inflightboi175
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The company that bought Midwest Airlines last year has added nearly 400 local jobs since October, moving it halfway toward a goal of adding as many as 800 jobs in Milwaukee and Oak Creek by the end of 2010.
But Republic Airways Holdings Inc., based in Indianapolis, has hired just a few former Midwest pilots and only about 40 former Midwest flight attendants.Most of the 800 former Midwest flight crew members who have lost their jobs since 2008 are awaiting the outcome of arbitration proceedings. Those cases will determine how those furloughed Midwest employees rank on combined seniority lists of union flight crews from Midwest, Republic and Frontier Airlines, which Republic also bought last year.Meanwhile, roughly 35 Frontier mechanics who are transferring from the carrier's former Denver headquarters to Milwaukee discovered at the last minute that their pay would be frozen indefinitely. Those mechanics, members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, say Republic is not honoring their union contract - a claim the company denies.
All of this is happening at a time of great flux for Midwest. Among the changes: the likelihood that Republic will drop the Midwest brand name later this year.
For years, Republic flew regional aircraft for large carriers, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, under names such as Delta Connection and United Express. Republic bought Midwest in July and Frontier in October, giving it standalone airlines to operate.
Republic Chief Executive Bryan Bedford vowed to rebuild Midwest's business at Mitchell International Airport, where the airline's market share has plunged to about 35% from 50%. Midwest has added new non-stop destinations, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, and, in November, Bedford said Republic would double its local workforce by adding up to 800 jobs over the next year.
That was good news for Midwest, which has eliminated more than 2,600 jobs since the start of 2008.
Bedford said Republic would shift about 400 positions to Mitchell International and Midwest's Oak Creek offices from Frontier. Another 100 jobs would be created, including customer service, information technology and sales positions. And 300 new flight crew positions would be based at Mitchell.
Bedford estimated about half of the 800 new jobs would involve relocations of Frontier and Republic employees, with the remaining 400 openings filled by Milwaukee-area residents. He said many of those positions would be offered to former employees of Midwest Airlines, which had 3,445 employees when it was sold on Jan. 31, 2008, to TPG Capital and Northwest Airlines. TPG/Northwest sold Midwest to Republic at loss of over $400 million.Republic now has 1,140 employees based in Milwaukee and Oak Creek, company spokesman Carlo Bertolini said.
Republic furloughed Midwest's flight crews when it replaced the Boeing 717 jets, Midwest's former main fleet, with aircraft flown by less-experienced, lower-paid Republic crews. About 800 Midwest pilots and flight attendants are on furlough, including those who lost their jobs before Republic bought Midwest.The former pilots won't have a chance to fly Republic aircraft until a seniority list is created that combines former Midwest pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, with Republic pilots, represented by the Teamsters, and Frontier pilots, represented by their own independent union, said Bryan Jandorf, spokesman for the Midwest pilots union.
The former Midwest pilots generally have more seniority than the majority of Republic pilots and most Frontier pilots, Jandorf said. With each union trying to protect its members, negotiations to combine the seniority list didn't produce a solution, he said. An arbitration proceeding on the dispute begins next week, and a ruling is expected by June, Jandorf said.
Midwest's former flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, have a grievance pending against Republic, arguing their contract gives them the right to work on the aircraft that replaced the Boeing 717s.In a separate arbitration case, the association, which also is bidding to represent Frontier's flight attendants, and the Teamsters, which represents Republic flight attendants, are awaiting a ruling on whether Republic, Frontier and Midwest should be considered a single airline. Such a ruling would trigger an election in which flight attendants from the combined operation vote on whether the Teamsters or the association represents them, said Cat Reed, president of the Midwest flight attendants union. That, in turn, would lead to negotiations on a combined seniority list.
But Republic Airways Holdings Inc., based in Indianapolis, has hired just a few former Midwest pilots and only about 40 former Midwest flight attendants.Most of the 800 former Midwest flight crew members who have lost their jobs since 2008 are awaiting the outcome of arbitration proceedings. Those cases will determine how those furloughed Midwest employees rank on combined seniority lists of union flight crews from Midwest, Republic and Frontier Airlines, which Republic also bought last year.Meanwhile, roughly 35 Frontier mechanics who are transferring from the carrier's former Denver headquarters to Milwaukee discovered at the last minute that their pay would be frozen indefinitely. Those mechanics, members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, say Republic is not honoring their union contract - a claim the company denies.
All of this is happening at a time of great flux for Midwest. Among the changes: the likelihood that Republic will drop the Midwest brand name later this year.
For years, Republic flew regional aircraft for large carriers, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, under names such as Delta Connection and United Express. Republic bought Midwest in July and Frontier in October, giving it standalone airlines to operate.
Republic Chief Executive Bryan Bedford vowed to rebuild Midwest's business at Mitchell International Airport, where the airline's market share has plunged to about 35% from 50%. Midwest has added new non-stop destinations, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, and, in November, Bedford said Republic would double its local workforce by adding up to 800 jobs over the next year.
That was good news for Midwest, which has eliminated more than 2,600 jobs since the start of 2008.
Bedford said Republic would shift about 400 positions to Mitchell International and Midwest's Oak Creek offices from Frontier. Another 100 jobs would be created, including customer service, information technology and sales positions. And 300 new flight crew positions would be based at Mitchell.
Bedford estimated about half of the 800 new jobs would involve relocations of Frontier and Republic employees, with the remaining 400 openings filled by Milwaukee-area residents. He said many of those positions would be offered to former employees of Midwest Airlines, which had 3,445 employees when it was sold on Jan. 31, 2008, to TPG Capital and Northwest Airlines. TPG/Northwest sold Midwest to Republic at loss of over $400 million.Republic now has 1,140 employees based in Milwaukee and Oak Creek, company spokesman Carlo Bertolini said.
Republic furloughed Midwest's flight crews when it replaced the Boeing 717 jets, Midwest's former main fleet, with aircraft flown by less-experienced, lower-paid Republic crews. About 800 Midwest pilots and flight attendants are on furlough, including those who lost their jobs before Republic bought Midwest.The former pilots won't have a chance to fly Republic aircraft until a seniority list is created that combines former Midwest pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, with Republic pilots, represented by the Teamsters, and Frontier pilots, represented by their own independent union, said Bryan Jandorf, spokesman for the Midwest pilots union.
The former Midwest pilots generally have more seniority than the majority of Republic pilots and most Frontier pilots, Jandorf said. With each union trying to protect its members, negotiations to combine the seniority list didn't produce a solution, he said. An arbitration proceeding on the dispute begins next week, and a ruling is expected by June, Jandorf said.
Midwest's former flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, have a grievance pending against Republic, arguing their contract gives them the right to work on the aircraft that replaced the Boeing 717s.In a separate arbitration case, the association, which also is bidding to represent Frontier's flight attendants, and the Teamsters, which represents Republic flight attendants, are awaiting a ruling on whether Republic, Frontier and Midwest should be considered a single airline. Such a ruling would trigger an election in which flight attendants from the combined operation vote on whether the Teamsters or the association represents them, said Cat Reed, president of the Midwest flight attendants union. That, in turn, would lead to negotiations on a combined seniority list.
