News-Record.com

Tell John it is time to put his big boy britches on and stop his temper tantrum. The employees have the right to quit anytime they want and seek better jobs. If timco treated them and paid them better this would not be happening to him.
He sounds like the little kid in the playground crying because no one will play with him.
Grow up.

John Cawthorn's letter should answer any questions about why engineers are leaving TIMCO. This guy must be off his meds. Under what statute would he sue HondaJet? His rant will serve as free advertising for Honda's HR department. While TIMCO searches for new engineers, they may want to look for a new CEO.

If TIMCO got the same "breaks" that Honda Jet did, it wouldn't be a problem. Since TIMCO brings in Engineers at their expense for relocation, training, etc, and there is a shortage of Aerospace Engineers, Honda needs to go hit on Boeing, Cessna, Piper and other similar companies to recruit from and pay their expenses to get them to the triad. They can AFFORD to ante up to lure them away from TIMCO since TIMCO has already gotten them here and paid all other expenses.
Honda Jet is being the bully in the sandbox and taking the milk money from others.

BG's post points to one of the reasons that corporate welfare in the guise of incentives has drawbacks.

I worked for TIMCO for 15 years, and I really enjoyed working there.

TIMCO had a problem showing Loyalty to it's employees for the last 5 years.

This is simply a case of supply and demand.

And, don't be mislead, this problem doesn't only apply to the Engineering Dept. There will be many more jumping ship as soon as Honda is ready to start up, and this is a way to stop the "Troops" from jumping ship before it's too late.

If a company is loyal to it's workers, they won't feel a need to seek employment elsewhere.

Instead of complaining, Timco should be committed to their current employees and they would'nt want to leave.

VRM-1304

I think this does show a real problem with the way we offer incentives. We can lure Honda here with big bucks trying to build an industry "cluster" but if we don't have the workforce needed to sustain both Honda and TIMCO, then all we do is drive TIMCO elsewhere to find the workforce they need. How is this good for North Carolina??? Instead of giving these companies money, why don't we spend more time and energy on public education, our community colleges and our universities to train more engineers! That way the taxpayers, TIMCO, and Honda are ALL better off.

Is the tone of John's rant overshadowing another message? Why should our local goverment subsidize this foreign giant? Last I checked, Honda sells enough cars, lawn mowers and generators to afford its Greensboro plans without a handout.

Lindsey,

The people went looking for honda, honda didn't come to them. and Honda hired the FAA certified engineers. not regular mechanics..at least not yet.

TIMCO can do a couple of things to fix this: The good way would be to up the pay and inspire some company loyalty with its employees. The bad way would be to make people sign 2 or 3 year contracts with TIMCO and thus "decimating" the person in court if they quit and work for Honda within the remaining time of the contract.

I worked in the engineering department and I left also, not to go to Honda but because of the stale environment the upper management (Directors and up) have made the engineering department.

The way the engineering office is situated, there is a back staircase leading through the composite shop that empties into the hallway the management's offices are on. On an average week, it would be hard pressed to even know if the upper management has been in at work or is traveling. They come in and out of the building using this back staircase and hardly ever come out of the back hallway, let alone say hi to the people they oversee.

When in school, engineers want to work on the next ground breaking projects, not copy an old Boeing design. Honda is designing a new jet... how can the engineering requirements for this program come close to anything Timco has, or will ever work on.

Most employees in the department are only there because they like the area and do not want to uproot they family, not because Timco is a great place to work.

You may say this sounds like a lot of "sour grapes", and I would just say yes... because that is the only thing that will grow in Timco's Engineering garden.

Cawthron has hit the nail on the head. as a current employee of TIMCO for the last 12 years i can tell you that TIMCO has strived to treat it's employees well. They have been successful sometimes and unsuccessful other times. Right now it is a great place to work and the management has made great strides in ensuring that the skilled mechanics which make up a large percentage of the employees are well compensated in a very competitive Industry.
Just as we saw with Skybus we now see Honda Jet which has an unfair advantage of being subsidized by local governments, having an impact on local businesses .

