Local 542 Dispatchers Sign Contract After 8 months of intense negotiations with Horizon Airlines, Local 542 Dispatchers and the company reached an agreement. The new contract was ratified and signed on September 25, 2009. The agreement is two years in duration and covers 16 members working at Horizon's Flight Control Center in Portland, Oregon. American Airline's maintenance operations in Kansas City, Detroit, the Twin Cities and San Jose will be closing over the next year. The ongoing and unrelenting pressure created by economic uncertainty, instability, unpredictable revenue streams and overcapacity has contributed to an overall industry contraction. The lingering effect of frequent mismanagement and a deregulated environment combined with cutthroat domestic and international competition has led to the disheartening turmoil that has now affected TWU members at the Kansas City maintenance base and their families.

"The men and women impacted by this closing are of the highest caliber, consistently meeting or exceeding expectations while responding to every challenge," said ATD Director John M. Conley. "We know this decision by AMR is completely unrelated to the quality, skill, work ethic and professional behavior exhibited by those affected – performance is not the question."

The TWU has worked closely with AMR in recent years, even before the current recession, to market our facilities to other airlines and to find new ways to boost productivity. However, TWU efforts to save jobs have been hindered by the decline in travel over the past year. The TWU does not expect the base to close until late 2010 and remains hopeful that industry conditions will improve and allow many of our members to find work elsewhere in the company.