O/T 13% pay cut for machinists at United Airlines

[Philcott]

Hi all,

 

Just heard the machinists at United Airlines have been required to take a 13% pay cut. Hope this is not the start of a trend.

 

Phil

[KJS]

The airline industry is in real bad shape this may be the chief reason for the pay cut.

[mikee]

A friend of mine working in a job shop doing Raytheon work told me the big boss came around to about half the shop with this:

" You leave the machines dirty, end mills are being left out, Iam cutting your pay from $22 to $18.

(I think the job shops are low balling to get work myself)

Nice new years present

 

Mikee

[Surface]

I'm one of those low balling shops. There has been very little work in my area for a long time now. I hate to take someones job or see anyone laid off, but as self employed, I can't collect unemployment. All I can do watch, wait and try to pay the bills.

[Jim from Eastech]

I don't know about anyone else, but I want the best of the best working on any plane that I am going to be flying. Reducing pay of the machinist is not my idea of saving money when peoples lives are at stake. For example, the commuter plane that crashed this week in NC. Initial cause of accident is pointing to recently performed maint.

[KMaynard]

This is a growing trend .. I've been working on a wage freeze and pay cut since Oct 16 2001 with no end in sight

[pactec]

Actually what I heard was that the plane was flagged for repair by one of the techs but they were overruled by a supervisor. Makes you think, especially if you travel quite a bit.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Flying is STILL the safest mode of transportation, with that said, true Machinists are HIGHLY skilled and should be paid accordingly. I would have a hard time paying a pencil pusher $100k or more. I say cut the management's salary in half and leave the people that actually do work alone!

 

JM2C

[Todd Mann from Fastech]

Hi all. As a aircraft machinist I do agree they are very skilled and shuold be payed accordingly.

The airline industry itself (speaking from the air frieght business) has been good on the shipment side but they have been reducing the amount of part being repaired. I am not saying the the aircrafts are flying unsafe. I am saying that if a part is replaced on a airplane that it is put on a shelf and repair only if it is needed for another airplane. This is there way of reducing maint. cost. This has really affected our jobs. There hasn't been anyone in our shop get layed off or have they ask us to take a wage reduction but how long can they afford to pay us to stand around.

The airline industery itself is the safest in the world and the best way to travel.

As far as United I think it a union thing. I have nothing agianst union but I do not want to be a part of one. The teamster have been tring to get into our company for years and it seem to me they are broke and need more dues.

Well just my two cents.