News Articles, 9/2/2011
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September 06, 2011
Quick summary of today’s news articles (Full text of articles follows):
- In a special meeting Thursday, the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust accepted a pending $7.59 million Federal Aviation Administration grant for phase two of the reconstruction of Tulsa International Airport’s 10,000-foot main north-south runway. Trustees also approved three contracts associated with the phase two runway reconstruction project. (Tulsa World)
- Sam Cirri, president of Transport Workers Union Local 514 in Tulsa, which represents 5,600 airline mechanics at the American Airlines Maintenance & Engineering Center, sat down with Don Stewart of the Tulsa World for a brief Q & A session (Tulsa World)
- Cherokee Nation Industries (CNI) in is a good business model and success story for the aerospace industry in Oklahoma, said Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb. Lamb recently toured the Stilwell, Oklahoma-based facility as part of a focus on small businesses and economic development. (Indian Country Today)
- With the authorization for Federal Aviation Administration funding set to expire in two weeks, House and Senate leadership don’t appear to be any closer to a long-term agreement than they were leading up to this summer’s embarrassing shutdown, which halted 250 aviation-related projects and put an estimated 80,000 contractors and government employees temporarily out of work. (The Huffington Post)
STATE AIRPORTS
Grant, three contracts OK’d for Tulsa Airport runway project
By D.R. STEWART, Staff Writer
Tulsa World
9/2/2011
In a special meeting Thursday, the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust accepted a pending $7.59 million Federal Aviation Administration grant for phase two of the reconstruction of Tulsa International Airport’s 10,000-foot main north-south runway.
Trustees also approved three contracts associated with the phase two runway reconstruction project.
Jeff Hough, deputy airports director of engineering and facilities, said the second phase of the runway reconstruction project will involve the north 1,000 feet of the runway.
Construction on phase two is expected to begin next winter or spring, Hough said.
Sherwood Construction Co. of Tulsa recently completed the $7.7 million first phase of the runway project, which rebuilt the 18-inch-thick-by-150-feet-wide south 1,300 feet of the runway.
The main runway was last reconstructed about 30 years ago, airport officials said.
Hough said the $7.59 million FAA grant accepted by trustees for phase two of the runway work is 95 percent of the cost of the project. TAIT will contribute the balance of the costs.
Trustees approved a $6.83 million contract with Sherwood Construction Co. for the phase two runway reconstruction design work. Sherwood’s bid was the sole bid received on the project.
“We’re very satisfied with the bid,” Hough said.
The engineer’s estimate of phase two design costs was $7.03 million.
Trustees also approved a not-to-exceed $499,000 construction management services contract for the phase two runway project with Atkins, North America Inc.
A not-to-exceed $204,465 contract for preliminary engineering services on reconstruction of the 6,101-foot west, or general aviation, runway and its associated Taxiway Lima was approved with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. of Fort Worth.
Hough said the west runway engineering work is being considered because in the latter phases of the main runway reconstruction, some of the commercial airline traffic will be shifted to the west runway.
OK AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
5 questions with Sam Cirri
By D.R. STEWART, Staff Writer
Tulsa World
9/2/2011
Sam Cirri is president of Transport Workers Union Local 514 in Tulsa, which represents 5,600 airline mechanics at the American Airlines Maintenance & Engineering Center, the largest airline maintenance base in the world. A native of Rochester, N.Y., Cirri has worked at American for 24 years.
1. The Transport Workers Union has been negotiating a new labor contract with American Airlines for nearly four years. How close are the two sides to a tentative agreement, and what are the remaining issues that have to be resolved?
While we’re making progress with management, there’s still a lot of work to do. The major issues that remain are compensation and retirement benefits. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, we collectively sacrificed $1.6 billion in wages and benefits – annually – to keep American out of bankruptcy, and we’re committed to the future of the company.
2. What are some of the biggest misconceptions the public has about unionized airline workers and their jobs?
It’s human nature to have misconceptions about professions one may not know much about.
Our members are highly trained in all areas of work. Mechanics have at least two years or more of Airframe and Power Plant training in order to receive their A&P license. Welders, operating engineers, plumbers and electricians are also licensed. The Stores group must pass security and FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) requirements, as do Fleet Service employees who load and unload the aircraft and have a physically demanding job.
