My man Senator Brian Schatz (D. HI) looking out for jobs in Hawaii:
http://westhawaiitoday.com/...
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz have asked United Airlines to rethink its outsourcing plans in Kona, Maui and Lihue.
United announced in mid-March that it would solicit bids from subcontractors in an effort to lower the carrier’s costs by outsourcing fleet and passenger service operations.
“I am asking United Airlines to cease its efforts to proceed with the outsourcing process,” said Schatz. “These are 220 jobs, essential to working families in Hawaii and central to our visitor industry and local economy. We all trusted United to follow through on their commitment and that’s what’s so terrible about this. United Airlines needs to keep its promise. In Washington, I will do everything in my power to ensure that happens.”
“With many years at United, I was hoping for a gold watch, not a pink slip,” said IAM member Maria Drey, who works for United in Maui. “This is about greed. Pure and simple.” - West Hawaii Today, 4/22/14
The IAM represents more than 30,000 ground workers at United Airlines and approximately 4,000 active and retired members in the Hawaiian Islands. Here's a little more info:
http://thegardenisland.com/...
UA spokesperson Megan McCarthy said there wasn’t an announcement regarding outsourcing of customer service and baggage handler jobs at Hawaii airports and didn’t say whether airline officials have talked to employees about costs.
UA has initiated a call for a Request for Proposals process to possibly solicit outside ground-handling service providers, McCarthy said. Everything is up for consideration but no indications have been made either way at this point.
“We haven’t made any decisions, but we must continually look for new opportunities to run a more efficient and financially sustainable business,” McCarthy said.
James Carlson, a spokesperson for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) union and Local Lodge 1979, said the next step is to get lawmakers to urge United to re-think their strategy. The last resort is the contract which states the airline must negotiate with workers prior to outsourcing. It would be up to workers to accept or reject any proposals.
“We’re going to be able to get in there and try to resolve this at the bargaining table but the fact that we need to is just not right in our estimation,” Carlson said.
For UA workers to keep their jobs after outsourcing, it may require transferring to Honolulu or to the Mainland. If they stay and try to work with the new service companies, they stand to do the same work for lower pay and fewer benefits — essentially taking them out of a middle class job, he said. - The Garden Island, 4/23/14
And Schatz has vowed to take action to keep these jobs in Hawaii:
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/...
Schatz vowed to rally to the defense of employees like this.
"As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and Subcommittee on Aviation, I'm prepared to begin a number of actions including a potential oversight hearing" he said.
Schatz and the union are worried that the actions in Hawaii could be a precursor to similar moves at other airports, by other airlines.
"If one airline reduces its labor costs, even marginally, then the other airlines turn around and say we have to lower our labor costs. So it can have a detrimental effect across many different markets if the company gets away with doing something like this" said Ira Levy of IAM. - Hawaii News Now, 4/22/14
Schatz is a proud supporter of organized labor and good paying jobs and it's essential that we make sure he wins his primary against corporate Democrat Colleen Hanabusa (D. HI) and continue to serve in the U.S. Senate. Click here to donate and get involved with his re-election campaign:
http://brianschatz.com/