But Keeps Most Union Jobs In Wichita
An offer on the table for the machinists union at Hawker
Beechcraft includes a 10 percent pay cut, but also pledges to keep
most union jobs in Wichita. The union vote is Saturday, and union
leadership is recommending a vote for the contract.
Base pay for union jobs at the Wichita facility would range from
$12.07 to $28.94 per hour, according to the summary document.
In a statement, the union negotiating committee called the
negotiations "extraordinary ... during extraordinarily bad
times."
"We have worked toward a commitment to keep jobs in Wichita,
while competing against other states who wished to poach our jobs,
with a company fighting for survival, too. Although there are
concessions, we made huge improvements in job security," the
statement, which is attached to a summary of the contract,
reads.
"Last week, the reality is that the plant teetered close to
being gone forever. Our brothers and sisters in Salina can tell us
how real it is. The Governor gave us a second chance to save the
jobs," the statement continues. "This contract protects two-thirds
of the bargaining unit jobs. While the concessions are a hard pill
to swallow, we keep jobs here for the long term. Of the jobs we
have secured, the State of Kansas will have a guarantee for these
jobs. When the market comes back, we can grow again. For those who
will lose jobs in the coming months, the State of Kansas will
provide tuition assistance for retraining."
In a separate statement regarding the contract proposal, Hawker
CEO Bill Boisture called the vote a "defining moment" in the
history of the company.
“Hawker Beechcraft and the union understand that its
members play an important role in helping our business adjust to
meet the harsh realities of a changed global economy and a changed
market for business and general aviation products," Boisture wrote.
"The fact that we are having a contract discussion almost a year
before the expiration date of the existing agreement is a very
significant reflection of that understanding and our shared sense
of urgency.
“We have implemented cost-cutting measures throughout the
company and improved business processes in an effort to work more
efficiently. Our efforts to build a stronger company are ongoing,
with the proposed union contract being just one piece of several
initiatives in work. The proposed contract is being offered
concurrent with a reduction of 350 people from the salaried ranks
of the company, which will be implemented no later than November
1.
“Earlier this month, the State of Kansas took decisive
action to lend its support to aviation manufacturing here in
Wichita and to Hawker Beechcraft specifically. If we can combine
this investment and the positive changes we have already made with
a new, long-term union agreement that aligns the compensation of
all of our employees; we will be in a much more stable position to
sustain a Kansas and American benchmark. Our presence here in
Wichita will be smaller, but the remaining people will be better
trained and equipped for the realities of global competition. We
will work together to form a solid foundation to build on when our
markets grow once again."
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