Am I the only one who thinks this sounds a bit fishy? If this is true, this is VERY BIG news. Hydraulic Failure - Manual Extension of Landing Gear - this would be the lead story on all of the local news stations and heavily covered in the newspaper. National news media would surely make mention of this, as well. Where did the flight originate? Where was it headed? How many passengers on board? Someone please provide some details that can be verified (perhaps a link to an article from a reputable news sourse - otherwise this just seems like the kind of rumor mongering that will ultimately do more harm to labor than it will to management. Thus far, labor has playde this straight down the line - honestly and admirably. Don't start taking the low road now.
If this story is correct, it will affect my decision fo fly U in the future. Safety is paramount. That's why I've supported the IAM on this issue all the way. If the IAM -- or a supporter -- chooses to trash the airline's reputation for safety because it's upset about who did the work on this plane, then harm is being done to everyone involved - mgmt, other workers, passengers and ultimately, the IAM, too. Please provide evidence or stop making claims that can't be backed up.