Where is the love from the local governments for a company that has provided good high paying jobs for the last 18 years? Did they even consider the predatory impact that they would have on existing NC based businesses? Probably not! All they saw was the new sexy business that would look good to their constituents the next time they ran for office. So basicly they are shafting an employer that provides 1800 jobs in the Triad and is expanding, for one that will create 280. You do the math, why does this make sense?
Go Gettem John!!!!!

There is more to this story than meets the eye.

First off, Honda is NOT actively recruiting TIMCO employees like their CEO thinks. It is just a case of employees perceiving greener pastures on the other side of the fence. I can’t blame a single TIMCO employee, if Mr. Cawthorne was able to better advance himself as such would he not take the opportunity? Isn’t that what brought him to TIMCO in the first place? If I were working for HONDA, I wouldn’t refuse to hire a qualified person just because they worked for another company, that is ridiculous. TIMCO should be looking internally as to why an employee would want to leave, not blame others. I like where I work, and I’m treated fairly and wouldn’t leave (unless I could greatly advance my standing).

Second, those in the know have all heard how badly TIMCO want to have facilities in Mexico, India, and other countries. A neighbor (TIMCO employee) told me that there was training at GTCC for TIMCO management to learn Spanish. This just sounds like an excuse to justify a move of business from our area to lower cost countries.

Third, my neighbor has also told me that he himself would consider going to Honda so that he could continue his education. He would like to earn a degree and increase his worth but there is no incentive at TIMCO to do so. He attended GTCC for his Associate degree (at his own cost) but would like to attend the local Embry Riddle Aeronautical University here in Greensboro. TIMCO won’t help, but HONDA would help. Honda has an interest in both GTCC and Embry Riddle and although TIMCO has some kind of relationship with GTCC they won’t he can’t even get management to invite Embry Riddle out to the company.

What a shame

How in the world can you disagree with Mr. Cawthron. Take the anger out of the letter and you are left with the cold hard truth of the matter. Honda (a foreign entity) has come into our country, state and city, convinced our politicians to fund their ventures, and then claim ignorance when confronted with the issues. Somehow I cannot find any benefit to this strategy if it means we are losing a company whose loyalty to our area for the last 18 years has brought jobs and dollars to this area. Is this what we can expect from Greensboro and Guilford County politicians.

Employees of TIMCO HAVE in fact been contacted by Honda. Just ask!!!!

TIMCO needs to get their employees to sign non-compete agreements as that might be the only option to keep Honda from picking them off. That way they would make it too expensive a proposition for Honda to hire one as that would result in a large penalty that the employee (via Honda, of course) would have to pay.

As to those wondering why Greensboro and Guilford bend over backwards to attract such companies, why not? Honda is employing nearly 300 people with good-paying jobs, will likely expand locally in the future, and every dollar each employee earns will go right back into the local economy and tax-base. They certainly didn't want to alienate TIMCO, but our politicians typically don't look too far ahead.

I have to say, though, if I was an engineer at TIMCO and Honda offered me a job with a hefty raise and better benefits, you're damn right I'd jump ship.

John Cawthron is a bully. He is the mouth piece of the private equity groups that took TIMCO private a couple of years ago. Employees in NC are employees "at will." They can quit at any time and the employer can fire them at any time. If the leadership at TIMCO had any sense -- and was legitimately concerned about losing its important employees -- there are a number of things it could have done to prevent this from happening, from higher pay and better benefits to non-competition agreements. TIMCO does not "own" these employees simply because it initially recruited and trained them. There is no such thing as indentured servitude in the 21st Century.

People want to work at HondaJet for many reasons, including, because (1) it is an exciting and cutting edge product/company; (2) Honda is a well known and stable company; (3) Honda treats its employees very well and has great benefits; (4) the corporate culture at Honda is much more employee centric than at TIMCO.

TIMCO, on the other hand, has had many financial problems over the years and has been on the verge of bankruptcy often. Several out-of-the-blue firings of top management, scapegoating of individuals for certain problems, immigration troubles, etc. have not helped things either.

As employees at-will, it is the employee's absolute right to leave TIMCO and go to work for Honda.

