- As the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) prepares to hold its first Airline Summit meeting on maintenance outsourcing in Washington, DC, today, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) officials said, "Better late than never."

"This is the first time the IBT has shown any real interest in limiting outsourcing. They've been at Continental Airlines for 10 years and still don't have any outsourcing audit provisions in their contract. These provisions and other measures have been standard in AMFA's carrier contracts for many years," said AMFA National Director Steve MacFarlane.

MacFarlane said data collected by the respected MIT Airline Project shows that for the period 1995-2006, outsourcing percentages have grown substantially higher than industry averages at airlines under contract with IBT.

"We're glad that the IBT is starting to pay attention to an issue that has been of primary concern to AMFA and other unions representing aircraft technicians at U.S. carriers," MacFarlane added. "Once they get up to speed on this important issue, all of the unions can work together to address it aggressively."

AMFA is the largest craft union representing aircraft technicians and related employees and serves members at Alaska Airlines, ATA, Horizon Air, Mesaba Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. AMFA's motto is "Safety in the air begins with quality maintenance on the ground."

AMFA National
Steve MacFarlane, 612-910-8003

Source: amfanational.org