Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"It may seem odd that a union is filing a lawsuit over bonuses; however, the company is refusing to pay all of its mechanics more, even though there is a mechanic shortage and our members are leaving for better paying jobs at other unionized airlines. The solution to that is to negotiate fair compensation that rewards all of the mechanics for their skill and hard work, not to bypass negotiations and target only new recruits while more senior workers are forced to either leave the company or bargain endlessly for fair pay. The RLA requires ExpressJet to bargain with its mechanics about fair wages and that's what this lawsuit is intended to make the company do."

Source: Capt. David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division, commenting on the issues raised by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters lawsuit against ExpressJet Airlines, a United Express carrier, in a federal district court in Atlanta. The lawsuit alleges that the company triggered a "major dispute" under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), the law governing airline and railroad labor relations, when it unilaterally offered a bonus program to attract new airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanics while it was negotiating with the union over fair pay rates for those workers.

FMI: www.teamster.org