To take this to the media is a sad tactic. Further, to "blame" this situation on economic incentives is ridiculous. These incentives are an investment by our state and community on what will be a cornerstone corporate citizen for decades. Had NC and the Triad not made that investment, another state would have and HondaJet would be there and NOT here. TIMCO has access to those same types of incentives for expansions, etc. (see RF Micro, etc.).

Bottom line, this is a business issue. TIMCO and Cawthron need to suck it up. They need to take a hard look at TIMCO to determine why it is losing talented employees and stop blaming HondaJet and incentives for their problems and failures.

Non Compete Agreements are hardly enforceable in NC. Unless there is REAL Consideration given at the time of the deal.. and I mean BIG BUCKS, in my opinion, no jury would hold a worker to one of these "Non compete agreements".

You see, a person has the RIGHT to work for who they want to and leave when they want to...and nobody can morally or legally prevent them from feeding their families. This is what a non compete agreement tries to do.

One last thought...the price of rice is rising... keep this in mind as you think about jumping ships. *grin*

It looks like TIMCO may not be the employer of choice for aviation professionals. As one person already posted, just wait until Honda ramps up. You will see additional people leaving TIMCO. If the jobs are there, people will explore the opportunities. So the ball is in TIMCO's court. The incentives argument aside, the current playing field is the way it is. What is TIMCO going to do about retaining its employees? Ranting and threatening in the local paper is not the professional response.

The only 2 reasons to leave a job at TIMCO would be for better health benefits and Salary. Both of these are being offered by HondaJet. If an employee has to pay $600 per month for family plan medical vs. $25 a month at Honda where would you go? A raise would not be needed right off because you wold be pocketing an additional $575 per month. That is a raise of $3.32 per hour right off the top in addition to what Honda offers above the current salaries that have been capped at TIMCO. HondaJet also offers a fully funded pension plan, that in itself is a rarity in these times. The downside of working in a production facility is working on the same thing every day. This takes a specific type of worker. There are going to be people that this will suit fine and others that will end up back at TIMCO where they can use their analytical skills on new challenges daily. Choose wisely and think of all the pro's and con's before making any life changes.

John you are a bitter Texan who is not really with it. You gotta think like a person who works for a living at our level. We worry about retirement and medical benefits and longevity. I have been at Timco many years now and we all know when times are slow or when Management makes poor decisions us "regular guys" are layed off by an evaluation system that is unfair. You are a multi-millionaire and why dont you tell the people how Timco has already gone to Costa Rica and has future plans for the country of India? We all know Timco is currently up for sale which means you will be gone also. You are only making things worse for us who will reside in the Triad no matter what. Give us a raise old man !

NoNameS,

Non-compete agreements are generally enforecable in North Carolina and it does not take "BIG BUCKS" to make them enforceable. If one is signed at the beginning of employment for example, then the employment itself is sufficient to support the non-compete and NO cash payment is necessary.

Also, juries do not decide whether a non-compete should be enforced -- a judge does. Judges enforce non-competes every day.

You are generally correct that "a person has the RIGHT to work for who they want to and leave when they want to" this is "at will employment. However, people also have freedom to enter into contracts and can contractually agree to a non-compete. If a person does this, then the Court can and will enforce it. This does not mean you would be prevented from feeding your family, but you would have to find a new line of work for the period of the non-compete.

P.S. -- I am an attorney and have enforced many a non-compete in Guilford Country Superior Court.

** the foregoing is not legal advice and no attorney-client relationship is created by anyone reading this post.**

The fundemental issue is the fairness of subsidies. We all want to see the Triad grow and prosper. When subsidies are provided to companies entering the area they are based on job growth. The problem is that there is not a distinction between new jobs created and employees hired from other local companies. So the new company locating in the Triad receives incentives like a 75% reduction in state payroll taxes (Honda's incentive). This means that the new company can pay its employees more than the existing company creating an unfair advantage. Now the existing company is forced to replace their lost worker and incur employment and or training costs while not recieving any subsidies to do so. TIMCO has a point and has raised a very difficult issue to the surface.

