A Proposal For Change

[Decision 2004]

why a spin off. Why dont you get your union to gather up enough money to make AA happy and purchase your freedom. Pay your own maintenance bills. lease the buildings from AA and see how far you get. And if your Union wont do it why dont you start a campaign with your fellow co workers and gather the money yourself. I wish you luck

[post="253790"][/post]​

Why such anti-worker, anti-union sentiments just because I propose an option and state my opinion?

What is it you stand to lose if Maintenance is spun-off? Are you one the sacred cow pension holders that wishes for me and my co-workers to keep bending over to fund?

 

[eolesen]

Why such anti-worker, anti-union sentiments just because I propose an option and state my opinion?

[post="253793"][/post]​

Oh, the irony in that statement.... That's pretty much been your reaction since 1999 whenever someone else proposed an option and stated an opinion different from yours.

If what happened in 1984 isn't relevent, then I guess there's also no point complaining about whatever happened in contract negotions in 1980-something or 1990-something....


Spin-off is certainly an option, but first you have to prove that the model works before people will be willing to invest in it.

And for the record.... the profits from the Sabre sell-off are what helped pay down the remaining debt we had from the early 90's. The rest went out in profit sharing checks to the employees. Including y'all who were here at the time.

 

[Decision 2004]

Oh, the irony in that statement.... That's pretty much been your reaction since 1999 whenever someone else proposed an option and stated an opinion different from yours.

If what happened in 1984 isn't relevent, then I guess there's also no point complaining about whatever happened in contract negotions in 1980-something or 1990-something....
Spin-off is certainly an option, but first you have to prove that the model works before people will be willing to invest in it.

And for the record.... the profits from the Sabre sell-off are what helped pay down the remaining debt we had from the early 90's.  The rest went out in profit sharing checks to the employees.  Including y'all who were here at the time.

[post="253807"][/post]​

Please feel free to show everyone any anti-worker, anti-union statement I have made in response to someone making a proposal or stating an opinion. I think you are nothing more than a common liar, trying to flame the board. Unless it is your opinion that trying to get rid of the most docile union in the industy is anti-worker, or anti-union. Then I beg to differ with you that this has ever been my reaction to others opinions or proposed options. I stand firm in my opinions and they are not reactions. Regardless of industry profits, or changes in business travel culture, the TWU still stands true to concession after concession after concession.

And I also never said what happened in 1984 is "irrelevent:. Why don't you stop putting words in my mouth and stick to posting your own opinions?

What I said was "There are many things happening today that are much different than 1984." That is a far cry from claiming 1984 was irrelevent, wouldn't you admit? One thing that isn't different from 1984, is that the TWU is still in bed with the company and the workers are being sold out!

And for the record, Sabre was built and funded on the backs of the B-Scale workers, so don't act as though any profit sharing check offset that TWU Industry Leading Concession.

BTW, the citizens of Tulsa voted to give $20+ Million via Vision 2025 to the current business model at the Tulsa base without proof of change. Why does the spin-off require a different approach? Just have your industry leading con-artist go sell the idea without any proof like they have to the Federal and State Governments for corporate welfare handouts. That seems to work pretty well. Who is investing in TIMCO, AAR, SASCO, and the others already operating MRO's? If MRO's are our competition, isn't it only fair that we become one, to compete on the same playing field, and rules? I think it is unfair to ask us to compete against an MRO head-to-head when they do not have to fund 37 levels of management overhead, un-hedged fuel, more room throughout coach errors, and the albatross finance department that steals any profits we make, and considers us a burden to their bottom line.

Is it all about saving jobs or making profits?

 

[FWAAA]

Two options come to mind for Tulsa.

Either

A. it achieves significant new revenue and some cost savings and remains a viable overhaul facility

or

B. it fails to do so and begins to resemble UA's IND and OAK overhaul bases in a couple of years.

Nothing earth-shattering here. Become a profitable piece of the puzzle or apply for work with AAR when it takes over the Tulsa hangars (like it just did at IND).

Not really any other choices.

 

[Buck]

Two options come to mind for Tulsa.

Either

A. it achieves significant new revenue and some cost savings and remains a viable overhaul facility

or

B. it fails to do so and begins to resemble UA's IND and OAK overhaul bases in a couple of years.

Nothing earth-shattering here. Become a profitable piece of the puzzle or apply for work with AAR when it takes over the Tulsa hangars (like it just did at IND).

Not really any other choices.

[post="253905"][/post]​

The company / union coalition has stated that TULE is not a cost or profit center, but a business write off. Please explain to me how a profit or loss changes anything? Now if the company has lost its tax advantage for this operation, then that is another story. Either way all information is not being relayed to the employees. No the company has no obligation to divulge anything, however when the union and the company form a coalition as they have done, this issue is reversed.

 

[FWAAA]

The company / union coalition has stated that TULE is not a cost or profit center, but a business write off. Please explain to me how a profit or loss changes anything? Now if the company has lost its tax advantage for this operation, then that is another story. Either way all information is not being relayed to the employees. No the company has no obligation to divulge anything, however when the union and the company form a coalition as they have done, this issue is reversed.

[post="253912"][/post]​

TULE is not currently a profit center. But AA told the whole world last week that it would like to make it one.

American's TUL Maintenance & Engineering Base Sets Goal to Achieve $500 Million in Revenue, Cost Savings By End of 2006

Joint Team of Labor and American Airlines Management Working Together to Turn Base Into a Profit Center and Secure Its Future Success

Tulsa, Okla., – A joint team of management and labor leaders from American Airlines' Tulsa Maintenance & Engineering Base today announced a "breakthrough" goal to generate $500 million and turn the base into a profit center by the end of 2006.

The vision of transforming the base -- which employs more than 7,000 people -- from a traditional cost center into a profit center would be achieved through its highly successful Continuous Improvement process to reduce costs, generating revenue from third-party maintenance contracts, and bringing in-house any currently outsourced work that can be accomplished more efficiently in Tulsa.

In early 2005, representatives from both TWU Local 514 and the Tulsa base management convened to set a new paradigm: to transform the world's largest aircraft maintenance base into a world-class, profitable facility. This shared commitment is a first for the Tulsa base, and is one of several large-scale, joint planning sessions that have occurred within American Airlines since the company and its unions launched the Working Together initiative in late 2003.

http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressRel...tulmebase.jhtml

In business, every activity is either a profit center or a cost center. The writing is on the wall. TULE moves from being a cost center to becoming a profit center or else.

Else? Look at the recent experience of UAL AMTs at IND and OAK for examples of what "else" entails.

Business write-offs? Every ordinary and necessary business expense is a "write-off." But that's the case whether TULE becomes a profit center or not. If the company or the union is wasting time talking about tax write-offs, that is truly unfortunate. Write-offs are not the issue.