WASHINGTON, May 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Business Travel Coalition (BTC) today confirmed the agenda for a June 4 Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Summit at the National Press Club in Washington, DC from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. The Summit, presented by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and organized by BTC, will feature consumer protection advocate Ralph Nader and other aviation safety stakeholders.
"In recent years aircraft maintenance outsourcing has become controversial in the absence of a single U.S. standard for airline in-house versus outsourced domestic and foreign maintenance," BTC Chairman Kevin Mitchell stated, "and there are serious questions about the adequacy of FAA resources and oversight. The recent developments with the Boeing 737 MAX have cast a bright light on what many observers insist is a too-cozy relationship with the aircraft manufacturers and airlines that the FAA is charged with overseeing."
"Enlightened stakeholders and industry observers know that there would be benefit from helping shape and champion outsourcing and FAA oversight reforms," Mitchell added.
Robert L. Crandall, Former Chairman & CEO of American Airlines, went on the record in a letter to BTC this week questioning the safety of outsourcing practices.
"I do not think the government should permit airlines to offshore heavy maintenance," Crandall wrote. "While doing so undoubtedly saves money, it does so at the expense of good jobs we need here in the States. Moreover, since the FAA does not have the ability to supervise the work as intensively as it would if the work were done in the U.S., offshoring represents an unnecessary compromise of safety."
Register for the Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Summit at: btcnews.co/flysafe365. The Summit will be live streamed from the TWU.org website.
SUMMIT AGENDA
8:30 a.m. | Continental breakfast reception |
9:00 a.m. | Welcome |
Kevin Mitchell, Business Travel Coalition Chairman | |
9:10 a.m. | Commentary |
Representative John Raymond Garamendi (D-CA) | |
9:30 a.m. | White Paper & Passenger Safety Bill of Rights |
William J. McGee, Consumer Advocate, Journalist | |
9:45 a.m. | Keynote Address & Interview |
Ralph Nader with William J. McGee, Interviewer | |
10:30 a.m. | Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Panel Discussion |
Moderated by McGee & Justin Madden | |
Panel Members: | |
Sarah MacLeod, Aeronautical Repair Station Association Executive Director | |
Gary Peterson, Transport Workers Union International Vice President | |
Bret Oestreich, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association National Director | |
Loretta Alkalay, Vaughn College of Aeronautics Professor | |
John Goglia, National Transportation Safety Board Former Board Member | |
Michael Gonzales, Professional Aviation Safety Specialists Vice President | |
11:45 a.m. | Roundtable Discussion: Where Do We Go From Here? |
Moderated by Kevin Mitchell, Business Travel Coalition | |
Roundtable Members: | |
John Breyault, National Consumers League Vice President | |
Chris Moore, International Brotherhood of Teamsters Chairman of the Aviation Mechanics Coalition | |
Gary Schaible, Transport Workers Union Local 591 President | |
Justin Madden, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association Legislative Affairs Director | |
12:30 p.m. | Summit Observations |
Mary Schiavo, Former Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation | |
12:40 p.m. | Closing Remarks |
John Samuelsen, Transport Workers Union International President |
Kevin Mitchell, BTC 610-999-9247,
Mitchell@BusinessTravelCoalition.com
Brian Parker, TWU 817-991-2001,
215654@email4pr.com
SOURCE Transport Workers Union of America
