fugghedabowdit said:
Supposedly some Indy Air AC may be coming our way. I've heard from 15-50. Also a base in MEM. All rumor at this point.
But it is fact that they are looking for training dept people, all domiciles.
This is in hopes of winning the NWA contract. They are also hiring Check airmen at the moment.
Comair inks deal with 2nd union
The Cincinnati Post
January 28, 2006
Comair's turnaround plan moved ahead Friday with an agreement from its mechanics union to a modest pay cut.
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers - which represents 600 workers, including 400 based at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport - approved a five-year contract that will cut salaries by 2 percent. The pact calls for a 2 percent raise in 2 years, followed by another round of salary negotiations in mid-2009.
Joe Tiberi, spokesman for the union, said mechanics hope the agreement keeps Comair viable.
"It addresses the needs of the company in bankruptcy, but it also provides for the members to be part of Comair's future," he said. "We certainly want to see Comair succeed and remain in business."
The pay cuts Comair asked from mechanics were not nearly as large as those it extracted from its pilots and seeks from its flight attendants.
Katie Moser, a Comair spokeswoman, said the carrier is trying in all three cases to get wages and benefits in line with industry standards.
"Each work group has been asked to make concessions in order to bring them into a cost competitive range within the regional industry," she said.
The company has maintained that the pilots and flight attendants had pay packages that were higher than average within the regional jet industry, while the mechanics were closer to average.
Allen Messick, Comair vice president overseeing maintenance, said Friday the agreement was an important part of Comair's restructuring effort.
"It also allows us to continue building on our current capabilities and provides a critical element in being able to realize additional opportunities for everyone on the maintenance team," he said in a letter to mechanics.
The maintenance contract ratification came one week after Comair's pilots union narrowly agreed to a four-year contract that included much larger cuts in pay and benefits. It squeaked through with 50.6 percent of the pilots' vote. The pilots will see their pay sliced 9 to 21 percent, with the lowest-paid pilots bearing the biggest percentage loss.
Comair and the flight attendants' union met in Washington Friday to continue negotiations on a new contract.
Victoria Gray, a spokeswoman for the flight attendants, said little progress has been made because Comair has not budged from its initial demand of $8.9 million in givebacks. "We do not believe the company has economically justified the demands it's made."
The union estimates Comair wants concession amounting to $10,000 to $12,000 per employee.
"And when you're starting salary is $20,000 and tops out at $40,000, it's a pretty extraordinary demand," she said. "They argue that the industry (average worker) is paid a lot less, and many of these regional carriers are paying $15,000 to start and topping out at $30,000. How people live on that wage is a question that nobody seems to be concerned about."
Comair made good on its promise to seek new partnerships with other airlines beside its parent company Delta Air Lines when it confirmed that it has put in a bid to fly for Northwest.
Comair and Delta spokeswomen confirmed their contract lets Comair fly for other airlines.
Gina Laughlin, a Delta spokeswoman, said it is not opposed to the move. "Delta supports Comair in its efforts to realign its business to be more competitive."
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