Negotiations between Spirit AeroSystems and the Machinists are expected to wrap up late tonight, a union spokesman said, but so far, talks are still ongoing.
The union hopes to have a copy of the company’s contract proposal to members on Tuesday. Members vote Friday, the day the current contract expires, at Century II.
The union posted this an update on its website Monday afternoon:
Brothers and Sisters:
After a long weekend and many long hours we are in the final throws of the negotiations. There is still a lot of work to be done. We are working as hard as we can to get everything done. Late nights and tonight looks like it will be a long one. The company passed a full package to us and we countered back with a full package of our own. We are waiting for them to come back to us now. We are optimistic and are remaining hopeful. We have some of our experts here from the International -financial expert and general counsel. They are really sharp guys and we appreciate them being here to crunch the numbers….!
I know everyone is anxious about when we vote and if we will be walking out on Friday – but tell them to hang tight. All of the details will be worked out and put out to the membership as soon as we get it all done!
On Monday, I flew with Kirby Ortega, Cessna’s chief pilot for piston-engine flight operations, in a new Model 162 Skycatcher, in a demonstration flight. The morning was breezy, but clear.
The flight was tons of fun, and Ortega even let me do some of the flying. The Skycatcher was designed with flight training in mind. Kansas Aviation, a division of Yingling Aviation, was the first flight training school in the country to offer the Skycatcher for flight training or for rent. Cessna has more than 1,000 orders for the light sport aircraft. Yingling assembles the planes and prepares them for delivery.
Chris Orwoll, CEO of the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson will be the keynote speaker at Tuesday’s Wichita Aero Club luncheon.
The luncheon begins at noon at the Wichita Airport Hilton.
Orwoll began his career in the Navy in 1982, a served aboard the submarines USS OHIO as a division officer and tactical systems officer, the USS TUCSON as an operations officer and the USS DOLPHIN as executive officer.
He also taught naval science for the Naval ROTC units at Cornell University and the University of Kansas. While at KU, he served as the Naval ROTC unit’s commanding officer. Orwoll earned a bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture from the United States Naval Academy and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Air War College. He retired from the Navy in 2007.
The engine for a Russian passenger jet is close to certification,Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Friday. That brings the jet closer to the market and into competition with Boeing and Airbus.
Sukhoi’s Superjet 100 made its first flight in May 2008, later than its 2007 deadline. First deliveries are a year behind schedule.