Our workers have a history of giving back to the Tulsa community. They build Habitat for Humanity homes, volunteer with United Way, support our military and give their time and resources to many other efforts for the betterment of Tulsa.
3. What is the typical educational progression a person goes through to become an aircraft mechanic or Aircraft Maintenance Technician?
Becoming an aircraft mechanic is a rigorous but rewarding two-to-four-year process. In addition to earning airframe and power plant training and licensing through the FAA, all employees must meet and follow regulations outlined by the FAA, U.S. Department of Transportation and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The best airline mechanics and maintenance control technicians are critical thinkers who are also good with their hands. They perform scheduled maintenance, make repairs and complete required inspections. They can do everything from changing a tire to rebuilding a turbine engine.
4. What are the most rewarding parts of an AMT’s job? What are some of the difficult features of the job?
It’s a huge responsibility to know that the lives of so many passengers are on the line when it comes to air travel. As airline mechanics and maintenance control technicians, we take a lot of pride in performing what we believe is the highest-quality aircraft service work in the industry right here in Tulsa.
There’s a deep sense of history and camaraderie among our workers in Tulsa. Some of the difficulties are the 24/7 working hours – it’s not a 9-to-5 job. Sometimes it can be trying on family life, especially if you have kids. Another challenge of this industry is its cyclical nature of layoffs, which forces relocation to maintain one’s job.
5. What would you tell a young person about a career in the airline industry or a job as an AMT?
There’s tremendous opportunity. As the current work force ages and retires, airlines are looking for bright, young and motivated people to keep the industry moving forward in an innovative way.
If you don’t want to spend all day at a desk behind a computer, and you’re not afraid of the outdoor elements like snow or heat, this might be the job for you. You need to be quick on your feet and good with your hands. But unless you plan on becoming CEO of the company, I would recommend becoming a union member so that you can provide safety for yourself and your family in terms of wages, benefits and safety on the job.
Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Visits Cherokee Nation Industries
By ICTMN Staff
Indian Country Today
9/2/201
Cherokee Nation Industries (CNI) in is a good business model and success story for the aerospace industry in Oklahoma, said Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb.
Lamb recently toured the Stilwell, Oklahoma-based facility as part of a focus on small businesses and economic development.
“The Cherokee Nation, what they’re doing in economic development, it’s extremely impressive,” Lamb said in a Cherokee Nation press release. “It’s not been a secret of anyone in the state that the tribes have been diversifying in so many facets of the economy.”
He also noted the positive effect of tribal businesses on small communities in Oklahoma. “Cherokee Nation’s success is Oklahoma’s success,” said Lamb. “The fact that all these international companies want to come to Stilwell to do business, that’s a big statement.”
CNI, a subsidiary of Cherokee Nation Businesses, the tribally owned holding company of the Cherokee Nation, has operated as a government contractor manufacturing and distributing aerospace and defense products since 1969. Its aerospace and defense division runs out of 120,000-plus square feet of expandable manufacturing space in Stilwell and employs 150 people. Seventy of those employees worked on projects for The Boeing Company, which gave CNI a Gold Status rating, the highest rating given to a vendor.
FAA REAUTHORIZATION
FAA Shutdown Looms Once Again As Lawmakers See Little Progress
By Dave Jamieson
The Huffington Post
9/1/2011
WASHINGTON — With the authorization for Federal Aviation Administration funding set to expire in two weeks, House and Senate leadership don’t appear to be any closer to a long-term agreement than they were leading up to this summer’s embarrassing shutdown, which halted 250 aviation-related projects and put an estimated 80,000 contractors and government employees temporarily out of work.
In fact, House Republicans still haven’t delegated members to a committee conference where their differences with Senate Democrats can be hashed out — increasing the possibility of shutdown déjà vu come Sept. 16.
“House Republicans put thousands of people out of work this summer by shutting down the FAA,” said Vincent Morris, spokesman for Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate commerce and transportation committee. “We’d hate to see a replay of that this fall. A good first step would be if they would finally appoint conferees.”
