Upset over the lack of a new contract and potential outsourcing, more than 1,000 American Airlines mechanics and other ground workers are planning to protest the carrier during a picket at DFW International Airport on Wednesday.
The picket, organized by the Transport Workers Union, is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the departure level of Terminal D.

While organizers estimate more than 1,000 workers will be at the picket, most will be bussed in and the impact on travelers is expected to be minimal.
The Transport Workers Union along with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers formed a labor alliance following the merger of American Airlines and US Airways in 2013. The group collectively represents more than 30,000 employees, covering mechanics, fleet service workers, tower planners, weight and balance planners and more.
The workgroup is the last at American without a post-merger joint contract and has been negotiating for a new deal since late 2015.

American did provide raises to the workers last August that averaged out to a 22 percent increase per employee. At the time, American said the new hourly wage rates were the highest among major carriers.

“Today, as the airline makes billions per quarter and the executives continue to reward themselves in compensation and bonuses, TWU members have seen very little,” the union said in a statement announcing the protest. “American Airlines is making profits like never before, but the way the company treats it workers, and the attention to detail and quality for the traveling public - remains abysmal.”
The union has also criticized American for its approach to outsourcing some maintenance work, including plans to build a $100 million maintenance facility in Brazil.

American has previously said that the facility will simply provide an enclosure for maintenance work that’s already being done in Brazil on planes between flights.