"Remember, for evil to triumph, good men need only to be silent." - Bill Hohlfeld, Local 46 Metallic Lathers & Reinforcing Ironworkers, Labor Management Cooperative Trust

If you write about it, they will read it and eventually, just maybe, something will be done. Many people do not understand the power that is the internet Blogger, this site and many of my fellow labor bloggers sites are actively being read by Senate, Congress, the news media, the FAA, OSHA, as a matter of fact I have noticed quite a few corporations reading stories about their misdeeds. This is power.

The power to change the world.

One of the more recent stories floating around this and other labor sites is the absence of standards for mechanics in countries where aircrafts from American companies are now outsourcing maintenance to, heres 2 recent entries:

• American Airlines, from 911 bailouts, customer rights law overturn, outsourcing, lax FAA enforcement, the Allied Pilots Association and the Teamster
• Southwest Airlines outsources maintenance and puts customers at risk

Mind you I am in no way trying to take much credit for this, as I know the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, The Teamster and both the CTW and AFL-CIO have been spreading the news about this also, but it's nice to see a Newswire which shows bipartisan support for something in which you, and you fellow labor bloggers, took the time to make others aware of.

With much respect to Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) for introducing legislation that all Americans can agree upon, heres the Press Release (excerpted) from PRNewswire (6/5/08):

    Bipartisan Senate Bill Calls for Increased FAA Oversight of Foreign
Repair Stations

  WASHINGTON, June 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senators Claire McCaskill
(D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today introduced the Safe Aviation
Facilities Ensure Aircraft Integrity and Reliability Act of 2008 calling
for more strict oversight of foreign repair stations, and the Professional
Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union that represents more
than 11,000 FAA employees, including aviation safety inspectors, are
commending the action. PASS National President Tom Brantley released the
following statement regarding the bill:

  "In light of recent failures of FAA management in addressing
inspector's repeated safety concerns in this country, it is clear that the
FAA must be more vigilant in how it oversees the industry. The
McCaskill-Specter SAFE AIR Act takes aggressive action by ensuring that all
major air carrier maintenance work only be performed by certificated repair
stations, that foreign certificated repair stations are inspected at least
twice a year by an FAA inspector, and that all workers working on U.S.
aircraft at foreign repair facilities be drug and alcohol tested. If a
foreign repair facility wants to work on U.S.-registered aircraft or any
aircraft that operates in this country, meeting the same safety standards
as domestic repair stations should be non-negotiable.

  ''U.S. air carriers are increasingly relying upon overseas repair
facilities to perform critical maintenance work on its aircraft, and yet,
many of these facilities are not subject to the same level of oversight,
scrutiny and inspections as domestic repair stations. With airlines taking
tremendous cost-cutting steps to reduce overhead and operating expenses,
now is the time for the FAA to increase its oversight of airline
maintenance, especially oversees.

I'm sure it's not a done deal, but it's a start in the right direction, I personally feel that the American based airlines which sucked our tax money for a bailout after 9/11 and are now sucking our citizens eyes out, shouldn't be allowed to use workers from other nations, but thats just one mans opinion, or is it?

"Remember, for evil to triumph, good men need only to be silent." - Bill Hohlfeld, Local 46 Metallic Lathers & Reinforcing Ironworkers, Labor Management Cooperative Trust

If you write about it, they will read it and eventually, just maybe, something will be done. Many people do not understand the power that is the internet Blogger, this site and many of my fellow labor bloggers sites are actively being read by Senate, Congress, the news media, the FAA, OSHA, as a matter of fact I have noticed quite a few corporations reading stories about their misdeeds. This is power.

The power to change the world.

One of the more recent stories floating around this and other labor sites is the absence of standards for mechanics in countries where aircrafts from American companies are now outsourcing maintenance to, heres 2 recent entries:

• American Airlines, from 911 bailouts, customer rights law overturn, outsourcing, lax FAA enforcement, the Allied Pilots Association and the Teamster
• Southwest Airlines outsources maintenance and puts customers at risk

Mind you I am in no way trying to take much credit for this, as I know the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, The Teamster and both the CTW and AFL-CIO have been spreading the news about this also, but it's nice to see a Newswire which shows bipartisan support for something in which you, and you fellow labor bloggers, took the time to make others aware of.

