union Asks Ruling on Status, Delay of Merger

Four Teamsters-represented employee groups demanded Friday that Pacific Southwest Airlines not act on USAir’s $400-million bid for PSA until after an arbitrator rules on the union’s status after the proposed acquisition.

Officials at San Diego-based PSA said Monday that the matter is “not subject to arbitration” and instead must be resolved by the National Mediation Board.

PSA also said that the Teamsters “have not responded to the company’s request to put the issues . . . on hold” until the two sides meet to discuss USAir’s proposal.

Officials of Teamsters Local 2707 were not available for comment Monday, but the company released a statement saying that the Teamsters asked Friday for “an order directing the company and PS Group Inc. (PSA’s parent firm) not to close the acquisition/merger agreement with USAir Group Inc. . . .”

Teamsters Local 2707 has four separate contracts to represent PSA’s 3,184 flight attendants, reservations agents, maintenance workers and ground personnel.

About 8,000 of USAir’s 14,768 employees are represented by unions, but Teamsters represent only a few more than 1,000 USAir employees.

Representatives of PSA and the Teamsters met Dec. 8, the day USAir announced its acquisition bid. However, according to PSA spokesman Bill Hastings, the Teamsters have not responded to PSA’s request for a subsequent meeting.

“They can agree to sit down and discuss it or they may go to court to have the issue decided,” Hastings said.

The disagreement was sparked by USAir’s demand that PSA win modifications in the four Teamsters contracts before the merger is completed. The contracts give the Teamsters certain rights to represent employees in the event PSA merges with or is acquired by another airline.

Among other things, Hastings said, the four contracts give the Teamsters the right to continue to represent current members after any merger or acquisition of PSA.

USAir Chairman Edwin Colodny has said his company plans to maintain PSA and USAir as separate airlines for “a certain period of time” after the parent firms merge.

Union representation questions would arise after the two airlines merge, Hastings said.