after 13+years at TIMCO Lets look at the facts.
1) Timco has time and time again show their desire to retain senior or experienced personnel by continuosly refusing to advance their pay. this is done by saying there is no set pay scale.have you worked for a place that had no payscale?
2) in communicating to management about issues that pertain to you wanting to remain at TIMCO they have gone out of their way to not address them.
3) for many years now TIMCO has show that retention of senior techs is not desired.we can get cheap techs to replace you is the theory.
4) TIMCO is preparing to open plants in India as well as South America.this is bring jobs to the triad?because we have seen many of our customers take their buisness overseas.
5) and lastly.I worked with these people that have left for hondajet and know what they were told by TIMCO if they wanted to leave. WE CAN FIND MORE OF YOU TOMARROW.
THANK YOU HONDAJET

Mr. Cawthron, Thank you for fighting for us here at TIMCO!!!!

I have been in the Aviation Field for 27 years and have worked for several of the well known companies throughout our industry, Rockwell, Lockheed, Mobile Aerospace, Dee Howard and even Eastern Airlines. So, believe me I do know what I am talking about when I say TIMCO is by far the best place I have ever worked in the Aviation Industry. I have been working for TIMCO for the last 12 years; both for the Maintenance and the Engineering Divisions, and my Manager and Director are awesome individuals.

TIMCO provided “FREE” on site Sheet Metal Mechanic/Structures training at their expense in the Structures Center, before the training was being done at GTCC. This training allowed many individuals the opportunity to enter the Aviation Field, as a Mechanic here at TIMCO and giving them their start at a wonderful career. Without this opportunity, they would have never been able to enter the Aviation Field without attending A & P School, a two year course which they would have cost them thousands of dollars. My Son was one of those lucky individuals who attended the Structure Training; and he is still proud of this accomplishment seven years later he is proudly working for TIMCO.

TIMCO does have a tuition reimbursement benefit, which allowed me to continue my education within the Aviation Field, and obtain my Power Plant License, and yes I was reimbursed 100%. Then TIMCO pays an additional dollar an hour for each A and P licenses, they paid for you to get… And TIMCO would have continued to reimburse me if I had chose to continue my education within the Aviation Field.

I have received substantial pay increases, and advancement opportunities were always made available to me as well as all employees via Career Opportunities, throughout the past 12 years. Even as a single parent, by working for TIMCO, I was able to raise two boys, who wanted for nothing. As, I indicated above my eldest currently works for TIMCO. Additionally, by working for TIMCO I was able to take care of my aging father in my home, because TIMCO worked with my schedule allowing me to provide him with the critical care and appointments throughout his illness. When he did pass on, I was allowed to take the time I needed which allowed me to take him back home to be buried and when I returned I still received a full paycheck, because my Manager gave me two weeks of his own personal vacation time, not to mention receiving flowers and cards of encouragement from many. I received a call that my mother was in the hospital in California, my Manager told me to go and not worry about anything, offering what ever he could do to help me. I was touched when I received a personal note of encouragement and offer of assistance, from the President of the Company, something I have never seen in other companies I have worked for of this size. My TIMCO family has always come through for me, as well as others and I would not trade them for a few extra bucks.

It sadden me when I read in one of the blogs that TIMCO is not loyal to its’ employees, in addition to all I have expressed above, I remember several years ago, when we did not have enough aircrafts in the hangar to support the workforce and we could have been sent to the house, without pay!!! TIMCO kept us working cleaning and painting the facility, paying us Aircraft Wages when they could have just sent us home.

Yes, some will rant and rave and some will eventually leave, but I find it funny, within a year or so, many of them are knocking on the doors of TIMCO wanting back in. I know 30 or more personally who went down the street; or traveled to other states in search of the Golden Goose, only to return after being out there, now knowing what I knew all along, TIMCO was and is the best place to work.

I know a few people who work at Honda, and they are proud and should be loyal to their company, as I am to mine. I want to show my support for TIMCO, and let you know what the Big T has done for me and my family; believe my story mimics hundreds of employees who have been treated the same, and are proud to be associated with the winning team of TIMCO…

Our company, TIMCO, is made up of hundreds of great employees, who always pulls together to take care of each other; not only is it a great place to work it is Family. I am one of the thousands of employees that choose to call TIMCO, My Company, My Family, and it would take a lot more than a few extra dollars to pull my dedication away from it. Working for TIMCO has allowed me to have a wonderful life in a beautiful part of the country, and I will always continue to grateful for that, and promote my company, TIMCO, as the best place to work!!!!

