Contract negotiations between Hawker Beechcraft and its machinists are on hold after Louisiana makes an offer to relocate the company to Baton Rouge.
The news was broken to machinists Saturday morning at a lodge meeting. (read the document given to members on the left side of this page).
The union says Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson has contacted the International Association of Machinists President Tom Buffenbarger to set up a meeting with the IAM and Hawker CEO Bill Boisture on Tuesday, October 5.
A spokeswoman for Governor Parkinson told Eyewitness News, "The possibility of losing thousands of Hawker Beechcraft jobs is something we are very, very concerned about. The Department of Commerce has been in contact with the company. The Governor is fighting to keep the majority of Hawker Beechcraft jobs in Wichita."
The union says Parkinson's office has indicated there may be assistance available to keep a portion of Hawker jobs in Wichita.
From the union press release, "The State of Kansas has worked hard with the IAM and business leaders to support our aerospace industry. Our International President believes that there is a realistic chance to keep part of Hawker Beechcraft in Wichita. It’s in the hands of the Governor and the State of Kansas, and the IAM will do everything it can to help make it a reality. The IAM believes it is imperative for the Governor to leave absolutely no stone unturned to save every job possible at HBC."
There has been no statement about the developments from Hawker Beechcraft.
A scheduled contract vote that was supposed to happen on Saturday, October 9 has been cancelled.
Hawker employs about 6,000 people in the Wichita area. The company recorded a net loss of $63.4 million in the first quarter of this year. Hawker Beechcraft cut 2,700 jobs in Wichita in 2009.
Expect updates on this story on-air, online and on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/KWCH12).
