02-22-2019, 09:58 AM
quote:
Originally posted by leilanidude
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/southwest...49910.html
It is getting ugly.
As a retired AMT "Aircraft Maintenance Technician" let me clue you in to what is going on.
Employee wages are just about the only cost an airline has any control over.They pretty much operate with the minimum number of AMT's that it takes to operate the airline.Anytime airplanes go out of service above an expected number it is covered with overtime.
This all work great as long as everyone is happy.These guys at SWA haven't had a contract for 6 years.They are no longer happy.The 1st thing they do is start refusing overtime.
The airplanes are helping out because they break down more in cold weather.
Last week the company declared an operational "emergency" and demanded all mechanics turn up for work.
This means they are requiring mandatory overtime,it includes cancelling vacations and sometimes days off.They become more unhappy and start doing everything by the book.This means that a simple job like changing a tire ,which someone may have done 100 times,may result in them returning to the Maint office and printing up the entire job from the Maint Manual.
There is a lot more going on but in a nut shell this is what is happening.