TWU calls for fight to keep American Airlines jobs local
Jan. 31-- American Airlines mechanics on Monday announced the launch of a website that permits Tulsa residents and people throughout the country to pledge support for airline jobs and economic benefits that could be affected by the bankruptcy of AMR Corp., the airline's parent company.
Speaking at union offices at 11929 E. Pine St., members of Transport Workers Union Local 514 said more than 2,000 people have added their names to the website's list of supporters.
"We believe that this website, , and related efforts will help bring attention to the largest concentration of middle-class jobs in Oklahoma," said Sam Cirri, president of TWU Local 514, which represents about 5,600 airline mechanics and related work groups at American's Maintenance & Engineering Center at Tulsa International Airport.
"It's critical that our elected officials and community leaders fight to keep these jobs local, instead of allowing the work to be reduced or outsourced overseas."
The TWU website includes a pledge stating that supporters will tell public officials, news media and community leaders that employees at American Airlines, American Eagle Airlines and all workers dependent on the carriers must be treated fairly. The pledge states that supporters oppose any effort by the company to freeze or terminate employee and retiree pension plans or downsize U.S.-based maintenance facilities in favor of outsourced overseas maintenance operations.
"This list will show the company the importance of maintaining these jobs in Tulsa," said John Hewitt, Local 514's chairman of maintenance. "If these jobs are cut, the trickle-down effect would be massive to this community. We are urging the public to visit our website and pledge support for these middle-class jobs."
Clay Bird, director of economic development for the city of Tulsa, said the future of American's M&E base is the most important issue facing Tulsa and northeastern Oklahoma.
"I can't emphasize enough how important American Airlines is to Tulsa and the region," Bird said. "When you think about the kind of ripple effect it could have on this community -- it could be more impactful than anything we have seen before."
The TWU pledge on its website includes the following statements:
--"Corporate management and high-priced lawyers should not abuse the bankruptcy process to cut American jobs."
--"We are the 99 percent who go to work every day, pay our bills and pay our taxes."
--"America needs a middle class with good jobs and good wages to drive economic recovery in our communities and across the nation."
State Rep. Eric Proctor, D-Tulsa, said Tulsa residents should go to the TWU website and pledge support for American's mechanics, who agreed with the company's unionized pilots and flight attendants in 2003 to take $1.6 billion a year in wage and benefit cuts to help American avert a bankruptcy filing.
"We need these jobs in Tulsa, and we don't want them to go to China, Malaysia or India," Proctor said.
Hewitt said TWU officials and representatives of the Allied Pilots Association and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants will convene with American executives in Fort Worth on Wednesday to hear the company's proposals on restructured labor agreements.
"They basically are holding all the cards," Hewitt said. "It's easy to be angry -- we gave up so much. We're packing our bags and going down there expecting to stay as long as we need to to accomplish what we need to do."
Cirri said the mood of Local 514 is "stressful."
"It's not knowing what's going to happen," Cirri said. "People are worried about their jobs."
AMR filed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York on Nov. 29. AMR's petition listed $22.87 billion in assets and $30.08 billion in liabilities.
D.R. Stewart 918-581-8451
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