Airline workers to get own 'alliance'

Workers of the 12 airlines in the Oneworld Alliance airlines will soon have an alliance of their own. The only question is what kind of alliance, and that will be discussed at an April meeting in Washington hosted by the Transport Workers Union of America, which represents ground workers at an Oneworld partner, American Airlines.

In London an officer of the International Transportworkers Federation, Brendan Gold, said that the ITF is committed to building a global network of unions as a counterbalance to the employers in airline alliances. Creating a “One World of Labor Council” is also on the agenda.

This is the latest initiative in the world labor movement to adapt to globalization. Perhaps the most important is the growth of Global Union Federations, which bring together unions that share a common employer in different countries.