With much respect to Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) for introducing legislation that all Americans can agree upon, heres the Press Release (excerpted) from PRNewswire (6/5/08):

    Bipartisan Senate Bill Calls for Increased FAA Oversight of Foreign
Repair Stations

  WASHINGTON, June 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senators Claire McCaskill
(D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today introduced the Safe Aviation
Facilities Ensure Aircraft Integrity and Reliability Act of 2008 calling
for more strict oversight of foreign repair stations, and the Professional
Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union that represents more
than 11,000 FAA employees, including aviation safety inspectors, are
commending the action. PASS National President Tom Brantley released the
following statement regarding the bill:

  "In light of recent failures of FAA management in addressing
inspector's repeated safety concerns in this country, it is clear that the
FAA must be more vigilant in how it oversees the industry. The
McCaskill-Specter SAFE AIR Act takes aggressive action by ensuring that all
major air carrier maintenance work only be performed by certificated repair
stations, that foreign certificated repair stations are inspected at least
twice a year by an FAA inspector, and that all workers working on U.S.
aircraft at foreign repair facilities be drug and alcohol tested. If a
foreign repair facility wants to work on U.S.-registered aircraft or any
aircraft that operates in this country, meeting the same safety standards
as domestic repair stations should be non-negotiable.

  ''U.S. air carriers are increasingly relying upon overseas repair
facilities to perform critical maintenance work on its aircraft, and yet,
many of these facilities are not subject to the same level of oversight,
scrutiny and inspections as domestic repair stations. With airlines taking
tremendous cost-cutting steps to reduce overhead and operating expenses,
now is the time for the FAA to increase its oversight of airline
maintenance, especially oversees.

I'm sure it's not a done deal, but it's a start in the right direction, I personally feel that the American based airlines which sucked our tax money for a bailout after 9/11 and are now sucking our citizens eyes out, shouldn't be allowed to use workers from other nations, but thats just one mans opinion, or is it?

"Today, on the news, they said the cancellations may get worse. Worse? How can they get worse? What are they going to do? Take your luggage and then punch you in the face, too?" --Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, April 10th.

The airline industry which the tax paying people of the US bailed out in 2001, is screwing us all over again, our lives hang in the balance in this ever greedy corporate world, where the entire idea of putting profits over people, the lawful duty of a corporation, is destroying our world.

Since the 911 bailout, the airline industry has successfully sent highly skilled and FAA certified American jobs to other parts of the world where they don't even need FAA certification.

Unions, who some claim have overstayed their welcome, still are fighting the good fight to equalize the playing field for the common man.

Without union involvement and the help of whistle blowers acting out against the social injustices of corporations, the world would be much worse off.

Image from www.TellYourAAStory.com

Un-fuck-ing-be-liev-ab-le

In New York just 3 weeks ago, on 3/25/08, a Federal appeals court struck down the New York state law requiring airlines to give food, water, clean toilets and fresh air to passengers stuck in delayed planes, saying the measure was well-intentioned but stepped on federal authority.

The very next day, 3/26/08, American Airlines grounded it's fleet of Boeing MD-80's

The nation's largest carrier canceled more than 340 flights — or about 14 percent of its scheduled service — according to the latest results from FlightStats.com.

The need for the new inspections became known during an audit of American by a joint team of inspectors from the FAA and the Fort Worth-based airline.

It's now 2 weeks later, and heres a clip from ConsumerAffairs.com (4/10/08) :

The mandatory inspections of its fleet of MD-80 aircraft forced American Airlines to cancel 500 flights on Monday and nearly 1,000 on Wednesday, creating long lines of frustrated passengers in the nation's airports. The chaos is likely to continue today, with as many as 900 more flights scratched.

At Denver International Airport Tuesday, 19 of American's 22 scheduled departures were canceled, along with the same number of arrivals, according to the Denver Post. The newspaper reported lines to American's sixth-floor ticket counter snaked to the mezzanine area overlooking the terminal's north security checkpoint.