I can sympathize with Mr. Cawthron's irritation after absorbing the time and cost in training, putting forth all the efforts in cultivating the workforce for the special projects then having someone reap the harvest without any of the efforts. My question here is where is the loyalty to Our Company that has been there for us all these years? Our Company who has been giving to this community for close to 20 years!!!

Mr. Cawthron please take the "rubber band off your wallet" and pay your employees what they are worth. You do not OWN your employees. There are 10,000 Certified Aircraft Mechanics in the U.S. unemployed, or under-employed. Problem is you hire more trainees, often not speaking english, than certified mechanics. Your business model included cheap illegal immigrants with fraudulent documents servicing your planes (who are now deported). You should not expect government to force people to work for wages less than their professional value.
The National Air Disaster Alliance, represents survivors and family members from over 100 aviation disasters. We want the highest standards of Safety and Security, and yes, employers must pay for the highest level of professional expertise. We want TIMCO to employ a higher percentage of licensed professionals, fewer trainees, and require all employees to be able to speak and read the English manuals. Accept your corporate responsiblity about higher standards and pay for TIMCO employees and stop complaining.
GADunham@aol.com (ok to include)
Gail Dunham, Summerfield NC

Mr. Crawthron when you make an operation in South America or India or wherever are you going, are you going to bring with you all the workers you will need to run such an operation? Or, are you going to bring a few key people and recruit, steal or otherwise raid another local company to get your employees?

When you hired your engineers did you then train them to become the exectional engineers you would have them to be, or did you raid them from someones else who had expended a good amont of money training them? The mechanics that you have hired have not come to you untrained with you absorbing their training costs, another company already did that for you. I worked for a company in the area and when some of my co-workers and I retired not one of us would even darken your doors because of the conditions that were conveyed to us. Not to mention the ill will and treatment from your incompetent management.

You did not come to Timco because they were not going to pay you well, or treat you in some way other than with respect. So my advice is as a bottom feeder myself. Pay you employees what they are genuinely worth and you would not be crying in the paper. You said it best, "you are old", so go home to the Caymens where there is a perfect little world and grow older in peace.

c'mon one eye, we know you are just sett'in up to get incintive money or trying to justify India and South America. As for me I found out today
that I'm HONDA bound hooray better benefits.
oh and the HR guy over at HONDA says he could care less about TIMCO that it will be a FED-EX facility soon anyway.

I have read the posts. I know people who have left Timco. Most would say they are disgruntled employees. I would agree, thats why they left.
I follow the aviation industry fairly closely so I'm not ignorant to whats happening in aviation today. I don't know if Timco is moving out of the country, but I would not be surprised. I don't know if Timco is leaving GSO, but I would not be surprised. However, if I was CEO of a company, I don't think I would expose myself and my company by complaining to the media. It makes you look like your whining. It also leaves you open to PUBLIC criticism as I have read this evening.
For those who moved on to HondaJet, congratulations to you. For those who are happy where they are at, congratulations to you as well.

I am familiar with TIMCO's employee compensation and historical employee relations. There have been, as with all companies many poor days for the aviation brethren at TIMCO. Many times we were told to lump it or leave and don't let the door hit you in the *** on the way out. Reasonably speaking if TIMCO wants to keep the manpower, pony up with the money and the benefits. Truly a forward thinking company would see this Honda company coming and would already have been courting their own employees with new incentives. TIMCO has done some investing in their DER's and all their employees, but modestly and grudgingly at times.
Most of us recognize Honda as progressive and cutting edge company. It is hard to knock a qualified engineer from going to greener pastures. TIMCO has struggled to just avoid bankruptcy and lean market conditions. This has nothing to do with corporate incentives as TIMCO also received similar incentives to start here as well. Honda does not steal engineers and TIMCO has to continue to work on their employee relations.
In other words I agree with BC's blog.

