chroode
New member
Strike Grounds Planes at Okla. AF Base
Strike Grounds Planes at Okla. AF Base
June 09, 2009
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
Normal flying operations at Vance Air Force Base have been suspended temporarily after 770 civilian employees went on strike Monday.
The public affairs office said the base is assessing the impact of the strike on its mission.
"The Wing's response to the strike is driven by several factors," Col. Richard Murphy, acting 71st Flying Training Wing commander, said in a statement. "One is the concern for the well-being of our personnel, and the families who live here on base. While the strike continues, Air Force augmentees from Columbus AFB in Mississippi, Altus AFB and Luke AFB in Arizona, have been brought in to ensure that we have a fire department staffed to respond to emergencies on base.
"We also have Security Forces augmentees from this base activated to ensure the safety of base personnel and property."
The striking workers hold down dozens of different jobs at the Oklahoma military facility.
"They do just about everything," said Bob Wood, a spokesman for Local 898 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents the striking Vance workers.
Wood said nearly half of the striking workers, or approximately 350, are aircraft mechanics.
But union workers there are also fire fighters and logistics personnel who even man the base's bowling alley and maintain the grounds.
What's at stake?
The strike, which started at 12:01 a.m. Monday, concerns an expired collective bargaining agreement between CSC Applied Technologies LLC and its three sub-contractors -- PRI/DJI, DenMar, and M1 Support Service -- and the union.
The IAMAW is also filing a complaint against CSC with the National Labor Relations Board for conduct during the negotiations, Wood said.
Wood said problems between workers and the contractor stem from contract items concerning vacation days, rules regarding paid time off, seniority, and forced overtime after CSC cut 23 percent of the work force last year.
Workers health insurance rates have jumped, and set yearly raises are being negated by those higher insurance costs, he said.
Apparently it's not the first time workers at the base were involved in a strike. A strike in 1965 lasted for two months, but the IAMAW did not represent the workers then, Wood said.
CSC has been the primary contractor at Vance since December 2002, when it purchased DynCorp Technical Services. The contract, according to the defense department, is for base operations support and aircraft maintenance.
CSC said in a statement it has worked to reach an agreement, and is committed to continuing to serve its customer.
The Air Force is impartial to the strike, Vance's public affairs office said, although some steps have been taken to keep operations going.
Meanwhile, Enid Police responded to multiple 911 calls Monday morning reporting a man on an overpass trying to jump in front of cars.
Spokesman Lt. Eric Holtzclaw said officers took a 57-year-old male who appeared disoriented and depressed into protective custody. The man, who works as a civilian contractor at Vance, said he was upset over the strike and people at the base and wanted to kill himself.
Officers investigating found the man had gone to the base's main gate and used the telephone. The security guard indicated the man was upset after talking to someone on the phone and left the keys to his car and photo ID on the counter and walked out toward the South Van Buren overpass.
The man was taken into protective custody, which is done when a person is "a danger to themselves or others," and was evaluated by Northwest Center for Behavior Health in Enid, Holtzclaw said.
Police did not release the man's name, saying it was considered a medical issue and because he was not placed under arrest.
Strike Grounds Planes at Okla. AF Base
June 09, 2009
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
Normal flying operations at Vance Air Force Base have been suspended temporarily after 770 civilian employees went on strike Monday.
The public affairs office said the base is assessing the impact of the strike on its mission.
"The Wing's response to the strike is driven by several factors," Col. Richard Murphy, acting 71st Flying Training Wing commander, said in a statement. "One is the concern for the well-being of our personnel, and the families who live here on base. While the strike continues, Air Force augmentees from Columbus AFB in Mississippi, Altus AFB and Luke AFB in Arizona, have been brought in to ensure that we have a fire department staffed to respond to emergencies on base.
"We also have Security Forces augmentees from this base activated to ensure the safety of base personnel and property."
The striking workers hold down dozens of different jobs at the Oklahoma military facility.
"They do just about everything," said Bob Wood, a spokesman for Local 898 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents the striking Vance workers.
Wood said nearly half of the striking workers, or approximately 350, are aircraft mechanics.
But union workers there are also fire fighters and logistics personnel who even man the base's bowling alley and maintain the grounds.
What's at stake?
The strike, which started at 12:01 a.m. Monday, concerns an expired collective bargaining agreement between CSC Applied Technologies LLC and its three sub-contractors -- PRI/DJI, DenMar, and M1 Support Service -- and the union.
The IAMAW is also filing a complaint against CSC with the National Labor Relations Board for conduct during the negotiations, Wood said.
Wood said problems between workers and the contractor stem from contract items concerning vacation days, rules regarding paid time off, seniority, and forced overtime after CSC cut 23 percent of the work force last year.
Workers health insurance rates have jumped, and set yearly raises are being negated by those higher insurance costs, he said.
Apparently it's not the first time workers at the base were involved in a strike. A strike in 1965 lasted for two months, but the IAMAW did not represent the workers then, Wood said.
CSC has been the primary contractor at Vance since December 2002, when it purchased DynCorp Technical Services. The contract, according to the defense department, is for base operations support and aircraft maintenance.
CSC said in a statement it has worked to reach an agreement, and is committed to continuing to serve its customer.
The Air Force is impartial to the strike, Vance's public affairs office said, although some steps have been taken to keep operations going.
Meanwhile, Enid Police responded to multiple 911 calls Monday morning reporting a man on an overpass trying to jump in front of cars.
Spokesman Lt. Eric Holtzclaw said officers took a 57-year-old male who appeared disoriented and depressed into protective custody. The man, who works as a civilian contractor at Vance, said he was upset over the strike and people at the base and wanted to kill himself.
Officers investigating found the man had gone to the base's main gate and used the telephone. The security guard indicated the man was upset after talking to someone on the phone and left the keys to his car and photo ID on the counter and walked out toward the South Van Buren overpass.
The man was taken into protective custody, which is done when a person is "a danger to themselves or others," and was evaluated by Northwest Center for Behavior Health in Enid, Holtzclaw said.
Police did not release the man's name, saying it was considered a medical issue and because he was not placed under arrest.