Legislation to give Alabama teachers and state employees up to eight weeks of paid parental leave is moving quickly through the state legislature.
Two bills, SB199 and HB327, were recently approved by House and Senate committees and now await a full vote in their respective chambers. The bipartisan legislation would give pregnant women eight weeks of paid leave and men up to two weeks of time off for the birth, stillbirth, miscarriage or adoption of a child.
“It’s so exciting to get to this point,” sponsor Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg said in a committee meeting Wednesday.
The legislation has the support of Gov. Kay Ivey, who championed the bills in her State of the State address. Some members, however, disagreed on length of coverage for some scenarios and said they needed more information on the total cost of the program.
“We don’t have a good fiscal note, and that gives us some pause,” said chairman Danny Garrett, R-Trussville.
It’s currently unclear how much will need to be allotted in the state budget to cover a new parental leave policy. A fiscal note says the legislation “would decrease the potential savings” of schools by an average of $8,600 per female employee that uses eight weeks of leave, and $2,100 per male that uses two weeks of leave. It also would cost schools an estimated $120 a day to hire a long-term substitute teacher.
Shaver said the legislation could impact an average of 2,000 employees a year, according to data on new insurance dependents from the Retirement Systems of Alabama, but that number ebbs and flows.
Public school educators must build up a bank of sick leave days or take unpaid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child. Public school teachers generally are given 10 sick days each year.
Shaver said schools already budget for teachers’ yearly salaries, regardless of whether they plan to take leave or not.
“I don’t think there’s people out there waiting on this to happen to have a baby,” she said. “But those costs are already being paid now, they’re taking leave one way or another.”
Last year, a similar effort to give teachers paid maternity leave gathered steam, but failed to gain passage through both houses.
Debbie Wood, R-Valley, a former sponsor of the legislation, said she learned from visits with teachers that a lack of paid parental leave and other pay issues were leading them to discourage their peers from joining the profession.
“I do know that it costs the state money, but I do think that it’s incredibly important that we offer maternity leave for our educators,” Wood said. “It’s a recruitment tool.”
The legislation currently covers paid leave for miscarriages, so long as they occur after 12 weeks of pregnancy and are confirmed by a medical professional.
In a Senate committee last week, SB199 sponsor Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, said she would be open to an amendment to loosen those restrictions. Some members, however, said they believed the length of time off for miscarriages and adoptions should be shortened.
Bill sponsors said they would also work to ensure some state entities, such as community colleges and youth services, are also included in the legislation..
Garrett said he hopes updated versions will include more information about how much the program will cost.
The bills will head to the House and Senate for a full vote before they can be signed into law. If passed, the legislation will go into effect on July 1, 2025.
The Alabama Legislature created a Public Transportation Trust Fund in 2018 but has never put money into it.
A bill introduced by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, would have added $5 to the current license tax and registration fees for passenger vehicles and motorcycles to go to the fund.
But it appears that will not happen this year.
An Alabama Senate committee on Wednesday rejected Coleman-Madison’s bill, SB11, by a vote of 7-5. Most of the Republicans on the committee opposed the bill, which had the support of Democrats.
“I don’t take it personally because I don’t depend on public transportation,” Coleman-Madison said. “But your constituents do.”
Coleman-Madison sponsored a similar bill last year, but it also died in committee. An amendment added this year in an effort to build more support for the legislation would have allowed county commissions to opt out of collecting the extra $5.
Coleman-Madison and supporters of the legislation said Alabama misses out on millions of dollars in federal funding for transportation because cities and counties are not able to provide the matching funds.
They said more public transportation would especially benefit rural areas and help people get to jobs and to medical appointments. They said it would help raise Alabama’s workforce participation rate, which is one of the nation’s lowest at about 57% and below the national rate of 62%.
“Both parties talk about economic development,” said Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove. “Public transportation is an economic development driver. We’ve missed out on things because of a lack of public transportation in the state of Alabama.”
The fiscal note for the bill says there have been an average of 5.2 million vehicles registered in Alabama the last five years. That means the new fee could raise up to an estimated $26 million annually. The number would be lower if county commissions opt out.
Charlotte Shaw, executive director and CEO of the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority, said there is a 5-to-1 return for every dollar invested in public transportation. Shaw spoke in favor of the bill for the second consecutive year.
“I’m especially heartbroken for the rural areas because they have to give money back,” Shaw said. “They can’t meet their matching funds based on their form of funding that they get from the federal government. And when they give that money back, operations actually suffer.”
Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, is chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund committee, which voted down the bill Wednesday.
Albritton abstained from voting. He said he did not support the bill because he does not think it is the right solution for rural areas.
