U.S., Australia transport unions form alliance

(Reuters) - Two unions that represent airline and transit workers in the United States and Australia said on Wednesday they have formed an alliance in a bid to coordinate activities globally.

The Transport Workers Union of America, which represents more than 200,000 workers at U.S. airlines such as AMR Corp's American and Southwest Airlines as well as public transit systems, is teaming up with the Transport Workers' Union of Australia to set up the Trans-Pacific Transport Unions Alliance.

The unions plan to share best practices on research and campaign strategies, and hope to gain more influence in dealing with privatization issues, multi-national employers and corporate airline alliances. They plan to woo other labour groups to expand their alliance.

"The companies in the aviation industry are adopting similar and often exactly the same strategies against the aviation community," said Tony Sheldon, national secretary of the Australia union, which has 60,000 members that include workers at Qantas Airways, in an interview.

Qantas has been moving to cut costs, and in August cancelled orders for 35 Boeing Dreamliner jets after it posted a full-year net loss for the first time in 17 years .

Jim Little, international president of the U.S. group, said the challenges the Australia union faces at Qantas mirrored issues his union is confronting at American Airlines, which has moved to cut labour costs after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year.

"Transportation unions have to coordinate activity around the globe to match activity by international companies in the transportation sector," Little said.

(Reporting by Karen Jacobs; Editing by Bernard Orr)