Oct. 29-- Management and labor at the American Airlines Maintenance & Engineering Center in Tulsa -- one of the region's biggest employers and the largest civilian facility of its type in the world -- have endorsed the Nov. 6 Vision2 package.
The endorsement released Sunday includes a commitment for a "long term" presence at the facility but no specifics about the number of employees or payroll involved.
Executives at American Airlines say the company has a long history in Tulsa and is committed for the long term as it emerges from bankruptcy as a stronger company, the statement says.
"American Airlines believes Vision2 will improve infrastructure throughout Tulsa County and make it a desirable place for employers," said Bill Collins, vice president of base maintenance for American Airlines. "American Airlines and its employees have built strong ties throughout Tulsa since the maintenance base opened in 1946, and we're committed to the future of our operations as part of a new American.
"Vision2 is a sound investment in the aerospace industry that will provide improvements with tremendous capabilities throughout Tulsa County."
The $748.8 million Vision2 package includes more than $386 million for economic development, and the majority of that money is targeted for building and equipment at the city-owned American Airlines facility.
Planned Vision2 modifications include retrofitting hangars to accommodate new, larger airplanes in the American fleet, new test cells to accommodate larger jet engines, ramp improvements and environmental upgrades.
The upgrades are critical to the area's aerospace future, said Sam Cirri, president of Transport Workers Union Local 514.
"If Tulsa is to continue as a leader in the aerospace industry, it's absolutely critical that these publicly owned facilities be upgraded to keep pace with industry needs," Cirri said. "These upgrades are a necessity for accommodating the newest types of aircraft in the airline industry today and will help to ensure that more work will be retained in Tulsa for current aircraft and components."
The union and the airline, which is currently in bankruptcy, were two of the largest financial contributors listed in a Friday campaign finance report of Citizens for Tulsa County, the fundraising arm of the Vision2 campaign.
The TWU contributed $40,000 to the $589,748 campaign, and the airline contributed $37,500.
Vision2 debated: Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith and Tulsa County Republican Chairman J.B. Alexander debated Vision2 at Temple Israel on Sunday morning.
Alexander argued that the measure was too big, too rushed, too expensive, too sloppy and too secretive.
Democrats, Republicans and independent voters are joining forces to fight against the proposal, he said.
Like other airlines, American Airlines is migrating its maintenance activities overseas, and other companies that stand to benefit from the proposal are profitable and responsible for their own maintenance.
A city-owned facility used by Spirit AeroSystems, for example, is slated for $20 million in roofing and other work, but the company reported a $191 million profit last year and has a lease with the city in which it commits to do its own maintenance on the facility, Alexander said.
"At what point does business stand on its own?" Alexander asked. "Are they holding jobs hostage over taxation?"
Keith said work at the city's airport industrial complex and more than $361 million in "quality of life" work in Tulsa County and 10 cities are vital to the area's continued growth.
Funding for a new county juvenile justice facility, work on levees along the Arkansas River, the Gilcrease Expressway, library and zoo improvements, a new children's museum, and low-water dams to assure constant flow in the Arkansas River waterway are long-awaited and urgently needed, she said.
If the proposal fails, the results would be "devastating," Keith said.
But Alexander said the measure will and should fail, and after it does, community leaders need to start over with a more thoroughly thought-out, transparent process that looks at the area's real future needs and finances them in a more logical fashion.
"Let's get a lot more people at the table to talk about our future," he said.
Wayne Greene 918-581-8308
Copyright 2012 - Tulsa World, Okla.
