No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Teamsters Sue Airline…FOR PAYING OUT EMPLOYEE BONUSES!

In an unusual move last week, the Teamsters union sued a regional airline in Indianapolis because the company, without bargaining, allegedly paid out bonuses to the pilots the union represents, and also allegedly started offering higher pay rates than what was contained in the parties’ collective bargaining agreement. Technically, employers must bargain any changes to terms and conditions of union employees’ employment – whether favorable or unfavorable. As a practical matter, however, most unions do not take the drastic step of filing a lawsuit to make a public record of protests against unilateral changes that favor employees. Because the lawsuit has just been filed, there have been no substantive rulings as of yet. We will keep you updated on this blog as the lawsuit progresses. An article regarding this matter can be found here. Download a copy of the lawsuit complaint.