“United’s ‘joint venture’ with Aer Lingus goes far beyond any historic traditional code-sharing arrangement and contemplates that United would provide marketing, a feed of passengers, and equally split the costs of establishing and maintaining this new route, all without utilizing United aircraft flown by United pilots or crewed by United flight attendants. 

“This ‘joint venture’ represents a dangerous precedent for United Airlines. With 1,437 pilots and 1,926 flight attendants laid off, United’s venture with Aer Lingus is all the more despicable. 

“For the pilots and flight attendants, our concern is that this ‘joint venture’ is just a harbinger of things to come. United Airlines management has clearly demonstrated that they have no qualms about outsourcing our flying. 

“United Airlines was made great by the dedication and hard work of the employees. Arrangements such as the United-Aer Lingus joint venture are perhaps the most dangerous, as they not only threaten long-term pilot and flight attendant job security, they also have the potential to skirt U.S. airline foreign ownership rules. 

“It is our hope that Congress will step forward and enact legislation that will prevent companies such as United Airlines from turning their backs on employees by engaging in end-around agreements such as the United-Aer Lingus arrangement that ultimately lead to the outsourcing of United pilot and flight attendant jobs.”