AMFA Defends Right to Voice Legitimate Safety Concerns as Northwest Airlines Considers Terminating Local 33 President.

LACONIA, N.H. -- Northwest Summons Ted Ludwig For Formal Questioning On March 23

Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) National Director O.V. Delle-Femine today faxed a sharply worded letter to Northwest Airlines Vice President of Labor Relations Julie Hagen-Showers, defending the right of aircraft mechanics and other employees to make the flying public aware of legitimate safety concerns.

The letter comes in the wake of Northwest's decision to subject AMFA Local 33 President Ted Ludwig to formal questioning tomorrow that could result in his being fired. On March 18, Ludwig participated in a press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol, along with Sen. Satveer Chaudhary (DFL-Fridley). Ludwig pointed to a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General that concluded FAA inspection is woefully inadequate at outsourced aircraft repair shops.

Ludwig also noted that FBI background security checks are not required at the outsourced facilities and said that earlier this month, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Social Security Administration, the federal Department of Transportation and the FBI arrested 27 illegal immigrants from the Philippines, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Chile, Laos, Mexico and Peru who were working for TIMCO, an outsourced repair vendor whose customers have included Northwest and other U.S. commercial passenger and cargo airlines. One of the arrested illegal immigrants had been working on aircraft at TIMCO for a decade, using false documents. Ludwig displayed an aircraft brake that failed on landing after servicing at an outsourced repair shop.

On the topic of airline safety, U.S. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), a ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, echoed Ludwig's concerns and said "the system is setting itself up for an accident. The FAA is not doing the inspection of those contracting-out facilities. They don't have the personnel to do it. "Oberstar reacted to the TIMCO arrests by saying, "That's outrageous! This is absolutely a denigration to safety in aviation."

Delle-Femine said in his letter to Hagen-Showers, "What keeps Northwest safe are rank-and-file aircraft technicians and their grim determination to adhere to maintenance standards and speak up in defense of safety, often in the face of countervailing pressures up to and including the threat of being fired." AMFA did not immediately provide copies of the three-page letter to the media.

About AMFA

AMFA's craft union represents aircraft maintenance technicians and related support personnel at Alaska Airlines, ATA, Horizon Airlines, Independence Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. AMFA's credo is "Safety in the air begins with quality maintenance on the ground." To learn more about AMFA, visit www.amfanatl.org.