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Keep American Airlines jobs in Tulsa
by: SAM CIRRI
Friday, August 19, 2011
8/19/2011 4:06:56 AM
Representatives of the Transport Worker Union, Local 514, have an important job to do. That is to ensure the 5,600 airline mechanics at the American Airlines maintenance base in Tulsa receive the pay and benefits they deserve in a fair labor contract and to ensure a safe working environment now and into the future.
We are extremely grateful for our jobs and the stability they provide our families. These positions have a powerful economic and social impact on the Tulsa area. We spend our money locally on goods and services, pay taxes and invest in our community through volunteer work and charitable giving. You would be hard-pressed in Tulsa to not have a neighbor or friend with a connection to American Airlines.
But a move is afoot to transfer these taxpaying, Tulsa-loving citizens away from our city. Specifically, more than 230 maintenance control technician and related jobs are up for relocation to Dallas, which would result in a loss of about $14.6 million in wages that are circulated into the local economy and tax base.
In short, American Airlines, the state’s largest employer, has a long history of being an economic anchor and good corporate citizen in Oklahoma. That is why it hurts so much to learn of these plans to move hundreds of jobs.
But even worse fears are beginning to take shape. American Airlines management recently announced plans to purchase and place options on up to $38 billion in new aircraft. However, many don’t realize that these aircraft won’t need maintenance work for at least 10 years, and as we all know, a lot can happen in 10 years when it comes to a company’s presence in Tulsa.
The truth is, despite our world-class maintenance facility in Tulsa and American Airlines’ contractual obligations to keep work here, management may attempt to have this work outsourced. This already has happened with Boeing 777 landing gear and Boeing 737 CMF engines. Repairing these aircraft in other places will have a devastating impact on Oklahoma’s economy.
Over the last eight years, American Airlines has received more than $32 million in local and state incentives to grow and retain jobs in Tulsa. In 2007, $5.7 million of the state’s Opportunity Fund was paired with $4.3 million in local funds to build a new hangar in Tulsa for American. That’s on top of the $22.3 million in Vision 2025 funds provided to American by county taxpayers in 2003 for the purchase of new equipment.
American Airlines management said that these incentives would guarantee that no jobs would leave Tulsa. Now we see the opposite happening. We see that company management is breaking a promise to its loyal workforce and community. We don’t want this to be the case. We believe there is a better solution.
But we can’t do it alone. We need the support of the public and the political will of our elected representatives like the mayor and governor who have the power to bring about change and do what’s best for Tulsa and Oklahoma.
Sam Cirri is president of Transportation Workers Union, Local 514.