Thursday, September 2, 2010

Local machinist workers rallied Thursday in front of Cessna's Wichita plant, calling for the company to stop outsourcing jobs. Even aircraft workers from other plants around the city showed up to give support.

"You know we're competing against Mexico who wants to give them a buck-and-a-quarter an hour," says Bob Wood, Machinist Union Spokesman.

And that's not all. Wood says even other states are competing unfairly to lure manufacturing plants to their communities.

"We're competing against another state that is using hurricane money to take our jobs," Woods adds. "Instead of rebuilding Greensburg, are we supposed to use tornado money to give to these companies to get them to stay? Something is wrong with this; something is very wrong."

Teresa Vasquez says workers are standing together for a reason.

"We built Cessna. It's been a legacy here," she said. "It started here and we want it to stay here."

Another worker takes a break from the rally to explain what he believes the impact will be on Wichita if jobs are outsourced.

"A lot of the big businesses, they talk about how they're going to outsource a little bit here and then a little bit there," explained Dennis Brunhoeber. "What they don't say is that, along with outsourcing comes layoffs. For every individual that's laid off at an aircraft company it affects 3-5 people on the outside of aircraft."

According to Wood, Cessna's initial contract offering is a 10-year deal that includes a 4-percent wage cut, a 30% increase in health insurance premiums, and replaces the current pension plan with a 401(k) plan. There is no wording, Wood says, that guarantees the company will keep it's workforce in Wichita.