TIMCO has aggressively sought every free government handout they can get too (links below), so it's a little hard for them to now say that receiving incentives is a somehow 'unfair' advantage.

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3361852/The-advantages-are-clear-lack.html

http://www2.nccommerce.com/eclipsfiles/12673.pdf

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/cmd/articledetail/articleid/16868/default.asp

I have been employed at Timco for several years. Things have gotten somewhat better since Mr. Cawthron arrived but there is still a need for much more improvement. A few years back we had our pay cut $1.50 per hour while Timco hired new employees in at a higher rate, some with less experience and less skills. I know this was to attract needed mechanics but this is part of the loyality issue people have been writing about. I was told lies about my pay rate upon beginning employment at Timco only to be asked when I questioned it after getting my first paycheck if I had the promises in writing. ( Of course I didn't have it in writing, I trusted what the recruiter told me I'd be making) I was told "If you don't like it, there is the door." I could not leave because I had just relocated my family from another state. These are things, Mr. Cawthron, that a man doesn't soon forget. It's also hard to forget seeing your children do without because of such lies. In short, Timco needs to learn that loyality is a two way street and simple honesty goes a long way with a working man. I know of others who have gone through the same thing at Timco. Some are still there and some are not. Employees are simply afraid to trust Timco. These are the reasons people are jumping ship. Come down on the floor Mr. Cawthron and talk to us. I have seen you walk by once since you have been with us. You may learn something. As for the comments of "proud timco employee" and "bittertruth" who bloged before me, I wonder what you're smoking. One of my relatives also went through the structure school only to leave because he couldn't support his family. He was offered $5 more per hour with another company and he left. You see, the number one reason we work at Timco is to provide for our families. 99% of us try to do a good job but our main concern is our families, not Timco. And to Vince Murray, I remember some comments you made the morning our pay was cut and I am glad you finally saw the light and changed your mind. I'll say it again in hopes that Timco's upper managment may read this "Loyality is a two way street."

I have been employed at Timco for several years. Things have gotten somewhat better since Mr. Cawthron arrived but there is still a need for much more improvement. A few years back we had our pay cut $1.50 per hour while Timco hired new employees in at a higher rate, some with less experience and less skills. I know this was to attract needed mechanics but this is part of the loyality issue people have been writing about. I was told lies about my pay rate upon beginning employment at Timco only to be asked when I questioned it after getting my first paycheck if I had the promises in writing. ( Of course I didn't have it in writing, I trusted what the recruiter told me I'd be making) I was told "If you don't like it, there is the door." I could not leave because I had just relocated my family from another state. These are things, Mr. Cawthron, that a man doesn't soon forget. It's also hard to forget seeing your children do without because of such lies. In short, Timco needs to learn that loyality is a two way street and simple honesty goes a long way with a working man. I know of others who have gone through the same thing at Timco. Some are still there and some are not. Employees are simply afraid to trust Timco. These are the reasons people are jumping ship. Come down on the floor Mr. Cawthron and talk to us. I have seen you walk by once since you have been with us. You may learn something. As for the comments of "proud timco employee" and "bittertruth" who bloged before me, I wonder what you're smoking. One of my relatives also went through the structure school only to leave because he couldn't support his family. He was offered $5 more per hour with another company and he left. You see, the number one reason we work at Timco is to provide for our families. 99% of us try to do a good job but our main concern is our families, not Timco. And to Vince Murray, I remember some comments you made the morning our pay was cut and I am glad you finally saw the light and changed your mind. I'll say it again in hopes that Timco's upper managment may read this "Loyality is a two way street."

I worked for a company in Greensboro for 37 years. I stayed because I never had to ask for a raise. Perhaps Timco needs to take care of the employees and let the rest fall into place.

