Company May Outsource Work To Other States

To say a negotiating session between Textron and the machinists union on Sunday went badly would be an understatement. At the end of the day, Textron reportedly left the session saying that it would be actively seeking to outsource work to other states, according to a union representative.

The Wichita Eagle reports that a vote on a tentative contract that had been planned for Wednesday will now not be held, according to Frank Molina, directing business representative for the Machinists District 70.

The major sticking point was a provision requested by the union that Textron put in writing that it will keep jobs in Wichita. Molina said that was the reason Textron wanted to negotiate a single contract after the conglomerate acquired Beechcraft and formed Textron Aviation. Molina said that company negotiators refused to put that provision in writing, and walked out of the room without proposing anything.

One company official told the union's negotiating team earlier in the process that it has been getting regular offers from Louisiana of large incentives to move work to that state. Other states are also being considered, Molina said.

When Louisiana tempted Beechcraft with hefty incentive back in 2010, the state of Kansas put together a package that beat that offer to keep the company in Wichita.

Molina said that the union membership was very clear that they wanted the provision keeping jobs in Wichita from Textron in writing.

Current contracts between Beechcraft and Cessna and the machinists expire in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and those agreements will remain in force if no joint contract is reached. The union represents over 4,000 workers now employed by Textron Aviation.

FMI: www.textronaviation.com, www.goiam.org