Northwest to cut half of mechanics' jobs (2031, plus 800 other jobs)

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Northwest to cut half of mechanics' jobs
Airline seeks to save $176 million a year

NEW YORK - Northwest Airlines Corp. has proposed firing 2,031, or nearly half of its mechanics, in a bid to save $176 million a year, their union said in a document posted in its Web site on Monday.

The Eagan, Minnesota-based airline also is asking the 2,381 mechanics who would remain to take a cut in their base pay of about 26 percent, the union said.

The fourth-largest U.S. airline is trying to renegotiate contracts with all its unions to trim costs to compensate for higher fuel prices and tough competition from low-cost carriers that have pushed it deeply into the red. In March, Northwest raised its annual labor cost-saving target to $1.1 billion from $950 million.

The airline is also seeking to eliminate all but 73 of the jobs of its 882 ground operations cleaners, who are also represented by the mechanics' union, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7962836/

And now, A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE:



John Snow, "Ask The White House," April 15th, 2005:

Indeed, the President’s tax cuts, combined with sound monetary policy, proved to be the right stimulus that our country needed for our country’s economic recovery and current outstanding growth.

The American economy has created over 3 million jobs since May of 2003. And while job growth can never be fast enough for those looking for work, the steady pace of job creation has been an unmistakable sign of an economy that has recovered from very tough times, and is now expanding.

Evidence of our economic health abounds: GDP growth for 2004 was 3.9 percent. The unemployment rate is down to 5.2 percent - lower than the average rate of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Inflation, interest rates, and mortgage rates remain at low levels. Homeownership rates are at record highs.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/20050415.html

[Bluebear]

1. Guess who used to serve on Northwest's board of directors...

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL -- Northwest Airlines announced today that it has named Elaine L. Chao to its Board of Directors effective immediately. Chao's nomination was unanimously approved today by the Company's board during a regularly scheduled meeting.

"We are delighted to welcome Elaine to the board," said Gary L. Wilson, Northwest chairman. "Her experiences in the federal government, in philanthropy, as a chief executive ...

http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1G1:53680512&refid=ink_tptd_np&skeyword=&teaser=

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

2. It's all one big happy family, isn't it?

Un-frikkin-believable.

:toast:

[Anakin Skywalker]

3. How Can This Be, Holmes?

Our Godly leader, His Honorable Highness Preznit Bush himself said that "The economy is strong!" (Bush 3:16)! Don't contradict our Great Honorable Holiness G.W. Bush or you will incur God's wrath!

[DemoTex]

4. The article mentions "outsourcing." What it doesn't mention is ...

... that the "outsourcing" of aircraft heavy-maintenance is often off-shore. This so sucks, from both a jobs and safety point of view. The US FAA cannot possibly monitor the quality control in an engine re-manufacturing facility in Pakistan. We are so fucked.

[Bluebear]

5. More subterfuge from the multi-million dollar CEO's

Next it will be "we have to follow United's leads and default on pensions".

[DemoTex]

10. Sorry, Bluebear .. US Airways was the leader in pension termination.

My US Airways pilot pension plan was terminated, with the blessings of the Federal Bankruptcy Court, on 3/31/2003. My pension was cut by over 75% on that day. It is now in the hands of the PBGC (Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation).

On the day Bill Clinton left office, the PBGC was $7-billion in the black. Now it is $25-billion in the red. Thank you Mr. Buuuuu$h!

BTW: A Washington Post article last year (2004) identified Dave Siegel - US Airways CEO during the 2003 "troubles" - as one of the highest compensated Washington area CEOs in 2003. Labor-friendly Dave (what a sick joke) took home over $10-million in the year he terminated my pension. Burn in hell Dave! Please burn in hell.

[Career Prole]

6. I'm certainly glad I don't need to fly.

From the article:

Mechanics have been a particular target for job cuts at many traditional airlines, which have found that they can save money by outsourcing maintenance to outside providers who can do the work for cheaper.

And from CNN this morning:

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Good morning to you. A couple difficult stories in the aviation industry this morning. Northwest Airlines, indeed, wants to fire over 2,000 of its mechanics. That's nearly half of that job category. They need to save $176 million, they're saying. The other 2,300, they're proposing, would have their pay cut by 26 percent. They're seeking to eliminate 800 job categories in this group.

Now what's going on here is they want to outsource maintenance of their aircraft. And a bunch of other airline companies have done this, sending their planes to Canada, El Salvador and even Hong Kong to get them worked on.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0505/24/ltm.01.html

What a great idea! Put our lives in the hands of the lowest bidder!

[indepat]

7. Luckily the Northwest airplanes must need little servicing and inspection

[gizmo1979]

8. mechanic's we don't need no stinkin

mechanic's!I guess I cross Northwest of my airline list.Maybe they can get the pilots to do all their own maintainance.Companies are stupid!

[Kansas Wyatt]

9. John Snow: 'After a few months on the unemployment line, these...

mechanics will find satisfying careers with Wal Mart or McDonald's or they will completely disappear from the unemployment line when they finally suck the Government tit dry. That, in turn, keeps our unemployment percentage down, and we can continue to have low unemployment numbers when we cannot even create enough jobs to keep up with the population growth. When you factor in the immigrant workers, our corporations benefit and make record profits by keeping labor expenses low. Yes indeed, this economic powerhouse in America is creating an astounding amount of independent wealth for us worthy Americans.'
:freak:

Average Americans - :wtf: