JetBlue and Spirit unions split on airlines’ merger

Unions that represent workers at JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines are divided on the proposed merger of the two companies, with one union throwing its support behind the deal and another asking federal officials to block it. In a letter on Thursday, the Transport Workers Union, which represents 6,800 JetBlue flight attendants, asked Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to prevent the merger. The union said it feared that JetBlue, which would acquire Spirit, had no intention of honoring worker contracts afterward, adding it was concerned that the deal would violate antitrust laws and undermine competition. Two days earlier, the Association of Flight Attendants-C.W.A., which represents 5,600 flight attendants at Spirit, gave the deal its blessing. The union’s leaders approved a tentative agreement with Spirit that includes higher wages and quality-of-life improvements, while also backing the merger. The union’s rank-and-file members have yet to vote on that agreement. The Justice Department is expected to decide soon whether to sue to prevent the merger. Spirit shareholders approved the deal in October, and the two airlines have complied with the department’s requests for additional information, most recently in December. As a result, Spirit’s chief executive, Ted Christie, told investor analysts and reporters in early February that he expected a decision on the suit “in the next 30 days or so.”<br/>