By Gary Kelley
The RO (Repair Outside) Committee is a committee established by the TWU International under the guidelines of the TWU/AA Contract. The Committee’s purpose is the prevention and oversight of outsourced work to vendors and outside contractors. It consists of ATD-RO Chairman Gary Kelley, Local 514 Base RO Chairman Joe McGill, RO Title I Chairman Tony Bunch, Title II Chairman John Carslile , Title III Chairman Debbie Tiller, Title V Chairman Dan Mitchell and Tech Spec Chairman Jason Best.
The committee holds regular meetings to establish communications and better monitor activity. Its main purpose is to ensure that all work being performed by our TWU brothers and sisters for AA operations continues to be done in-house. The policy of the RO Committee is that the work should be done at one of AA’s overhaul facilities rather than an outside vendor.
Outsourcing cuts into our workforce and makes us all vulnerable to downturns in the economy and world events that affect our industry. The RO Committee is doing everything in its power to ensure that our airline survives and our jobs are secure. By presenting facts and savings to the airline, we hope that someday A.A. management will realize that utilizing its own assets should be the first source for all maintenance.