Judge: Frontier Can Outsource Mx as Last Resort

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Drain ruled on Oct. 31 that Frontier Airlines can reject its agreements with the Intl Brotherhood of Teamsters covering mechanics and material specialists, but added that the airline may outsource its heavy checks at its Denver repair station “only as a last resort.” The teamsters represent Frontier’s mechanics, which have been fighting to halt the carrier from moving all of its maintenance work to Aeroman, which is based in El Salvador. After reaching a deal to cut wages, talks between the two parties broke down over Frontier’s insistence to include an unlimited right to outsource its heavy-check maintenance, requiring a judge to step in. “While the Teamsters do not agree with Judge Drain’s ruling, the ruling does at least anticipate that our mechanics will continue to work on heavy maintenance in Denver,” says Matthew Fazakas, president of Teamsters Local 961.
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