United Continental gets backing from two big unions

United Continental, which was plunged into a proxy battle earlier this week, is getting important backing from two big unions that have voting representation on its newly augmented 15-member board. On Thursday, the chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association branch at United, said his 12,000 members have “grave concerns about the sudden attempt by two activist investors to gain effective control of United’s board.” Capt. Todd Insler, who joined the airline’s board in March after being elected chief of the union a few months earlier, said the “coup attempt” by the two hedge funds “unnecessarily distracts all employees from our commitment to improve customer service and grow United Airlines.” On Tuesday, soon after PAR Capital Management Inc. and Altimeter Capital Management LP. said they will push to elect their own slate of six directors to United’s board, the International Association of Machinists union weighed in to support Oscar Munoz, United’s new CEO who is returning to full-time duties on Monday after months of medical leave following a heart attack and heart-transplant surgery. The IAM, which represents 28,000 ground workers at United, also has a seat on the airline’s board. The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents 24,000 cabin-crew employees at United, also threw its support to Munoz this week, in spite of years of unsuccessful bargaining to reach a joint contract covering attendants from United and from its merger partner Continental Airlines. <br/>