McGee Air Services was founded a year ago by Alaska Airlines executives, including the airline’s President, Dean DuVall. Brian Robey, who has served eight years with the carrier, has been named Managing Director of the handler’s new Seattle operations. Robey previously occupied the position of Director of Baggage Performance for Alaska Airlines.
The new decision comes 12 years after the Seattle-Tacoma-based airline outsourced its baggage and ground handling operations to Menzies – a move which resulted in severe cuts to wages and ultimately contributed to the movement to raise the minimum wage in the US to US$15 per hour.
Nearly 900 Menzies ground crew and office staff will be invited to take up employment with McGee as a result of the move. According to Cees Verkerk, Managing Director of station operations support for Alaska Air, McGee employees will be unionised members of the International Association of Machinists, while Menzies employees are non-unionised.
Verkerk added that the new McGee employees will benefit from incremental pay increases over the next six years under their new IAM contracts, as well as airline travel privileges, improved health care and the chance to earn a monthly performance incentive bonus. "It's a good change for people overall," he remarked, adding that Menzies will continue to be "a strong business partner" of Alaska Airlines in other regions of the US.
Over the past year, Alaska Air has reportedly gradually transitioned its handling operations from Menzies to McGee at airports in Portland, Oregon, Phoenix, and San Jose, California. It is not yet known whether Alaska Airlines expects any cost savings to result from the changeover.
