United CEO Munoz Reelected to Board as Workers Protest Outside
Jeff Edwards May 25, 2017
Embattled United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz won a vote of confidence from shareholders even as police clashed with workers picketing outside the company’s annual meeting in Chicago.
United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz addressed shareholders at the company’s annual meeting at Willis Tower in Chicago on Wednesday. Meanwhile, workers protesting outside the gathering clashed with police. Several demonstrators were arrested and later released by police after blocking traffic.
According to Associated Press (AP) reports, protesters at the meeting were workers upset over low wages for caterers, cleaners, baggage handlers and ticket agents employed by the airline through contractors. Munoz, who was easily reelected to a seat on the company’s board of directors, did not make mention of the protests going on nearby during his remarks to shareholders.
One subject the United Airlines chief couldn’t avoid was the recent controversy surrounding a now-infamous incident at nearby Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Munoz personally referred to the scandal no fewer than six times during the meeting.
The CEO surrendered his position as chairman of the board in April after fallout from the incident in which a passenger was injured while being physically removed from an overbooked flight. Munoz did choose to make mention of this incident during a prepared speech this week.
“I don’t ever want that issue to be gone and behind us,” Munoz told shareholders. “It always has to be a constant reminder of what we can and do better on.” He had previously referred to the videotaped incident as a “watershed moment “ and promised that the airline would “redouble our efforts to be more customer-focused in everything we do.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
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It is kind of rich that employees from vendors, contracted by United are complaining about their wages. The majority of these employees replaced United employees when they got outsourced. Those United employees made decent wages, and they were none to happy to take those jobs from those people
......"employed by the airline through contractors"..... Please, at least make it clear in your headline that these folks ARE NOT UNITED AIRLINES EMPLOYEES. They get paid by a third party vendor - their gripe is with the vendor, not United.
I don't know… How about, let's start with when are you going to bring back the Sundae that you hype as one of your service signatures coast to coast transatlantic transpacific transcontinental? Just wondering.