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Memo Reveals American Will Likely Cut KC Jobs
City Councilor Concerned Airline Not Keeping Agreement
POSTED: 6:32 PM CST January 14, 2004
UPDATED: 7:51 AM CST January 15, 2004
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An internal American Airlines memo leaked to KMBC reveals the airline plans to not only accelerate changes at its Kansas City overhaul base, but also to get rid of one part of the operation -- meaning more workers at the base will probably lose their jobs, the station reported.
Memo Reveals American Airlines Will Likely Cut KC Jobs
City Council member John Fairfield had not heard about the changes when KMBC's Maria Antonia showed him the memo.
Fairfield, who helped iron-out a deal between the airline and the city, said he would be "very disappointed" if the move caused job losses.
"We did work very hard, and the intent was to try to maintain these jobs, at least for the near term," he said.
But the internal memo revealed a consolidation plan that would get rid of the local warehouse by August of this year. The memo read, "Unfortunately, adversely affects employees needed to maintain the MCI parts warehouse."
The exact number of workers affected by the move has yet to be determined, Antonia reported.
Local employees said about 205 stock clerks work at the warehouse.
City Councilor Bill Skaggs said he was surprised by the news, and that he was under the impression that the workforce would remain intact for at least two years. Skaggs said he is concerned the company is not keeping its verbal agreement.
"We realized some jobs would be lost through attrition, but we thought if anything, that's what would occur," he said.
The memo also said that work on 737 jets will soon move to the carriers' Tulsa plant -- which American confirmed in an announcement Tuesday. Local crews will instead work on MD-80 planes, and no job losses are expected except for those through normal attrition.
Fairfield said that the unexpected changes have him concerned about a lease agreement that is still in the works.
"If there's some indication that there are some things of concern, we might have to think about what else might need to go into that lease. I don't know," he said.
At the same time, the airline is still trying to land more maintenance work for the 2,000 people who work at the Kansas City overhaul base, Antonia reported.
City Councilor Concerned Airline Not Keeping Agreement
POSTED: 6:32 PM CST January 14, 2004
UPDATED: 7:51 AM CST January 15, 2004
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An internal American Airlines memo leaked to KMBC reveals the airline plans to not only accelerate changes at its Kansas City overhaul base, but also to get rid of one part of the operation -- meaning more workers at the base will probably lose their jobs, the station reported.
Memo Reveals American Airlines Will Likely Cut KC Jobs
City Council member John Fairfield had not heard about the changes when KMBC's Maria Antonia showed him the memo.
Fairfield, who helped iron-out a deal between the airline and the city, said he would be "very disappointed" if the move caused job losses.
"We did work very hard, and the intent was to try to maintain these jobs, at least for the near term," he said.
But the internal memo revealed a consolidation plan that would get rid of the local warehouse by August of this year. The memo read, "Unfortunately, adversely affects employees needed to maintain the MCI parts warehouse."
The exact number of workers affected by the move has yet to be determined, Antonia reported.
Local employees said about 205 stock clerks work at the warehouse.
City Councilor Bill Skaggs said he was surprised by the news, and that he was under the impression that the workforce would remain intact for at least two years. Skaggs said he is concerned the company is not keeping its verbal agreement.
"We realized some jobs would be lost through attrition, but we thought if anything, that's what would occur," he said.
The memo also said that work on 737 jets will soon move to the carriers' Tulsa plant -- which American confirmed in an announcement Tuesday. Local crews will instead work on MD-80 planes, and no job losses are expected except for those through normal attrition.
Fairfield said that the unexpected changes have him concerned about a lease agreement that is still in the works.
"If there's some indication that there are some things of concern, we might have to think about what else might need to go into that lease. I don't know," he said.
At the same time, the airline is still trying to land more maintenance work for the 2,000 people who work at the Kansas City overhaul base, Antonia reported.
