Under Interim Deal American Airlines Mechanics Will Receive Big Raises In November

Joe Brown started working as a mechanic for American Airlines in 1997.

"I love my job,” said Brown. “It's a good job, and you know, we are blessed. We make a good amount of money. It's not like I can go somewhere else in Tulsa and get that wage. But we're still people; emotions are still in it. We still wanna be with our family."

Brown and his family live in Owasso.

"I have six kids. I have from 2 years old to 19 years old - 20 years old,” stated Brown. “With me working at night, I don't see them. We need shift rotation.  We need relief."

President of the Local Transport Workers Union Dale Danker says some relief is here.

"We've given concessions since 2003 because of 9/11, and this is finally an opportunity to go tell the membership something good,” said Danker. “They're gonna get some money back in their pocket that they've given up after all these years."

The raise will officially take effect in November. Danker says in a few weeks, workers receiving a raise will get a lump sum advancement for three months.

"This by no means restores everybody to where we feel like we should be in the industry, but it fixes one component, the pay,” Danker explained. “And we'll work on the others in the contract."

Those "others" include things like vacation and sick time and the shift rotation Brown wants.

"For four and a half years I've been stuck on afternoon shift,” Brown stated. “That's four and a half years taken away from my family"

The local TWU president says he hopes the two unions will complete negotiations on the entire contract before the end of this year.