United employee files class action lawsuit over unpaid days off policy

A United non-union employee filed a class action lawsuit on Wednesday alleging that a requirement that management and administration employees take 20 unpaid days off breaches the terms of federal payroll aid. United is among the US airlines that have accepted government payroll support, which is conditional on the companies not cutting jobs or pay rates before Sept. 30 as the sector weathers a sharp downturn in travel demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the lawsuit, two weeks after United signed the agreement to receive paycheck protection funds, it told domestic management and administration employees that they would be required to take 20 unpaid days off, between May 16 and Sept. 30. "United's breach harms the agreement's intended beneficiaries: United employees," Kenneth England, who works as a shift manager for United at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, said in the complaint. The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, said United employees face a substantial reduction in pay as a result of the policy. "This lawsuit is without merit, as we continue to employ 100% of our workforce," United said.<br/>