Proud TIMCO Employee accurately stated that at one time, TIMCO provided in-house Structures (sheet metal) training for it's employees at no cost. He/she goes on to imply that now that the structures training is offered by GTCC that it's not as good a deal for potential employees - - I disagree. GTCC has been offering this training in partnership with TIMCO for nearly four years, and so far, TIMCO has paid the tuition for every single student (nearly 300) that has attended. This was good business for TIMCO,as it gave them a legitimate first shot at hiring those graduates - - but there was never an obligation to accept employment with TIMCO. In fact, about 10% turned down the offers of employment. My point: TIMCO is a business, yet they were proactive in developing a pool of talented structures folks, and paid the cost of their training up front - - this is not a greedy, tight-fisted company. It's one that has always paid what the market demands to keep the folks it values.

I'm not a fan of tax-funded incentives, and I agree with Cawthron that they often hurt the existing companies that the local economy has been built upon. Given that incentives are a way of life however, it seems that this much still holds true, regardless of whether you are Honda Aircraft, TIMCO, Dell, or any other business: good companies find ways to keep good employees; and talented employees will seek out the good companies for employment.

TIMCO is a good company, but events have conspired (as they often do in the aviation industry) to make the company watch their wallet - - high prices for jet fuel are affecting their customer base, as the airlines have modified their fleets to optimize fuel savings, meaning that many of the aircraft that TIMCO have traditionally worked on are flying less, in favor of the smaller, more cost effective regional jets. Further, TIMCO is also already competing with offshore Maintenance and Repair facilities for contracts, and, there is a higher demand for structures mechanics, A&P technicians, and avionics specialists than the existing labor pool can support. Life in the aviation world has always been boom or bust, and in TIMCO's case, they don't have Accords, Civics, CBRs and watercraft to capitalize their operation when things get tight.

Also try to keep in mind that TIMCO has been here since about 1990 - - when it was a start up without an enormous auto manufacturer providing the capitalization - - and it has been hiring and paying folks at market rates, and contributing to the economy in a very large way ever since - - given that, John Cawthron's frustration may be a little easier to understand

I don't like incentives either - Our good ol' boys in the state/local government still seem to think that our money [taxes WE pay] is their money to do what they want with - How about balancing the budget for once and then lowering the tax rate - More business will come. HONDA Jet/ FED Ex / Dell should want to be here without incentives as NC is a strategic location in the middle of the East Coast.

That said, I've been a loyal labourer at TIMCO for 12+ years now. I have benefited from the early years, Worked my tail-end off for my A&P/FCC licenses -because you can't take the repairman's certificate with you , Suffered under Aviation Sales, and have been baited for a couple of years now from TAS with promises of better pay with their "step program". I got my $1.50 an hour back by getting licensed. My licenses don't mean anything with TAS ( now part of my base pay to raise it closer to top pay - this is an ethical issue that should be looked into )

If HONDA Jet wanted my talents / experience / training / dedication to make a company profitable / and was willing reward me with better pay and benefits..... I would say these are the kind of incentives I approve of and would gladly accept.
Welcome back Vince,
Mike

Managers need to wake up and realize this is the 21st century. The management style of the robber barons of the Gilded Age don't work any more. If employees are jumping ship for another company, it's because that company has something to offer the old one doesn't: opportunities for professional growth, better pay, better benefits, and/or self-governance.

I don't blame these engineers for wanting to enhance their professional lives. They have every right to do so, and working for Honda is an opportunity they obviously feel they can't afford to miss out on. Honda is not at fault for hiring these people. TIMCO should look at its own house before faulting the house of another.

To proud timco employee, What are you smokin ? those placed you worked, real industry leaders for employee relations huh ? LOL,LOL. Let me guess what you made in 95? $10hr.?The way you talk I know your part of the good old boy club,
( ILL bet you hang out with mike sparks and
jerry robinson and never turn a screw.) I guess timco would be the best place you ever worked.Timco has treated people like #@#$$ forever and now whats gone around is coming around. How sweet. Non-compete clause? LOL-LOL-LOL Anyone who would sign that would never pass the piss test.The long awaited A@P SHORTAGE IS HERE , FREE AT LAST FREE AT LAST

