piedmont

Amid all the bad news for workers from last week’s midterm elections, you probably missed one very good election result: 3,000 workers with Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of US Airways, voted to become members of the Communication Workers of America (CWA). The election results are a great victory for workers not just at Piedmont Airlines, but throughout US Airways. All of US Airways’ gate and ramp employees are currently unionized, with baggage handlers making $20 per hour. But baggage handlers at nonunionized work subsidiaries of US Airways Express, like Piedmont, make just half that. With Piedmont previously unorganized, US Airways is able to shift its passengers and flights to one of its nonunion subsidiaries, undermining and decreasing the need for the company’s unionized gate and ramp workers. But because Piedmont workers are now organized into a union, not only will Piedmont working conditions improve, but unionized US Airways employees will no longer be threatened by having work shifted to lesser paid Piedmont employees. ( Full disclosure : I began working as a part-time consultant on CWA’s campaign to organize airline workers in September.) Piedmont workers overcame a tough campaign of employer intimidation, including firings, which I highlighted on this website back in September (” Despite New Hailed Organizing Rules, Airline Workers Still Face Tilted Playing Field “). But workers were aided by the National Mediation Board (NMB) ruling, which governs labor relations in the airline and rail industries,

ATLANTA, Feb. 9, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (“Piedmont”) has priced its public offering of 12,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock at $14.50 per share. Piedmont’s Class A common stock is expected to begin trading on February 10, 2010 on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “PDM.” The underwriters have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,800,000 shares from Piedmont.

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Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. Prices Offering of Class A Common Stock

City of New York Extends Occupancy at 60 Broad Street

January 8, 2010

ATLANTA and NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. announced today that the City of New York has extended its 313,022 square-foot occupancy at 60 Broad Street in New York, NY. The tenant has occupied twelve floors in the building since 2000 and will continue its tenancy through April, 2020. The City of New York lease is comprised of two separate agencies, and represents the second largest tenant in the 1,027,000 square foot property.

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Piedmont Recommends Rejection of Mini-Tender Offer by Opportunity Investment Fund

November 30, 2009

ATLANTA, Nov. 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (“Piedmont”) has been notified of an unsolicited “mini-tender offer” by Opportunity Investment Fund I, LLC (“OIF”) to purchase up to 100,000 shares of stock of Piedmont at a price of $4.60 per share. OIF states the $4.60 per share offer price will be reduced by the amount of any dividends declared or made with respect to the shares between November 16, 2009 and December 18, 2009 or such other date to which the offer is extended. Piedmont is not in any way affiliated with OIF, and believes this offer is not in the best interests of its stockholders. The Board of Directors of Piedmont has carefully evaluated the terms of OIF’s offer and unanimously recommends that stockholders reject OIF’s offer and not tender their shares.

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