Teamsters Statement on Sturgell Nomination
Official Statement of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa WASHINGTON, April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is an official statement by Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa:
The Teamsters for years tried to get the Federal Aviation Administration to pay attention to the dangers of outsourcing maintenance overseas. We did this on behalf of our aviation mechanic members and the flying public. Recently I wrote a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell telling him that I am concerned about the lax oversight of foreign repair stations. The problem has worsened as airlines increasingly outsource their heavy maintenance. I have yet to receive the courtesy of a response from Mr. Sturgell.
Yesterday United Airlines mechanics became Teamsters, bringing our membership of aviation mechanics to 18,000. Given those numbers, I expect Mr. Sturgell to sit down with us to talk about raising standards for overseas repair stations. Our mechanics know this problem cold. They tell us they frequently have to re-do work that was done wrong by outsourced repair shops. They want something done about it, and they want it done quickly. What alarms me is the increase in outsourced work. For the 10 years ending in 2006, U.S. airlines increased their outsourced maintenance expenses from 37 percent to 64 percent. I understand the Senate Commerce Committee intends to vote on his nomination as FAA administrator today. I hope the full Senate refuses to consider a vote on his appointment as FAA administrator until questions about the agency's safety oversight are resolved. It isn't a coincidence that three airlines grounded large numbers of planes in the past two weeks. Clearly something was wrong with the way the FAA oversaw aviation safety. Now they're trying to fix it. I hope this is more than a show to make the flying public feel safe. Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. There are more than 18,000 Teamsters mechanics and related staff at 12 airlines. First Call Analyst:
CONTACT: Leslie Miller of International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Web Site: http://www.teamster.org/
2008-04-02 16:37:53 0326857 PRNEWSWIRE
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