It's official: After months of warnings and negotiations, the American Airlines maintenance base at Alliance Airport will close by the end of the year.
According to documents posted online by the Transport Workers Union, maintenance work at the base will be gradually shifted to other sites during the fall, with 1,090 workers scheduled to be laid off on Dec. 15.The 1.6 million-square-foot facility, which opened in 1989, will be "swept clean" in January and the airline will hold a parts auction in April as well as move other equipment out of the hangar.The carrier said it expects to turn in the keys to Alliance to the city of Fort Worth on April 30, 2013, according to a company document presented to the union dated Sept. 7 that was posted on the TWU Local 567 website.The maintenance facility was one of the first big operations at Alliance Airport. But now its 1,200 workers account for less than 5 percent of Alliance's 30,000-plus workers. Inside the landmark cantilever building, mechanics serviced newer-generation medium- and long-range passenger jets.TWU workers are currently considering an early out program that offers severance packages to those who voluntarily leave the company. Depending on seniority and time at the company, workers who apply for the package could receive one-time severance payments over $12,500. As of Friday, 1,266 TWU members had applied for the buyout incentive. Workers have until Sept. 25 to apply.WARN notices, which American is required to file with the state when it lays off a significant number of workers, will be distributed on Sept. 17.American spokesman Bruce Hicks declined to comment on the details of the Alliance base closing as the carrier wants to inform workers of contract changes and base closings first.The end date for Alliance is not a surprise.In its initial term sheet offer to mechanics in February, American indicated that it planned to close Alliance by the end of the year and outsource a significant portion of its maintenance work to third-party firms. The Texas Aero Engine Service Ltd. engine repair facility at Alliance, which is a joint venture between American and Rolls Royce, is expected to remain open and employs 600 workers.Flight attendants newsSeparately, more than 900 flight attendants have applied for an early out incentive that's part of its new contract with the company, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said.Flight attendants with more than 15 years of seniority are eligible for the program which will end on Sept. 20. The early out offers flight attendants a one-time payment of $40,000."There is tremendous interest in the Voluntary Early Out Program. The VEOP briefings have been standing room only and the call volume at APFA Headquarters is also very high," the union said in a hotline message Sunday.American wants to eliminate 2,300 flight attendant jobs as part of its bankruptcy restructuring. However, if enough flight attendants leave voluntarily or retire, it could reduce or eliminate the need for layoffs. The carrier recently recalled the last 211 flight attendants on furlough, who were mostly former TWA flight attendants, to meet anticipated staffing needs.The union also told flight attendants that American will pay the $1,500 signing bonus called for in the new contract on Sept. 21 and deposit the money either into a 401(k) account or directly into a flight attendant's payroll account.The bankruptcy judge is scheduled to approve the flight attendants' and the mechanics' new contracts with American on Wednesday. If the court approves the contracts, some of the provisions of the new deal will go into effect on Oct. 1.Pilots set strike voteBut as some union members prepare to collect bonuses and raises, the board of the pilots union directed its staff to conduct a strike vote.Online voting will begin at noon Wednesday, and continue through noon Oct. 3 with results being announced later that day.Even if members grant strike authorization, however, the union cannot legally strike against the carrier under the Railway Labor Act or the bankruptcy code, Hicks said."The APA's own general counsel reminded the union in a memorandum to its national officers and board of directors posted Saturday that any job action would be unlawful. So, it's obvious this announcement is simply a diversionary tactic," Hicks said. "American is committed to moving forward with implementing those terms from both the tentative agreement and term sheet that are necessary for our successful restructuring."The pilots union previously said it would hold a strike vote if American implements any of the work rule changes from the April term sheets. The bankruptcy judge ruled last week that American can reject its pilot contract and impose contract changes necessary for the carrier to restructure successfully.Close to 100 members attended the APA's board meeting, where they were told that American plans to implement contract changes that are a "blend of elements" from the last best final offer that pilots voted down in August and the April 19 term sheet. The carrier told the union that it does not plan to furlough any pilots."More specifically, management noted that they will proceed with imposing items from the "last, best, final offer" that are common to other work groups," union leaders told members in a hotline message. "Management also noted that in areas where changes would be difficult to reverse -- for example, changes requiring a large amount of computer programming -- they would likely impose items from their last, best, final offer."Andrea Ahles, 817-390-7631Twitter: @Sky_Talk
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