It was the same story in Orlando, where 22 flights were canceled Wednesday.

"Folks, if you think this is going to get better, hang on. It's going to get a lot worse." Rep. John Mica (R-FL) told WDBO Radio.

And it has only been getting worse, according to AeroNews.net (4/12/08) :

"We anticipate returning to a full schedule on Monday." That statement Friday from American Airlines no doubt comes as little reassurance to hundreds of thousands passengers inconvenienced in the past three days, due to the cancellation of nearly 3,000 flights for emergency inspections of its fleet of MD-80 airliners. In an email message to previous American Airlines customers, Marketing VP Dan Garton said the airline is really, really sorry for the trouble.

Recent FAA emphasis in the wake of heavy criticism

According to ConsumerAffairs.com (4/10/08- same article as above) :

American is just the latest airline to react to the FAA's new emphasis on inspections, in the wake of heavy criticism of the agency's monitoring and enforcement of inspection mandates. Southwest Airlines faces a possible $10 million fine after it few a number of its Boeing 737 jets that had not been inspected for cracks in their fuselage, as ordered.

The unions have responded in both cases, most recently in the American Airlines situation

Allied Pilots Association on American Airline's

From Airline Biz (4/10/08) :

The Allied Pilots Association, 19 months into non-moving contract talks with American Airlines, has taken out a big ad in USA Today to attack the airline's management.

Under photo of a disgruntled-looking man sitting on a cot with his roll-on bag by his side, the ad's headline asks the question: "Why is American Airlines failing its customers?"

The message includes a reference to the union's new Web site that allows employees and customers to complain about American, www.TellYourAAStory.com.

The ad sums up many of the complaints the APA has lodged against American management: poor maintenance, poor customer service, penny-pinching, etc. As an interesting note, it doesn't mention the union's beef about executive stock awards.

The ad doesn't say so, but we presume the timing is tied to American's decision to ground some 2,500 flights Tuesday-Thursday to go back and re-inspect its fleet of MD-80s that it had grounded two weeks earlier for the same reason.

On Tuesday, the union plans meetings at all its bases to turn up the heat over the executive stock plan, which will distribute stock to top executives and other key employees the next day.

The Teamster's on Southwest Airlines and airline outsourcing

Same article from above- Consumeraffairs.com (4/10/08) :

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Southwest, which faces a potential $10 million fine over the inspection violations, has cancelled plans to outsource aircraft maintenance to a company in El Salvador.

"We've been trying for years to get the FAA to pay attention to how dangerous it is to outsource maintenance overseas," said Teamsters Union President Jim Hoffa, whose members perform maintenance work in the U.S. "Our mechanics keep telling us how they often have to re-do work that was done wrong by airlines' outside vendors."

"Airline mechanics have to meet much higher standards in America than they do overseas," Hoffa said. "Mechanics in foreign shops don't even have to be FAA-certificated."

Hoffa said that between 1997 and 2006, U.S. airlines increased their outsourced maintenance expenses from 37 percent to 64 percent," Hoffa said.

In advance of Oberstar's Capitol Hill hearings on the subject, FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell said the agency would institute a two-year ban on former FAA inspectors going to work for airlines in important maintenance jobs.

FAA whistle blowers have increasingly complained that FAA inspectors failed to act on repeated warnings about Southwest's inspection lapses, allowing the airline to "voluntarily" report missed deadlines, thus avoiding penalties.

Is that what the airlines did with the 9/11 bailout money?

BusinessWeek, from way back in (11/26/01) :

Airlines used the attacks as justification for large federal subsidies, and Congress responded. A board of federal officials, headed by Federal Reserve Governor Edward Gramlich, has been authorized to dole out $10 billion in government-backed loans. Some $5 billion more is available in outright grants, and half of this amount has already been distributed to many airlines.

This assistance, with perhaps more to follow, is unwise because stockholders, creditors, employees, and suppliers should have to bear most of the costs of the economic slump and the aftermath of the hijackings.

