American Maintenance Stations

[Vortilon]

How exactly does working contract maintenance means a fellow mechanic has zero self respect? Lots of people need jobs. Most airlines have dumped thousands of mechanics off their payrolls.

I have worked beside several of them on field trips. Even worked with a layed off United mechanic working a contract job. He earned $30 an hour and it was close enough he could drive home on weekends to see his family.

There's always one in the bunch right? Mr. devil's advocate. Yada yada, yeah I know there may be a few guys transitioning, but damn few making a career out of it! Tell me, is that what you had in mind when you were considering becoming an A&P?

 

[Bob Owens]

Attachment 11.6 of the agreement states they can work cabin interiors on the docs.

And unlicensed mechanics have and still do work aircraft in line stations. There was an older guy named Rudy who worked avionics, who hired in without license and never obtained one. Died a few years back. But there are others I won't call out.

Your abundent used of exclamations points doesn't change facts.

Knew of a few in the past, but not any more. Can you cite one line station that has unlicensed guys working as AMTs? Not counting guys who have suspended licenses.

 

[1AA]

Knew of a few in the past, but not any more. Can you cite one line station that has unlicensed guys working as AMTs? Not counting guys who have suspended licenses.

You forgot to add guys that have fake or bought their license that can not be traced or proven the fact. I say this because I have worked with some individuals that there is no way they passed the same test I took over 30 years ago.

 

[Bob Owens]

You forgot to add guys that have fake or bought their license that can not be traced or proven the fact. I say this because I have worked with some individuals that there is no way they passed the same test I took over 30 years ago.

There are some of those I'm sure. In class I stations they can dissapear but in the Class II stations they usually dont last.

When Sharon Levine said that she read that some of the ex-NWA mechanics ended up with jobs at Home Depot I told her that maybe thats where some of them belonged in the first place. I never did get the report she claimed to have read.

Overspeed comes here and says that a DOL report states that most NWA mechanics are not making what they made prior to leaving NWA. This is another one of his typical misleading "facts". They stayed at full pay to the last day. What he leaves out is that none of the NWA mechanics that stayed at NWA made what they made before those others left NWA and none of us make what those guys who left were making, even eight years later we are still making less. IOn other words the same statement is true about us, none of us earn what we earned prior to the concessions and had the NWA guy agreed to those concessions half would have been eliminated and the other half would have been earning much less, so the statement would have been the same no matter what they did. Some NWA guys went on to make more than they ever did at NWA and some of them post here.

 

[LAX AMT]

How exactly does working contract maintenance means a fellow mechanic has zero self respect? Lots of people need jobs. Most airlines have dumped thousands of mechanics off their payrolls.

I have worked beside several of them on field trips. Even worked with a layed off United mechanic working a contract job. He earned $30 an hour and it was close enough he could drive home on weekends to see his family.

The contract maintenance guys in HNL and OGG are all heavy hitters. As good as any of our mechanics and some of them are former AA guys from here. Island boys who quit AA and went back home. These guys are sharp mechanics, skilled in avionics, and have Continentals hanger, jacks and whatever else they need available. Most of these guys in HNL work full time at Continental/United and part time for the contract company. Our Hawaii field trips are becoming few and far between due to this skilled bunch. They'll still send us over for an engine change but pretty much everything else these guys can handle it.

 

[JAFI]

Knew of a few in the past, but not any more. Can you cite one line station that has unlicensed guys working as AMTs? Not counting guys who have suspended licenses.

Bob, you're the union head and buddies with all the other line union heads. So why ask me?

There is one that I haven't seen around in a while but we hired in together. John Judge signed a letter waiving his license.

 

[JAFI]

There's always one in the bunch right? Mr. devil's advocate. Yada yada, yeah I know there may be a few guys transitioning, but damn few making a career out of it! Tell me, is that what you had in mind when you were considering becoming an A&P?

A few guys transitioning? Our industry has been dumping mechanics for a decade. Career AA guys have been insulated up until the last year.

Uncle Sam selected my career for me. I was drafted and assigned a job. When I got out, I worked contract maintenance. I have good friends who are working contract maintenance late in life because they lost their pensions.

Being a life long airline mechanic doesn't make you any more qualified or gifted.

 

[Vortilon]

Dumping mechanics? You just proved my point, you worked contract maintenance when you got out of the service. Transitional job? no? I too, know more than a few people that have been displaced. Not one of them settled for working at a place like AAR or Timco for more than about a year.

Qualifications come with experience and willingness to expand the A&Ps knowledge. Being gifted or not doesn't matter in this debate.

Do you feel that A&Ps working at contract maintenance outfits for limited pay and benefits are making it any easier for us airline mechanics to negotiate better contracts?

 

[Bob Owens]

This industry was always prone to RIFs, they used to do in nearly every year, but as the pay went down people didn't always come back. When AA laid off 300 mechanics in New York 90% refused recall.

