Soutwest vs US Question # 3

[Oliver Twist]

This was brought up in the body of another thread- thought I''d throw it out there and see what we can come up with. It was not my idea, but it''s an intriguing point.
It has been noted that SW has 1700 mechanics and US has 4000+ . They have more flights per day and fewer mechanics. Also noted was that the rampers for SW clean and push aircraft in non-hub cities. Does anyone know if thats also true in large non-hub SW cites that have mechanics based there?
I must admit I''m puzzled as to why we have mechanics making $25.00+/hr. sitting on tugs and waving in airplanes. I assumed mechanics were there to fix airplanes- a highly skilled task to be sure, not to sit on a tug and push.
Some have said of the IAM that it''s all about dues, the more members, the more dues paid in. It would stand to reason if thats true, more mechanics to do other jobs not related to reparing planes would result in more dues paid to the IAM.
Just curious as always-- your thoughts?
[:bigsmile:]

 

[Oliver Twist]

Maybe that's Question #4?

 

[REACC1]

As far as CS numbers go, WN employs 10000 CS functions and U employs 7200. Another thought.

 

[WNjetdoc]

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On 8/23/2002 8:15:51 AM

This was brought up in the body of another thread- thought I'd throw it out there and see what we can come up with. It was not my idea, but it's an intriguing point.

It has been noted that SW has 1700 mechanics and US has 4000+ . They have more flights per day and fewer mechanics. Also noted was that the rampers for SW clean and push aircraft in non-hub cities. Does anyone know if thats also true in large non-hub SW cites that have mechanics based there?

I must admit I'm puzzled as to why we have mechanics making $25.00+/hr. sitting on tugs and waving in airplanes. I assumed mechanics were there to fix airplanes- a highly skilled task to be sure, not to sit on a tug and push.

Some have said of the IAM that it's all about dues, the more members, the more dues paid in. It would stand to reason if thats true, more mechanics to do other jobs not related to reparing planes would result in more dues paid to the IAM.

Just curious as always-- your thoughts?
[:bigsmile:]
----------------

Hi Oliver, the only station in the whole WN system that has AMT's doing receipt/dispatch is DAL. That is because its a long term deal that stays in the contract since DAL was the first station. The AMTs also do fueling there as well and work the a/c, they stay busy....This has been mentioned here in other threads. WN farms out their Heavy full "D" and also CFM engine overhaul. But we do the 1/2 "D" and 1/4 "D" and also C,B,A and overnight checks. We have hangars, overhaul shops, egine buildups, etc. We don't have maint in ever city we fly to either. Hope this helps. I know the AMTs at U work hard as I know many. Don't be hard on them, they are a good group of guys, (and gals).

 

[757fixer]

US has mtc at 31 cities currently.All are 24 hr coverage.We no longer have any 3rd shift only mtc stations.We gave those up under the present contract.Also per the present contract,in October we will be further reduced to a minimum of 22 three shift mtc stations.The only thing required of the company is that mtc remains in the seven largest stations.So as you can see the mechanics have given in the past and no doubt will give in the future.

 

[Oliver Stone''s Apprentice]

There's no proof that having a mechanic do receipt/dispatch is any safer than having it done by a trained ramp service person. AA ramp has been doing this for 10 or 15 years (at least). Same at WN (again, aside from DAL).

So, why you'd pay a mechanic to do what a ramp service worker can do is beyond me. Free them up to fix aircraft, instead of driving pushout tractors...

 

[Seatacus]

Are aircraft cleaners paid the same as mechanics? In SEA we have contract cleaners who probably get minimum wagem and no benifits.

 

[757fixer]

Cleaners on third shift start out at around $10 an hour.They top out around $18 after five years.Of course thats today,come the 28th that will likely change.

 

[757fixer]

Yes there is a reason.Southwest farms out their heavy mtc and the bulk of their component overhaul.They also have a small number of line mtc stations.We on the other hand do all are heavy mtc in house and around 85% of the component overhaul.We also have 24 hr line mtc in 31 cities,soon to be reduced to 22 cities in October.Hope this helps.

 

[Oliver Twist]

May I refer to the oringinal question again. Is there a reason we need 2.5 times more mechanics thatn SW??

 

[Oliver Twist]

757fixer, thanks for the information. I have a few questions if I may. As stated above, SW does not farm out all thier heavy MTC, only the full D checks. Do we not also farm out such checks? I was under the impression that we did. As far as parts overhauls, why is it necessary that we do it? If many others are capable at a lower cost, why not use them. Mind you, I do not advocate farming out to cuts jobs. But I think overall efficiency would be greatly enhanced if we looked at our true costs of MTC.

To have a mechanic sitting on a tug is a waste of his/her talents and a waste of our resources is it not? Why else would we have so many doing just that if not to provide more dues from more employees? Is the IAM intrested in the betterment of the company and its own members or more intrested in the dues it receives by fattening the total numbers of its members?

How many of our fine mechanics would rather work on a plane rather than sepnd their days pushing them off the gate? They have spent huge sums of money and time to get their permits to do this work only to see themselves sit on a tug for most of their shift.

Can we also imagine how many mechanics would be needed if their union allowed through the contracts that they be more productive? More productive mechanics leads to more mechanics through profits, not through wasteful utilization of our existing workforce.

 

[Rhino]

The main reason mechanics push jets back from the gates is that when they pull them forward they keep hitting the terminal.