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Resolution 7 |
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Sixty-third General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED LLS NO. R02-0896.01 Jery Payne SJR02-007 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Cairns HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Rhodes Senate Committees House Committees Business, Labor, and Finance SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 02-007 CONCERNING THE POSSIBILITY OF ECONOMIC LOSSES RESULTING FROM A STRIKE BY THE MECHANICS WHO ARE EMPLOYED BY UNITED AIR LINES. WHEREAS, United Air Lines has reportedly offered raises of up to 37% over the next 5 years to the mechanics who are considering striking; and WHEREAS, The General Assembly of Colorado has a deep respect for the labor rights of mechanics and all employees of United Air Lines; and WHEREAS, United Air Lines reportedly operates approximately 60% of the daily flights at Denver International Airport; and WHEREAS, United Air Lines has been a great corporate neighbor to Denver and Colorado; and WHEREAS, Avoiding a strike would be beneficial to all parties involved, including Colorado, United Air Lines, and the employees of United Air Lines, because of the risk that another airline would replace United Air Lines in Denver; and WHEREAS, United Air Lines has reportedly lost 2.1 billion dollars since September 11th; and WHEREAS, United Air Lines is the 4th largest employer in Colorado doing approximately 4 million dollars in business per day; and WHEREAS, A strike creates the risk that United Air Lines could go into bankruptcy, which would not benefit any of the employees of United Air Lines, drastically hurting Colorado's job base; and WHEREAS, A strike would dramatically decrease the number of flights and thereby decrease the number of business and recreational travelers to Colorado; and WHEREAS, Avoiding a strike would be beneficial to Colorado's economy, especially the tourism and hotel industries, which are just recovering from past events; and WHEREAS, United Air Lines offers over half of the flights from Denver International Airport to Colorado's resort destinations; and WHEREAS, A strike may cause Denver International Airport's bond rating to fall and thereby increase interest rates to the airport, which would raise the costs for all airlines operating at the airport, decrease profitability, raise airline prices, and diminish the pool of funds available to pay the employees of United Air Lines; and WHEREAS, United Air Lines pays significant taxes to Colorado that are used to help all Coloradans; and WHEREAS, Everyone, including the employees of United Air Lines, wins if a strike is avoided; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-third General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: (1) That the General Assembly requests: (a) The mechanics of United Air Lines to take into consideration the economy of Colorado and the nation; and (b) The mechanics of United Air Lines and the United States Congress to consider accepting a 90-day cooling off period, binding arbitration, or a 2-year voluntary surcharge that would be credited to an employee hardship fund. (2) That the General Assembly hereby encourages United Air Lines and the mechanics to reach an agreement and to use their best incentives to work for an agreement, commends the parties for their hard work in reaching any such agreement, and encourages the International Association of Machinists to ratify any such agreement. (3) That the General Assembly commends and supports the actions of the Governor in all that he is doing to address the issue because such actions will help strengthen both the Colorado and national economy, keep United Air Lines in business in Denver and Colorado, and retain United Air Lines as a significant contributor to the economy and as a significant local taxpayer. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to President George Bush, Governor Bill Owens, United Air Lines, the International Association of Machinists, and each member of Colorado's delegation to the United States Congress. |
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