United Airlines outsourcing 48 Des Moines airport jobs

United Airlines plans to outsource 48 jobs at the Des Moines International Airport in October as part of a cost-cutting move that ultimately will affect more than 630 union jobs at 12 airports nationwide.

Affected positions include ticket and gate agents and baggage handlers in Des Moines; Charlotte, N.C.; Detroit; Pensacola, Fla.; and Salt Lake City. United Airlines will shift those jobs from its payroll and hire other companies to provide the employees under the outsourcing plan.

'This is a difficult decision, but we need to ensure that our costs are competitive,” United spokeswoman Christen David said Monday.

About 637 workers could be affected by the outsourcing moves, the carrier added.

James Carlson, a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said provisions of the union's contract with United Airlines call for affected workers to continue to have jobs at the carrier if they are willing to relocate.

Should workers choose not to move, they will go on furlough and would have recall rights, he added.

'This is a bad business decision for United Airlines,” Carlson said.