Stay here: Stakes high in aviation negotiations
The Witchita Eagle
Aug. 22, 2010
What’s going on within Wichita’s main industry inspires deep concern, raising the scary possibility that the canceled orders, scrapped plans and deep job cuts of the past two years might not be the prelude to the next boom after all.
Hawker Beechcraft is looking at moving work to other states and countries, with Louisiana and Mississippi among the contenders. Cessna Aircraft issued 75 more layoff notices Thursday (at its Independence plant), and recently opened its fourth facility in Mexico.
And the Machinists union just began contract negotiations Thursday with Hawker and Friday with Cessna, with the sides in both sets of talks agreeing that the times are beyond tough and the stakes are beyond high.
All eyes and hopes will be focused on those negotiations, especially because, according to what the union says in the case of Hawker, how they fare could determine whether the company stays.
Then again, Bombardier Aerospace recently recommitted to the city and state, thanks in part to a $27 million bond-financing deal landing Wichita the assembly of the new composite Learjet 85. And Spirit AeroSystems saw its net income rise in the second quarter and continues to view Wichita as key to its solid performance companywide (which recently did expand to a plant in Kinston, N.C.).
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