I read the article with a smirk on my face, then read the posts with a touch of disbelief. I was surprised to see so many comments supporting TIMCO management. "Proud Employee" had a wonderful experience with management when his father passed. I'm happy for him. He must be in the upper echelon. Our own experiences when needing to travel out of state for a family member's funeral were not so heart-warming. My husband was told that it was a bad time for him to leave and was reminded that TIMCO paid for 3 days of bereavement. (I took that as a hint to only be gone 3 days.) My husband is under an inordinate amount of job related stress due to the current atmosphere at TIMCO generated by the attitude of the management team. He too has looked elsewhere for job opportunities and is eagerly anticipating HondaJet becoming fully operational. So am I, and I hope he is offered a job with them. The competition is stiff. Most of the mechanics have solicited employment through the HondaJet website because they are tired of being treated like trash at TIMCO. The prevailing sentiment is that mechanics are a dime a dozen. Who wouldn't want to go work for a company that values their contribution? HondaJet was telling the truth about not having to recruit from TIMCO. And as for the comment that TIMCO employees have been contacted by HondaJet: that came AFTER the employees expressed an interest to HondaJet. I don't blame anyone for leaving. Mr. Cawthron should just be happy that HondaJet isn't hiring 1000 people. Many TIMCO mechanics have become so dissatisfied with the TIMCO environment that they have even taken contracts in Iraq. These contracts pay extremely well, but are high-risk to personal safety. What does it say about a company that its employees are willing to risk their lives to work elsewhere?

your treated like a disposable piece of trash at timco, the best thing I ever did was leave timco and find another job. Hey John why dont you pack your company up and leave this area. Slavery ended over 200 years ago. You dont OWN people. I hope Hondajet cleans your whole company out.

sir,
iam undergoing 3 years aircraft maintainance engineering course and i have copleted two and half years of my course. presently iam undergoing on job training (unpaid) in air india.

it is my humble request to u that if there is any suitable post for me then kindly recruit me

I worked at the big T for 3 years fresh out of school. It took me little time to rise up and become a go to guy. I was made into a Temp Lead, and sent to 2 seperate engine run qualification classes. When I started realizing that I was severly underpaid. I went to my PM, I went to his boss, and I talked to Phil Hagler in HR. The PM and his boss both felt I deserved more. Well Rick Uber and Phil Hagler didn't agree. They felt I was expendable.

Well now TIMCO is feeling the pain from a consistent practice of not rewarding mechanics that perform. They like to talk and act like a leader in the community, and industry yet their actions show the true colors.

I am sure TIMCO gets plenty of corporate welfare also so that is not a good argument against Honda.

I am also sure that Honda will ensure no illegal immigrants work on their aircraft.

Hmm does anyone remember how many illegals were actually working at TIMCO. I knew at least 3 of them personally. Nice job screening your employees.

If that CEO was worth what TIMCO was paying him maybe he would figure out what is really going on down on the floor. Maybe he could spread a little bit of his bonus around to keep the good people.

That CEO says Honda is operating on a subsidy. Maybe he is forgetting about all of the move and breaks Timco has gotten during its time in GSO. I'm sure there has been plenty of handouts that arrived on mahogany row. Better work on acting like a leader rather than just saying you are one. Last time I looked STS and AAR aren't crying about the competition!!

well ICE didnt get all the illegals. Many jumped the fence and ran after hearing there buddies were being arrested and deported back to Mexico, Peru, etc etc... So glad I dont work there anymore, the grass is greener.

I am shocked at the comments made on this blog. Does anyone realize how close to bankruptcy TIMCO was when Mr. Cawthron took over? He has brought this company back from what could have been the end of TIMCO and all of your jobs. He has worked hard to make TIMCO one of the most respected corporation in the world. There are really good things going on at TIMCO and it is really sad that a few disgruntal employees have used this blog to smear a good man's reputation. Had it not been for John Cawthron, everyone of you complaining about your job would be out of work and standing in the same unemployment lines many in the furniture industry know all too well. What Mr. Cawthron did was for the good of the company. He had used every mode of diplomancy with HONDAJET and they refused to acknowledge his concerns; therefore, the media was the only alternative left. Why don't we all put this to rest and move forward. The meeting between Honda and TIMCO was a positive step forward and I feel the only way to work together is to leave this blog to the facts, not an avenue to spew venom!!!