Bob, I already named QR, EY, EK and CX as examples of airlines who hire US nationals as 744 and 777 captains in at rates of pay equal to or exceeding what they were making at their former US employers.
There's no reason that model can't be applied in other workgroups. I didn't know about flexible starting rates being in the TWU contract, but how often is it actually used to bring someone in at top of scale vs. one or two steps from the bottom?
Hopeful, an oversupply in places like OAK/SFO probably gave them a good sized candidate pool, but the benefits of paying for experience aren't lost on the people running technical operations at startups. Look into it sometime.
I dont know of any airline that hires mechanics at different rates based upon experience or capability. The Flex rates are determined by the company because they pay so crappy that they cant get workers in certain locations and yes in some locations they start workers at top pay in certain classifications. Boiler mechanics at JFK is one example where they actually had to open the contract and raise those workers above everyone else because they could not get anyone with the skills required to take the job for even top pay. Most of those guys are in a strong union that has won very good pay and they would scoff at what AA was offering. Once the economy starts expanding again AA will be hard pressed to keep their operations going in certain cities, more so from an exodus of Title II mechanics than Title I although I predict both will be substantial.
Today I ran into somebody I hadnt seen in 30 years. I ran into him while working my second job, during my last week of vacation. We went to A&P school together and he was now the co-owner of an automotive upholstery business. He told me how Lockheed had recruited him and others right out of school to go out to California with promises of getting them their other license (we came out of the program with just one) and setting up living accomodations right near work, however when he got there nothing was as promised. He stuck it out, getting bounced from nights to days until he was laid off a few times. He looked around a little bit but all the jobs were for nights, so he left the industry and never looked back. The thing is according to the FAA he is one of the 300,000+ licensed Airmen out there and he's been out of the industry for over 25 years and he isnt looking to go into it. People are leaving faster than they can be replaced and the numbers that they are using to say the supply is adequate are false. NWA scraped the barrell dry, in the end they had to substantially reduce their operations and were subsequently bought out by Delta. While aircraft mechanics frequently saw layoffs and found employment outside the industry in the past, and some never returned, most did, however thats not the case anymore, when JFK decided to backfill slots over 90% of those called refused the recall. They never saw numbers like that before. Thats why even though they keep announcing reductions we dont really see them materializing,(the exceptions being former TWA bases) because if they let them go the odds are they lost them forever and there's nobody waiting in line to replace them. Last January I was told that we would be reducing headcount in the Northeast by 60 guys plus the B-ck(another 30 or so). In the end our Local decreased by around eight guys, all through attrition, and the company refused to grant any VBRs. The rumors of the reduction caused many older guys to hang around longer and I'm expecting a surge early next year in retirees.
The fact is that right now we should be preparing to strike. Forget NWA, a lot has changed in 5 years. At NWA all the other workgroups were willing to accept the concessions and were willing to help the company bust AMFA, thats not the case at AA where all the other work groups are also fed up and are also preparing to strike against the company.
Thousands have left the industry and have no intentions coming back, trade magazines have already cited the talent drain. Now isnt the time to give the company more flexibilty, its time for us to do to them what they did to us in 2003. I say get rid of Flex rates and progressions altogether, everyone should start at top rate, lets start the new trend for the industry. Progressions harm all workers by making it punitive to change employers. Its in our collective best interests to establish that there are no progressions, everyone starts at top pay and six weeks vacation. Then the only punitive measure would be shifts and days off.
Dont allow the company to have a free hand at setting rates based upon their ability to get people to take the job, thats market rate wages, you dont need a union if the market sets the rates. Lets act like we have a union on the property and tell them NO for a change. If they set terms so low that they cant get people to take the job then let them pay Overtime (and lets go strait to doubletime like real unions get). Flex rates are a disaster, if they can get Stock clerks but not Fleet Service clerks then Fleet Service Clerks get the Flex and the Stock clerks dont, despite the fact they both live in high cost cities. To me no self respecting union would agree to something like that.