From ConsumerAffairs (1/22/05)

JetBlue, Southwest, America West, Northwest and United are among the carriers who outsource major maintenance of their aircraft to contractors in other countries, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

• As JetBlue's new A320 Airbus fleet ages, aircraft are sent to a repair hub in El Salvador;
• America West also sends its jets to El Salvador;
• Southwest has always outsourced its major maintenance;
• US Airways mechanics agreed Friday to pay cuts and the outsourcing of 2,000 mechanics jobs;
• Northwest sends its wide-body jets to Singapore and Hong Kong;
• Bankrupt United Airlines recently won union approval to begin using outside contractors for heavy maintenance.

It wasn't long ago that major airlines employed their own highly-skilled mechanics, each with his or her own Federal Aviation Administration license. The mechanics, who often studied for two years before taking the test, could make $60 or more per hour.

Mechanics working for outsourcers don't have to be licensed. Only supervisors are required to hold FAA licenses and are responsible for oversight of the mechanics, who in countries like El Salvador may make $10 to $20 per hour.

Like squeezing the juice from a lemon, once again the tax paying American public has reinvested against it's own interests.

CEO's should be repaying into the tax system, not reaping great benefits. We got screwed without even a kiss.

Submitted by Richard ,04/03/08 at UnionReview

Courageous FAA inspectors are coming forward April 3 to tell the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure how Southwest Airlines, in collusion with FAA management, refused to perform necessary maintenance. Southwest kept planes with cracked fuselages in the air, even when told to ground them by FAA inspectors.

The problem doesn’t stop with Southwest, as the sudden grounding of hundreds of flights across major airlines demonstrates. The cause? As experts across the industry emphasized at the first-ever Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Summit (AMOS) in February, our nation’s entire system for overseeing aircraft maintenance is dysfunctional and dangerous. A key problem: crucial aircraft repairs are outsourced domestically and to countries like China and El Salvador – and the FAA’s outdated oversight system can’t keep pace. Rear-guard actions by airlines and discredited FAA management shouldn’t fool anyone: we need aggressive reform to fix this dangerous mess!

The Teamsters have joined with the Business Travel Coalition to lead CLAMOR (the Coalition to Legislate Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Reform). We will monitor the Congressional hearings and fight until we get real reforms. Join us in this fight!

From the pages of

From our newest friend, Union Girl's site "Women, Unions and their Stories" (3/13/08)

I confess, I haven't been following this story and now, I'm pissed at my own malfeasance, Dirtdiggers have the story:

The safety threats from outsourcing have also been cited for years by the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (FAA’s parent agency). A 2003 report by the IG found that major carriers were outsourcing some 47 percent of their total maintenance costs. The IG’s examination of conditions at a sample of repair stations used in the outsourcing found that 86 percent had “discrepancies” such as the use of improper parts and equipment and outdated manuals. A 2005 follow-up report found that the majors had upped the outsourced portion of their maintenance spending to 53 percent, with Southwest well above the average at 64 percent (see page 8).

Last June, the IG told Congress that the majors were now spending 64 percent of their maintenance dollars on contractors. He went on to point to the “challenges” facing the FAA in dealing with the continuing growth of outsourcing, including the fact that it did not have a good system for assigning its inspectors. But the agency told the IG it was addressing the problem—by commissioning a study from…a contractor.

Hit up the Phil Mattera post for all the latest links to reports. But as a primer on the scandal, United Press International has a brief note

Southwest was found to have allowed dozens of jets to fly beyond the date structural inspections were due.

The FAA fined the airline $10.2 million last week, but two FAA inspectors have charged that FAA officials had told them to back away from earlier notification that the airline's maintenance program had lapsed.

Southwest suspended three employees Wednesday.

And, from the Dallas Morning News:

The fine would be the largest ever levied against an airline, the FAA said.

When Southwest belatedly conducted the inspections, it found cracks in the bodies of six Boeing 737-300s, with the largest measuring 4 inches. Serious fractures can depressurize an aircraft and in 1988 caused an Aloha Airlines jet to rip apart, killing a flight attendant.

