Better then $25 at AAR working in OKC.
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TWU negotiations.........what?
- Thread starter Chuck Schalk
- Start date
Better then $25 at AAR working in OKC.
Ok <_< , can you answer the question?
Care to inform everyone as to where all this work will be performed?
Stand by, jury is out on that one since the BK filing.
Frank Szabo
Veteran
There is much hand-wringing going on over absolutely NO INFORMATION re: what the company intends to do. It's really kinda pitiful to watch.
Horton said "There will be some cuts in equipment and personnel" - that's a given, but we aren't privy to where, nor do we have a clue as to what will happen to the pay scales and benefits. How much can be cut before the company is NOT competitive in these areas with their peers? I can't speak for things like health insurance and other bennies industry wide but I'm pretty sure AA's peers offer their people more than 5 paid holidays and a decent match for their 401ks.
If setting the stage for AMR returning as a serious competitor and to profitability in the marketplace is what the judge is tasked with, things other than lease rejections will have to take place, not to mention the political pressure (from both demoncrats and 'pubs) that will no doubt come to bear in an election year.
This IS NOT to say we (labor) will emerge unscathed but I don't believe there's sufficient reason for so much of the doom and gloom I'm seeing in this board's posts. There's only so much the company can impose through the courts before people begin voting with their feet or otherwise, God forbid.
Horton said "There will be some cuts in equipment and personnel" - that's a given, but we aren't privy to where, nor do we have a clue as to what will happen to the pay scales and benefits. How much can be cut before the company is NOT competitive in these areas with their peers? I can't speak for things like health insurance and other bennies industry wide but I'm pretty sure AA's peers offer their people more than 5 paid holidays and a decent match for their 401ks.
If setting the stage for AMR returning as a serious competitor and to profitability in the marketplace is what the judge is tasked with, things other than lease rejections will have to take place, not to mention the political pressure (from both demoncrats and 'pubs) that will no doubt come to bear in an election year.
This IS NOT to say we (labor) will emerge unscathed but I don't believe there's sufficient reason for so much of the doom and gloom I'm seeing in this board's posts. There's only so much the company can impose through the courts before people begin voting with their feet or otherwise, God forbid.
- Aug 20, 2002
- 7,319
- 1,555
The most interesting part of your post is the notion that the politicians will attempt to keep their constituents happy or money in their pockets.
If they vote with their feet, does that count as two votes?
enough already
Veteran
- Jan 8, 2003
- 659
- 249
Umm, didn't your last paragraph contradict the first one? I'm just sayin....
767 mechanic
Veteran
- Aug 8, 2004
- 544
- 527
Saw an article yestarday on yahoo. The AAR rep said there top pay is $28 and between there okc,ind and mia hangars they need 600 mechanics and considering thereselves a training facility due to the high turnover. If AAR is short 600 people I am sure that all the other mros are just as short on mechanics
nice to know there are options outside of AA.
767 mechanic
Veteran
- Aug 8, 2004
- 544
- 527
Options ? My point is if they are short handed in the mechanic ranks how are they going to work on our a/c ?
- Aug 20, 2002
- 7,319
- 1,555
But not as good as $45 in DAL
Exactly!!
Sure some of the planes will go away, resulting in less OT maybe, or fewer planes going to TIMCO, you would have figured that TIMCO would have pulled all the stops to get the first one out on time, maybe they did and this is the best they can do.
With our average age in the 50s the question is even with a declining workload will AA be able to keep their Maintenance operation staffed?
$5/hr is probably not enough of a difference to get a middle aged guy to quit his AAR job in Indianna and move his family to Oklahoma. (What happened to all the UAL guys that used to work there? You mean they arent pineing away waiting to get back into aviation?) If AAR is 10% understaffed they probably try to make that up in OT, but taking on more work isnt likely, the figure in their article was an average age of 47, but the older you get the less appealing the OT is. These are the places that AA used to rely on for new blood, sure they may relocate for Southwest, Fed Ex or UPS but they probably wont for AA, UA or Delta. Delta has become such a crappy place that guys are leaving there and going to other carriers. From what I hear they have some sort of internship deal with local schools, wonder if Delta Passengers realize that not only are their planes being worked on by mechanics without Union protection but by kids who are still in school? Thats one reason why I hear guys are leaving, they may not want their names attached to some error made by a kid who should not be there and without a Union its pretty much sign what I tell you to sign or there's the door, some are choosing the door. So Delta is becoming a training ground for Con Ed and other industries as the kids see first hand what their future holds before they even get their A&Ps.
I think the threat of closing the bases has more value to the company than actually doing it. Closing them would involve massive dislocation throughout the system as base guys bump the line, which would no doubt screw up the operation till the guys adapted to line work, that should only take a few years. Then they would have the problem of finding places to do the work, If AAR is already 600 short they really cant take on more work. Guys from places like NY, MIA, LAX and DFW probably would not go looking to relocate and work for AAR, they would most likely leave the industry permanently. Many are like me, due to the paycuts in 2003 I pushed my wife to get a trade and return to work. She is now an RN making around $40/hr after less than 2 years. Thats $7/hr more than I get after 30 years. We would not relocate even if I could bump the system.
"Just fly them to Asia or South America" FWAAA may say but that brings up another problem, AA's shortage of Pilots, plus what makes him think that all this maintenance capacity exists even in those places? From what I hear even China is looking for mechanics. Sure maybe those places pay thier guys $5/hr but in those countries there are other industries that can use the skills those guys have just like here.
AA would also have to switch their arguements, instead of saying "We have the highest labor costs" they would say "We have high unit costs for labor". Average rates for labor would actually increase and productivity would decrease because only the most senior guys would be left and all the low wage earners, OSMs, Cleaners and parts washers would be gone, even with less vaction per step most of the people would be way up the steps so AA would be giving more vacation per worker than carriers that had younger more junior and proibably happier more productive workers. Not only that but they would be worse off than UAL or DAL as far as recalls, they would have a recall list in the thousands meaning that every one coming back to work would be at max pay rates, so adding heads or growing would not reduce the average wage.
TWU informer
Veteran
- Nov 4, 2003
- 7,550
- 3,731
I think there will be some looking for work right after the first of the year.
