Thread: U.S. Aircraft Repair Jobs Sold to Foreign Workers

This is the latest of a series of reports by investigative reporter Byron Harris of WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX. His earlier stories on the lack of English skills required of aircraft mechanics working in the United States has led to 17 Congressional representatives writing to the FAA asking that the situation be corrected. Links to previous stories in the series are given at the end of the article. Video at source.

Aircraft repair jobs sold to foreign workers, resumes not important

02:12 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 1, 2009

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV
Video
July 1st, 2009
Byron Harris reports.

A News 8 investigation found that hundreds of aircraft mechanics have been brought into the United States to work at aircraft repair facilities.

Insiders say the companies that are importing the mechanics are so eager to save money, they’re overstating their qualifications. The result may be a threat to safety, abetted by lax enforcement of immigration law.

At daybreak any morning at San Antonio Aerospace, hundreds of workers amble through the gates for the day shift. They repair big jets like Airbuses, Boeing 757s and MD-11s. But, despite the fact that it's a huge facility in the middle of the San Antonio International Airport, a large number of the mechanics are only temporary workers from foreign countries.

News 8 found they’re from Mexico, the Philippines and Chile, among other places. They have been brought specifically to the United States to work for San Antonio Aerospace (SAA). News 8 followed a special bus San Antonio Aerospace, used to pick up foreign workers every morning. Workers riding on the bus were from the Philippines. The workers, who wouldn’t say how much money they make, are part of a stream of imported mechanics brought to this country at cut-rate wages, according to several sources familiar with the business.

Jada Williams used to work for one of the contracting companies, Aircraft Workers Worldwide (AWW), based in Daphne, Alabama. AWW supplied workers for two facilities, Mobile Aerospace Engineering (MAE) in Mobile, Alabama and San Antonio Aerospace, which are both controlled by ST Aerospace. San Antonio Aerospace is a division of ST Aerospace, the largest aircraft repair company in world.

"They’ve employed over 200 since I left,â€

Well little to no coverage has been given to the manufacturing jobs the illegal workers have taken from American Citizens.

Back in 2001 I had a misunderstanding on the availability of coal mining mechanical engineers and a contact in Ukraine so I looked into giving Ukrainian coal miners the opportunity to work here. The thing that held the effort up the most was the requirement of perfect fluency to work underground. The Ukrainians belonged to UMW affiliated unions and so were told that they could work here by the UMW if they paid dues. Miners do not need perfect English as there are few words used in mining. In South Africa miners from many tribes in Southern Africa communicate with each other in a simple language called Fanakolo. OSHA wants to be able to get complete understanding of what happened in case of an accident. Increased pay pulls Americans with mining experience out of other jobs. The mining companies had threatened to hire foreign miners to lower wages underground. There is an opportunity for foreign mining mechanical engineers in above ground repairs.

Currently some of the above ground maintenance of way labor is done by immigrants and some illegal miners called dogholers hire illegal labor underground.

I want to know just WHEN are Americans going to start boycotting the companies that contribute to this? They sit around and bitch about our jobs going to illegals and other countries but they never do anything. It's no wonder these companies just keep pulling out and hiring others.

Stop bitching and start boycotting. These companies listen when the law suits fly and the profits go down. We are still a nation with money to spend and when we go to Walmart and buy a TV from Mexico, all it does it tell the manufacturer it's okay. We don't care. Sell us down the river. We love to complain and never voice our opinion with movement or where we spend our precious money.

Here is the company involved, but since it is "global" it is obvious they feel they are not bound by the laws of any paltry and outdated "nation state" like the United States. And that's the whole point of "globalism", isn't it? - to make large corporations into "kings" which are "above the law" around the world?

SAA
San Antonio Aerospace LP

ST Aerospace is a global company with more than 7,000 employees around the world and a global customer base that includes the world's advanced military forces, major airlines and leading freight carriers.

As a leading independent, third party aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) with an annual capacity of more than eight million man hours in 2006, and extensive capabilities in engineering and development, engines, aircraft components repair and spares, we assure our customers consistency in quality standards for all your aviation maintenance and engineering services.

With international offices and facilities located in key aviation hubs in Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East, ST Aerospace believes in being responsive to our customers’ needs. Our work processes are focused on meeting your requirements and creating value for you to enhance your operational excellence.

http://www.staero.aero/www/aboutus.asp

San Antonio Aerospace LP
www.staero.aero

9610 John Saunders Rd
San Antonio, TX 78216-4206, United States
+1 210-293-3200

My cousin lost his job with Ford Motor Co. as an aircraft mechanic he'd had over 20 years. He had an exemplary work record and he's still having one heckuva time finding a new job. He's been to interviews in several states. Nothing panned out yet. I just sent this article series to him. Something has got to change in this country.....and I don't mean the change Obama's trying to engineer!

Thanks Texas2step. Sending and email now and also one to my senators.