The FAA announced the fine a week before congressional investigators were to disclose findings from their own inquiry into Southwest's failure to meet airworthiness directives. That investigation was prompted by information provided by Dallas-based FAA inspectors who said their supervisors allowed the planes to keep flying even after Southwest reported its failure to make the scheduled inspections.

Did you see the bolded text? Let me repeat that:

That investigation was prompted by information provided by Dallas-based FAA inspectors who said their supervisors allowed the planes to keep flying even after Southwest reported its failure...

Now, if that isn't a kick in the pants, perhaps this might bring it hom, again, from the same piece:

Too many FAA supervisors have grown cozy with airline managers, Ms. Goodrich said. Inspectors are second-guessed if they highlight a costly problem that airlines don't want to address, she said [Linda Goodrich, a regional vice president for the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union].

Does anyone really believe it's a good idea for big business to police itself, or for that matter, to work with the inspectors who are there to police them? Seriously? Now, I also want to point out that no one should worry their pretty little heads about the inspectors who wanted better oversight, FAA dealt with them:

Mr. Boutris was removed from duty as he was investigated last year, according to Frank Gentile, an official with Mr. Boutris' union in Fort Worth. Mr. Gentile said the investigation was retaliatory for pushing the issue of how FAA managers dealt with Southwest.

"He was the inspector and found the issues with Southwest Airlines and went to report it to his appropriate supervisor," Mr. Gentile said. "He was told to back off."

Hmm, retalitory behavior, what a freaking surprise! But honestly, what would you expect from the leadership of the Department of Transportation. I mean, we are talking about the stewardship of Secretary Mary Peters. Of course, I really think her "stewardship" is more along the lines of a continued blatant disregard for anything other than big business, 24-7, safety be damned.

You can catch up on this issue through MSNBC's recent report.

Nice work Union Girl

This deserves an entire reposting, been considering a full original story on the understaffing of Air Traffic Controllers, Mike Hall at the AFL-CIO WebBlog has done a nice job with this one

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is telling air traffic controllers who speak out about safety conditions to get another job.

Last week, Don Chapman from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) told reporters that newly implemented changes in air space rules around the Philadelphia area had controllers concerned about safety and the added pressure on already overworked air traffic controllers. Chapman, NATCA’s Philadelphia facility representative, also noted the changes had been made without any input from the controllers.

When Delaware County Daily Times asked the FAA for a comment, agency spokesman Jim Peters told the paper:

If any controller at the Philadelphia Airport believes that these procedures are unsafe, they should look for work elsewhere.…If they don’t like working for FAA, they should reconsider their line of work.

This arrogant and outrageous comment is from the same agency that is driving a record number of air traffic controllers into early retirement or out of the field because of the working conditions created by the FAA’s unilaterally imposition of new work rules. Those rules, issued in 2006 after the FAA refused to return to the bargaining table with NATCA for a new contract, exacerbated an already serious staffing shortage in the towers and on the radar scopes.

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), says the comments are an “outrage” and:

demonstrate once again that the FAA is a rogue agency. The idea that professionals who have concerns about safety should “find another line of work” is an outrage. Everywhere in our society—from the military to hospitals to mines to food processing facilities—responsible organizations emphasize safety first and reward professional employees who identify safety deficiencies.

Several years ago, when the FAA began to eliminate controller involvement in agency projects, NATCA President Patrick Forrey was tossed off the airspace redesign committee. He says the FAA’s comments are:

the height of arrogance from an out-of-control agency that is now trying to stifle whistleblowers, intimidate union members and discredit controllers’ commitment to safety.

We will not be silenced. We will not stand by and do nothing while the agency pushes safe, sensible and time-tested implementation procedures to the side in favor of an authoritarian, “my way or the highway” style. We will not allow our union leaders and members to be threatened or disciplined because they dared to speak up about legitimate and troubling safety concerns that the public needs to be aware of.

Also check out related links at UnionReview which highlight the ineffectiveness of the FAA, the second one makes me sick.

NY: Sen. Schumer on JFK jumbo jet near miss calls for new technology and more control tower staffing (12/11/07)

FAA breaks law, schedules a worker for his seventh day in a row, charges the Air Traffic Controller with an Operational Error (11/16/07)