Negotiations Herald New Era at Hawker Beechcraft

The IAM marked an historic occasion this week with the opening round of contract talks between Locals 733 and 2328 and Hawker Beechcraft, the newly-formed company that resulted from last year’s sale of Raytheon’s aircraft division to Onex Corporation.

These negotiations find Hawker Beechcraft well-positioned in a booming aircraft market, after the industry-wide downturn that followed the attacks of 9/11. The job market in Kansas is also strong, with more jobs than skilled workers. Hawker Beechcraft currently has over 1,000 job openings.

“We used to think the good old days of general aviation were long gone. But the industry today is healthier than ever,” said International President Tom Buffenbarger. “However, the general economy is tough, and our members worry about wars, they worry about being able to afford a good home and they worry about being able to afford fuel to simply to get to work. They are looking for a piece of the pie during these good times.”

Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez added, “This is a new company and a new day, and we have the opportunity to put the mistakes of the Raytheon days behind us. The members suffer from a substandard pension, and we certainly feel that it would be in everyone’s best interests to implement the IAM Pension Plan at Hawker Beechcraft. We need a strong Cost of Living Allowance provision to protect our members against inflation.”

“We look forward to the opportunities in this round of bargaining,” said Aerospace Coordinator Ron Eldridge. “Our 4,600 members at Locals 733 and 2328 have worked long and hard to bring about the prosperity of Hawker Beechcraft, and now is the time for our members and their families to share the bounty of a successful company.”

The Hawker Beechcraft contract expires August 3.