The FAA hasn’t had a long-term funding plan in place since its last one expired in 2007. Since then, the agency has been relying on a series of temporary extensions that have proven vulnerable to political gamesmanship.
When neither a short nor long-term agreement was reached in June, the FAA was forced to shut down all of its non-essential operations and stop collecting aviation taxes until temporary funding was secured six weeks later. Some personnel were even forced to pay expenses out their own pockets as they continued to work.
The most contentious element of the long-term funding bill has been an anti-labor provision inserted by Republicans that would make it more difficult for airline workers to unionize. Democrats, including Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), have accused House Republicans and the transportation committee chairman, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), of inserting the provision at the behest of Delta.
“The claims about Delta are not accurate,” Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said in an email. “The prior shutdown involved other provisions that had nothing to do with Delta. We support FAA reauthorization and strongly oppose an FAA shutdown.”
The labor provision may wind up in the long-term bill once again — and perhaps even a short-term bill as well, if Republicans choose to finally force the issue. Sources say virtually all of the other major issues at play have been resolved, leaving the labor element the last to be negotiated. A spokesperson for Mica would only say that the congressman is “returning to D.C. to consult with Republican leadership before granting the 22nd FAA extension.”
“The question is if John Mica is willing to fall on his sword by shutting down the FAA again or holding up a much needed long-term bill,” said Shane Larson, legislative director for the Communications Workers of America. “All for an unrelated and controversial labor provision, all for the benefit of one airline: Delta.”
While Americans have roundly criticized Congress for doing little to stimulate a sagging economy, the FAA stalemate is a unique case where Congressional inaction has actively hurt the economy. Many of the workers who were furloughed last time still haven’t been paid for the paychecks they missed, which is money that hasn’t being pumped into local markets. And even though stop-work orders may be issued and then lifted at a moment’s notice, massive construction projects unfortunately can’t be stopped and restarted with such ease.
“It’s not easy, and it’s not free,” said Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America. “Taxpayers end up paying more every time they shut it down. They have to secure these sites.”
“If this happens again,” Turmail went on, “especially in the northern states with short construction seasons and long winters, you could have delays not of a week or two weeks but of four months.”
The stakes are high for FAA employees and contractors vulnerable to more furloughs.
Michael Weatherby, a 43-year-old computer specialist at the William J. Hughes Technical Center at the airport in Atlantic City, N.J., was among the 650 workers furloughed there last time and says he doesn’t know if he’ll ever recoup the money he missed. Last weekend, during Hurricane Irene, his forced evacuation wound up costing him around $1,000 including hotel. Now he’s worried he may be furloughed again.
“People here are nervous about it,” said Weatherby, who added that many of his colleagues, too, were hurt by the last shutdown. “Unfortunately, it’s a matter of them being able to do the right thing and compromise. They really haven’t proven they can do that at this point. … It’s putting people out of work just for political leveraging.”
That leveraging could hurt certain Republicans more than others. After the last furlough, Republican Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo, the congressman for Weatherby’s district, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood hosted a town hall at the Hughes Technical Center that had a turnout that Weatherby described as “massive.” The attendees told woeful stories about how the last stoppage had financially crippled them. One transportation official said her eyes welled up as she heard the stories.
According to a spokesman for LoBiondo, the congressman has voted both in committee and on the House floor to strip the FAA bill of the controversial labor provision, putting him at odds with many of his colleagues.
“He made it clear … that he does not support its inclusion,” said spokesman Jason Galanes in an email. “The Congressman strongly supports finishing this critical bill that has languished in Congress for four years.”
The best incentive for an agreement may be the embarrassment and criticism both parties will face in the event of another shutdown. LaHood, a Republican, will likely blast both parties once again for not hammering out their disagreements. LaHood earlier had urged House Republicans to send the Senate a clean bill stripped of the controversial labor element, to no avail.
A senior transportation official said that another failure to secure funding will hold up $130 million devoted to airport projects around the country.
“Members of Congress must work together,” LaHood told HuffPost in a statement. “Communities could lose millions in federal funding for important airport improvement projects if Congress does not act quickly.”
