Teamsters Tell Horizon Air That 'Destroying' Portland Jobs Won't Fly

Hundreds of Teamsters, with support from Portland Jobs With Justice, protested today against Horizon Air's plans to fire nearly 100 experienced aircraft maintenance workers at the Rose Festival's annual Grand Floral Parade. The company plans to outsource heavy maintenance work in Portland to an out-of-state subcontractor.

Horizon Air, owned by Alaska Air Group [NYSE: ALK], is a sponsor of the 2010 Portland Rose Festival.

The Teamsters and their allies distributed balloons and unveiled a 20-foot banner that read "Horizon Air: Destroying Portland Jobs Won't Fly."

"Horizon Air claims that it cares about the Portland community and its employees here, and it wants us to believe it shares a unique bond with Portland's Rose Festival," said Capt. David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division. "But sending 100 highly skilled jobs to another state is not the way to treat this community."

"Unemployment is now up to 11 percent around here," said Rich Chase, a Horizon Air mechanic from Portland. "Portland needs good jobs now more than ever. I don't understand how Horizon can sponsor the Rose Festival and build a big float while they're stabbing us in the back."

The protesters also collected thousands of signatures from parade watchers on a petition demanding that Horizon and Alaska Air rethink their decision to terminate mechanics' jobs.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.