 

[Overspeed]

There are some of those I'm sure. In class I stations they can dissapear but in the Class II stations they usually dont last.

When Sharon Levine said that she read that some of the ex-NWA mechanics ended up with jobs at Home Depot I told her that maybe thats where some of them belonged in the first place. I never did get the report she claimed to have read.

Overspeed comes here and says that a DOL report states that most NWA mechanics are not making what they made prior to leaving NWA. This is another one of his typical misleading "facts". They stayed at full pay to the last day. What he leaves out is that none of the NWA mechanics that stayed at NWA made what they made before those others left NWA and none of us make what those guys who left were making, even eight years later we are still making less. IOn other words the same statement is true about us, none of us earn what we earned prior to the concessions and had the NWA guy agreed to those concessions half would have been eliminated and the other half would have been earning much less, so the statement would have been the same no matter what they did. Some NWA guys went on to make more than they ever did at NWA and some of them post here.

You finally stated the facts about NWA. Full pay to the last day got them a 25% pay cut after. Lost all but two stations to outsourcing. So what happened to all those NWA AMTs? Did they all get jobs making the same at WN? No. That's what the BLS report states.

At AA we never took a 25% pay cut, lost our pension, or had all but two stations outsourced. In fact you and I have been making more money than NW for the last nine years up until the BK, kept pension credit, and kept over 25 maintenance stations plus two bases open until now.

It doesn't matter now anyway. The entire industry got screwed and we did too albeit much less than all others. The question that must be answered is how is the Peterson Team going to move us forward?

 

[TWU informer]

You finally stated the facts about NWA. Full pay to the last day got them a 25% pay cut after. Lost all but two stations to outsourcing. So what happened to all those NWA AMTs? Did they all get jobs making the same at WN? No. That's what the BLS report states.

At AA we never took a 25% pay cut, lost our pension, or had all but two stations outsourced. In fact you and I have been making more money than NW for the last nine years up until the BK, kept pension credit, and kept over 25 maintenance stations plus two bases open until now.

It doesn't matter now anyway. The entire industry got screwed and we did too albeit much less than all others. The question that must be answered is how is the Peterson Team going to move us forward?

BS you gave up 25% to SRP's in 1995 and we still give. Take your BS somewhere else. Funny you don't count 25% of the members making inferior wages as a concession FU Brother

 

[AMFAinMIAMI]

You finally stated the facts about NWA. Full pay to the last day got them a 25% pay cut after. Lost all but two stations to outsourcing. So what happened to all those NWA AMTs? Did they all get jobs making the same at WN? No. That's what the BLS report states.

At AA we never took a 25% pay cut, lost our pension, or had all but two stations outsourced. In fact you and I have been making more money than NW for the last nine years up until the BK, kept pension credit, and kept over 25 maintenance stations plus two bases open until now.

It doesn't matter now anyway. The entire industry got screwed and we did too albeit much less than all others. The question that must be answered is how is the Peterson Team going to move us forward?

The Peterson team as You put is just a temporary thing Until we the AMT's of AA Vote out the TWU. It's a stop gap solution just to piss of the Intl. Keep them from giving away any more concessions to the company during the re-org. planning. If Don V. team got in we would have taken it in the shorts even more.

The End is near for the TWU....

AMFA at AA in 2013​

 

[Just Another BK]

Recently, I learned that EL Paso will succumb to CONTRACT maint!!! Right now, the REPLACEMENTS, ABQ & ELP AMTs, are at DFW, in training to perform A, PS, 0909 checks, SIC # 1949 & 1979, and to perform maint OR deferrals, IAW GPM & fleet specific AMM. RII & Aicraft Release also!

I wonder where else the madam supervisor in Mr Prestifillipo's office is considering for contract maint?

Prestfillipo's at AMR? That SOB was here at US back in 05 during the last BK. He ha the foulest language of anybody I have ever heard speak from upper management. I thought he went to Spirit after US?

 

[Just Another BK]

You forgot to add guys that have fake or bought their license that can not be traced or proven the fact. I say this because I have worked with some individuals that there is no way they passed the same test I took over 30 years ago.

What are you talking about. You either have an A&P or you don't. Fake? Maybe you need to read the FAR's. Some people may be terrible mechanics but if they passed the exams both written and oral and obtained their Licenses, they have been authorized by the FAA to Maintain Aircraft, Engines etc. It's black and white. If they are asked to show their license by the FAA and don't have on their person I'm pretty sure they are in a lot of trouble.

 

[blue collar]

What are you talking about. You either have an A&P or you don't. Fake? Maybe you need to read the FAR's. Some people may be terrible mechanics but if they passed the exams both written and oral and obtained their Licenses, they have been authorized by the FAA to Maintain Aircraft, Engines etc. It's black and white. If they are asked to show their license by the FAA and don't have on their person I'm pretty sure they are in a lot of trouble.

Never heard of that school in MIA gettin busted for selling licenses? Kinda easy to get when the guy you paid off is a school instructor and the DME