Union Members Are in a ‘Powerless’ Position

I am a PSA employee of 8 1/2 years in the reservations group who would like to respond to your Jan. 26 article headlined, “PSA/USAir Merger Pivots on Teamsters.”

Your wording needs a correction. We employees who are Teamsters are not in a powerful position of being able to stall or block the proposed acquisition.

The leaders of the union themselves may be in a powerful position, but we, the dues-paying members who they are supposed to be representing, feel that we are in a powerless position.

We are frustrated that our so-called representatives may ignore our wishes and prevent the acquisition. You wrote that Marvin Griswold, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 2707, says PSA’s 3,200 Teamsters are opposed to anything that takes away the protection they have negotiated on our behalf.

This is not true. It is apparent that the Teamsters officials have not read all the letters sent to them asking that they not oppose the merger and the contractual language changes requested by USAir.

Angry sentiment toward the Teamsters is pervasive at work because we fear they could be damaging our future employment.

Many, if not most of us, have also signed petitions asking that the Teamsters not interfere. They apparently are ignoring these as well. Most of us are excited about the acquisition and our future with USAir.

Our voices are not being heard by way of our “representatives.”

I invite you to ask union employees of various groups how we feel. I think you will find that Griswold for the most part speaks for himself and not for those who pay him a salary to be represented.

RICHARD H. GORELNIK

San Diego