CHICAGO, April 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- United and the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) announced today that the company's nearly 30,000 IAM-represented employees have voted overwhelmingly to ratify seven new contracts.

The contracts include meaningful improvements in compensation, job and scope protections, work rules and other elements that our IAM-represented employees value. Additionally, with this ratified agreement, United will insource additional airport work at its Los Angeles and San Francisco hubs.

"The professionalism and dedication of our IAM-represented employees is unsurpassed," said Oscar Munoz, the airline's president and chief executive officer. "These contracts recognize the important work they do each and every day for our customers and our operation. We remain laser focused on getting contracts like these for our flight attendants and technicians, and we'll keep working closely with the unions to make that happen."

The ratified agreements, which will be effective through 2021, cover the company's airport operations employees, contact center agents, storekeepers, maintenance instructors, central load planners, fleet technical instructors and related employees, and security officers. Following just four months of negotiations, we worked with the union to reach these agreements between nine months and two and a half years in advance of the prior contracts' amendable dates.

United has joint collective bargaining agreements covering the majority of its represented work groups. Recently, United's pilots voted to ratify a contract extension more than a year ahead of their contract's amendable date, following an expedited negotiations process with the Air Line Pilots Association. The company's dispatchers also voted recently to ratify a contract extension. Additionally, the airline is engaged in mediated negotiations with the Association of Flight Attendants and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of nearly 5,000 flights a day to 342 airports across six continents. In 2015, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 140 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 700 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 20 new Boeing aircraft, including  737NGs, 787s and 777s. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. Approximately 84,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130404/MM89155LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iam-represented-employees-vote-to-ratify-contract-extensions-300252568.html

SOURCE United Airlines