<_< ------Informer, I'd be surprised if you saw any AMT's from MCI in any numbers. Oh you may see a few, but most I've talked to say they won't be going anywhere. Our local Electric Company is opening a new power plant in Kansas, and has hired quit a few of them. And from what I hear the money, and benefits, are good, and most important, the jobs are secure!!!!
Good for them. As one who now works in the energy industry, it's a good move.
<_< -------Under different circumstances informer, that would be great! And who knows, I could be wrong! ----- Not likely! But it has happened!
Hi, I'm new to your site. I just left the MCI hangar operation to retire this past May. We currently have 248 VBRs signed on, Title I and II. We were held to the August 30 extended date, and no more VBR offers are open. Is there any reliable word on the layoffs in Tulsa. K.C. was told that you would lose between 3200 and 6000 over the coming year. Our Local 530 president went on a company-sponsored trip to China to look into maintenace contracts. I can't imagine getting any work from there, but certainly understand the cost benefit of sending our shop work there. The support shops in the upstairs portion of the "superbays", have been shut down and the folks have come down to the hangar floor to backfill the VBR vacancies. The 2001 workforce of TWA is now down from 25,000 to 810, and we are said to be sending 600 to the street, and keeping the rest for the next six months to a year, working on the Cabin Improvement Program, the B-767 winglets, and the MAUI mods. All of it is set to go to Tulsa, and Yellow Freight had its planners come in and measure the docks and all of the residual equipment in building #2. The estimate is for 420 trailers to get it moved. We always spoke of the day when we would drive up and find the gate locked... well, I think I used to work with the guys that will see that very day. You Tulsa folks are going to be just fine in a few years.
Joe, the President of Local 530 just came back from his trip to China to discuss work contracts. We have already given up our shops, radio and electric, wheel and tire, pneumatic "bottle shop" items, landing gear, engines, APU, hydraulic accy, and pneumatic devices. We believe the work will be done in China, and the parts returned. When I was in the shops, twenty years ago, I repaired the Flap system power drive unit, switch assembly, for the L-1011. The customer was Cathay-Pacific of China. They could have easily done the work, but Curtis-Wright company would not certify them to do it and so it came back to the states. Walt, in K.C.
Once the number of VBRs is known, the remaining furlough numbers must be matched against the work in the hangar, so that the planes aren't abandoned with work half done, and no one or no way to take the work out to Tulsa to complete it. I'm sure you can fly with one winglet, Rutan did it on his trip around the world in the Voyager, but having the other wing open on the end is very bad form! Tulsa can start fresh on the work, but once we open them up... gotta finish them. We have been visited by the Missouri Division of Employment Security for briefings on Cobra and unemployment benefits, yet even the State of Missouri has yet to see the WARN letter. I called the Mo. Dept. of Labor, and spoke to Deborah Minish. She said that the WARN letters go across her desk and to her boss, and that they were responding to a phone call and had not actually seen a letter. I asked if there is a problem if they expend the resources of the State of Missouri, driving and holding briefings, and there is no real WARN to point to. The answer is that the WARN process is Federal and a reimbursement process is used to prevent burden to Missouri's budget. November 1 is to be the first layoff date, and I doubt that we will miss the day at all. Just over three weeks to go. Good luck to all of you.
The ruling by Arbitrator Richard R.Kasher in February of 2008, was to address the question of whether the adjusted seniority of the former TWA LLC employees would be adjusted to yet another level if they were furloughed more than three years. His ruling was that he would not create further divisions of seniority than were originally provided for in his Seniority Integration Opinion and Award of 23 April, 2002. His ruling provided for 100%, 25%, and April 10, 2001 as the basis of seniority and he would not agree to additional imposed limits or interpretations. The flight attendants got the same treatment when they were right at the limit of the three years and the recalls started. The stu's that got called late were concerned about a hard limit of the three years and Kasher redeemed them. They were at the bottom, but back on payroll. As I judge it, only 4% of the workers have a clue as to what or who Kasher is or was, but in K.C. and STL he is our crazy uncle, till death do us part.
Princess, Kansas City is about to lose 600 of our 810 members, that is 74% of us in one whack! Be a bit kinder to the poor folks in AFW, they might be able to move to Tulsa and follow the work. We won't be going to other bases, The seven year odessy of TWA is almost done, the 25,000 is going to be in two bays, as the 170 folks who may turn off the lights in July of 2009. Been a good ride.
