New line maint stations opening

[face]

Delta will be opening line maintenance in Kansas City, New Orleans and Nashville this spring. Also DTW is over by 40 guys and stores 14.

 

[Kev3188]

Glad to hear it!

FWIW, NW had mtx in all 3 prior to the AMFA strike. Do you know if DL has ever had them there?

As for DTW, that's not awesome.

 

[700UW]

So is DL going to lay off those positions?

 

[WorldTraveler]

DL will undoubtedly do what they do in other overage/growth scenarios... allow people to bid into those stations - and there will certainly be takers - and then let the lowest seniority people bid where there seniority allows them to go.

Not long ago, LAX and SEA were both hiring in MTC. Not sure if they still are.

 

[700UW]

And if a person doesnt decide to move to another station?

 

[face]

Delta had MTC in New Orleans at one time. Not sure about Nashville or KC. My thought is the positions to these new openings will be offered to those in DTW first. If for some reason no one from DTW is willing to move, then my guess is the lowest 40 MTC guys probably would be laid off. Just to be clear, that would be my guess and  is speculation. Not sure how Delta will handle no one wanting to leave DTW but i assume 40 will leave one way or another.

 

[WorldTraveler]

in the past, DL's policy has been if a station is overstaffed and their seniority doesn't allow them to remain, they have to accept the termination package which DL offers.

This isn't rocket science and it isn't anything any different from what any other airline does.

The ONLY difference is that DL only allows employees to bid into open positions while unionized airlines allow employees to displace employees from filled positions.

DL employees have said via their union votes that protection isn't worth it - esp. when it is very possible that someone voting for that system could be voting to allow someone to displace them.

It's another union product that DL employees don't want.

I expect you are right, face.

But it is also likely there are positions in stations other than these 3 new stations. DL very rarely levels at a station level (not a systemwide reduction) without having positions somewhere on the system in order to receive them.

 

[700UW]

Wrong,
 
At US you can bump into an open position and no one gets laid-off.
 
Try again.

 

[WorldTraveler]

good for US. If a position is open then DL employees can do the same.

The issue is when the position is filled.

DL NORMALLY doesn't do it but has in the past. Those affected in this scenario will know. We don't even know that DL is going to level DTW MTC since they have told employees a station is over as an incentive to get people to voluntarily bid out or take voluntary packages - without implementing a leveling process.

 

[Kev3188]

We don't even know that DL is going to level DTW MTC since they have told employees a station is over as an incentive to get people to voluntarily bid out or take voluntary packages - without implementing a leveling process.

Yes we do. No matter how you slice it, those jobs are gone from DTW.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Level? What the hell kind of term is that?

Upset, tip over, scrape off, trim, how about what it really is...layoff.

Opening up the old NWA stations is a good thing. MSY was an early Delta station and a small NWA station.

All of those were high seniority NWA points. They had one guy on days/eves, and a small mid crew for overnight checks and A-Checks.

Those were the choice locations. You had to be a well rounded, self sufficient mechanic and group to survive those type stations. You had to be able to fix anything and everything, now.

The weak were rapidly weeded out of those places.

 

[Kev3188]

Level? What the hell kind of term is that?

One similar to "adjusting," and "transitioning."

Upset, tip over, scrape off, trim, how about what it really is...layoff.

Opening up the old NWA stations is a good thing. MSY was an early Delta station and a small NWA station.

All of those were high seniority NWA points. They had one guy on days/eves, and a small mid crew for overnight checks and A-Checks.

Those were the choice locations. You had to be a well rounded, self sufficient mechanic and group to survive those type stations. You had to be able to fix anything and everything, now.

The weak were rapidly weeded out of those places.

My first station was like that. It was fantastic.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

One similar to "adjusting," and "transitioning."My first station was like that. It was fantastic.

I was the senior lead at my last one. It was great. We accomplished more on one overnight check than I saw get done in a three-shift day in hangars. I liken it to a nascar pit crew. We were a very efficient team. Maintenance Control knew it and sent the work our way. Of course when it came time to cut, spreadsheet driven financial decisions ruled over subjective, sensible decisions.

I can only hope that Delta has seen some of that. I know that some of those same Maintenance Controllers are now in ATL... ;-)

 

[WorldTraveler]

I bet DL does know what NW's best mechanics did and even figured out how to do it before the merger, Glen.

There is a reason why DL has had the lowest maintenance expenses per ASM of any other airline (LFCs included) and still has one of the highest percentages of work done in-house.

The chances are quite high that AA will not have the highest percent of in-house maintenance within a couple years, esp. since DL's outsourcing has been inflated by the large amounts of cabin refurbs it has been doing.

No one is saying the jobs aren't going away, Kev. but DL has been known to be overstaffed and not level jobs even after telling the employees that an area is overstaffed.

BTW, how many mechanics does DL have at DTW... so what percentage does this overage represent?

 

[southwind]

And if a person doesnt decide to move to another station?

Then DL will create a job, not needed, doing nothing and adding no value to the bottom line, in order to pacify that person!