“Having public transportation is expensive,” Albritton said. “Personnel and equipment and liability. I would like to suggest, if anyone is listening, would be to take a look in the rural areas to use Uber and Lyft. The argument is, ‘We don’t have Uber and Lyft out there.’ Well, you do, it’s your neighbors.”
Albritton said counties could enter a contract to provide transportation through citizens who sign up to be ride-sharing drivers.
“I don’t know if that would work or not but I think that’s something that’s not looked at that we need to look at.”
Democratic Sens. Coleman, Coleman-Madison, Billy Beasley and Robert Stewart voted for the bill, as well as Republican Sen. Andrew Jones.
Voting no were Republican Sens. Chris Elliott, Sam Givhan, Arthur Orr, Randy Price, Shay Shelnutt, Larry Stutts, and April Weaver.
Alabama football has someone new calling the plays this season: Ryan Grubb. So, what does that mean for the future of the running game?
Could joyless murderball return?
We’ll see.
Grubb, speaking to reporters in Tuscaloosa for the first time Wednesday, was asked to share his thoughts on the running game and his vision for it.
“Right now we’ve only had two practices with no pads, so a little tough to assess that,” Grubb said. “I think just a commitment to that in general and a mentality here at Alabama, I think bodes well for that. Guys want to be physical type football players. For us, we’re pretty wide as far as the type of runs we run just like we always have been. You’re going to see inside, outside zone. Power. Pin pull. Fly sweep. All the stuff we’ve always done. I don’t think any of the stuff from that standpoint will change. But I think the guys know to win the late games and the playoffs and things like that, there has to be a mindset and demeanor that you’ve got to be able to run the football.”
No matter the coaching stop, Grubb has historically turned to the pass more than the run as a play caller. That was the case with the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Huskies and Fresno State Bulldogs. From 2020 on, none of his teams have rushed more times than they have passed.
The greatest delta was in 2022 at Washington with 44.2 pass attempts per game compared to 30.8 rushing attempts per game.
It’s possible, and perhaps even likely, that the trend continues of passing more than rushing in 2025 with Alabama. The wide receiver room could be the best on the team with Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard returning as starters while adding Miami transfer Isaiah Horton while also moving Jaylen Mbakwe to receiver. Rico Scott and Cole Adams also bring intrigue as receivers back for another season.
At running back, Justice Haynes left but Jam Miller and Richard Young, Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley all returned. Alabama also added Dre Washington from Louisiana via the transfer portal.
The relationship between Alabama football’s Ryan Grubb and Nick Sheridan has the potential to be awkward. Grubb, who recently joined as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator, took that job and playcalling duties from Sheridan, who ran the offense in 2024 after Grubb initially took the job when Kalen DeBoer replaced Nick Saban, before heading back to Seattle to join the NFL’s Seahawks.
Sheridan remains on staff for the Tide under Grubb, retaining quarterbacks coach duties and a co-OC title. And, given what Grubb told reporters Wednesday about their relationship, there doesn’t seem to be any animosity.
“Nick being there is obviously a huge advantage to me just because it gives me the flexibility to be in the rooms that I need to be in and talk to the people I gotta talk to,” Grubb said. “So, I think that part for me has been awesome already. That way, if another position group or a coach needs help, I can move myself into that room and try to utilize my skills with the offense somewhere else. But most of the time, it’s always gonna be with the quarterbacks. I think that relationship is key.”
Grubb worked as quarterbacks coach as well as offensive coordinator at Washington. Sheridan coached tight ends before getting the promotion at Alabama.
DeBoer said Monday that he expected Grubb to gravitate toward the quarterbacks in practice, with Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell competing for the job. The new OC agreed on Wednesday.
“I always think it’s gotta start with the quarterback room,” Grubb said. “If I don’t have a relationship with the guys throwing the ball or in the huddle on Saturdays, I think that I’d be putting Alabama at a disadvantage. So, I always gotta be on the same page with those guys, in sync.”
Before focusing on quarterbacks, Grubb was an offensive line coach early in his career. When he briefly joined Alabama in 2024, former Washington OL coach Scott Huff came along, but Huff also joined the Seahawks.
Chris Kapilovic took over and remains in the role for the Crimson Tide. Grubb also discussed that relationship on Wednesday.
“It’s been great,” Grubb said. “Kap does a great job. I think sometimes when guys are — they don’t know how to take that when an OC has at least some background in offensive line, they’re gonna be infringing on them. But I think Kap does a great job of just being open and thinking about the things that can help the unit and my perspective on the offense that can potentially help him out. So, it’s been great.”
Alabama continues spring practice through April 12, when it will play the A-Day game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
When Ryan Grubb agreed to become the Alabama football offensive coordinator for 2025, he inherited a quarterback battle.
Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are the three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, and the process has begun for Grubb to decide who will start in August against Florida State.
Alabama completed its second spring practice Wednesday, so there’s not much yet to go off. But Grubb already had thoughts about each quarterback with whom he’s working.
“I think they each, like any quarterback, have their own individual strengths and weaknesses,” Grubb said.
Here’s what Grubb said about each quarterback when asked Wednesday.
On Ty Simpson
Grubb said Simpson has “done a good job” and made the biggest jump from the first to second practice in taking all the information and processing quickly.
Simpson is the oldest and most experienced quarterback. This will be his fourth season with the program.
What are some of Grubb’s other impressions of Simpson from film and otherwise?
“Ty I think he’s really improving,” Grubb said. “The thing I like about Ty already that I can tell is he’s very serious about wanting to succeed. He’s had the mindset that he’s been ready in that he’s waiting in the wings so to speak. I know he’s committed to the process. I think that’s what makes great quarterbacks. As long as he understands it’s going to take a little bit and he’s got to be committed to those steps, he’s going to do great.”
On Austin Mack
Grubb is the most familiar with Mack. The two spent a season together in Washington in 2023. Then Mack transferred to Alabama for 2024 along with coach Kalen DeBoer.
“Austin has done a really good job of showing command for a young player,” Grubb said.
Grubb has not only worked with Mack, but Grubb was also the primary recruiter for Mack at Washington.
“I’ve always believed in Austin,” Grubb said. “I think he’s got big upside. I thought he had really done a great job working on his technique, throwing motion, things like that. I can tell he’s been working hard over the last year. But he’s a very bright kid. I know he can process the offense. He came into our system really, really young. A 17-year-old freshman. Kind of the thought there was when we got Austin to Washington was that he would have six months with Mike Penix and see how it’s supposed to be done. I certainly think he’s gravitated to that. Looks like he’s matured a lot, and I’m excited to be with him.”
On Keelon Russell
Grubb not only inherited a quarterback battle but also one of the top quarterback recruits in the nation.
Russell was the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite. Now he’s an early enrollee freshman at Alabama.
“Keelon is awesome man,” Grubb said. “He’s very unflappable. Even when things don’t go right, and they invariably will for a freshman quarterback, I think he’s done an awesome job of staying the course and being very steady. He can make a lot of plays.”
How does Russell compare to other young quarterbacks Grubb has coached?
“It’s been a while,” Grubb said. “One of things I noticed, I think about Jake Haener way back at Fresno State, he’s at the Saints now, Jake had a really whippy, quick release. Once he made his decision, he was very decisive with the ball. I see that with (Keelon) a lot. And then Keelon’s vision reminds me of Mike Penix a little bit. He has good wide vision with the field and he can see it even when he doesn’t know exactly what’s going on. He’s still working through all the processes, but he will get there. He’s a good player.”
Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) looks for a way around Tennessee’s Jahmai Mashack (15) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)AP
The No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide play against the No. 5 Florida Gators in an SEC basketball game tonight. The matchup will begin at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN 2. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
The Crimson Tide enter this matchup with a 23-6 record, and they have won two of their last three games. However, the team is coming off a 79-76 loss against Tennessee.
In order to bounce back tonight, the Crimson Tide will need a great performance from their star guard Mark Sears. He averages more than 19 points per game, which leads the team.
The Gators enter this matchup with a 25-4 record, and they are coming off an 89-70 win against Texas A&M.
During the victory, Will Richard led the Florida offense. He scored 25 points and shot 9-13 from the field, so he will try to perform similarly this evening.
Fans can watch this SEC basketball game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
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Alabama football nearly hired Ryan Grubb twice before. Both times, the new UA offensive coordinator spurned the Crimson Tide.
Speaking to reporters for the first time in Tuscaloosa, Grubb fielded questions about why he didn’t take the job previously. Even before Kalen DeBoer took over as Alabama’s head coach, Nick Saban tried to hire Grubb from Washington before the 2023 season.
At that time, Grubb foresaw the Huskies eventual national championship run coming, and opted to stay with DeBoer in Seattle.
“That was really hard,” Grubb said. “Obviously respect the heck out of coach Saban. That one was a little bit more, just the guys I had in the locker room at Washington. Mike Penix, the relationship I have with him and Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, Troy Fautanu, those guys all went to the NFL. We knew we were poised for a really big season, I just felt like that would have been pretty hard for me to walk away from those guys.”
DeBoer, Grubb and the Huskies made it to the national title game, falling to Michigan, one game after the Wolverines ended Nick Saban’s career in the Rose Bowl. Following Saban’s retirement, DeBoer took over the Crimson Tide and Grubb initially followed him.
However, after a short stint, he headed back to Seattle, accepting the offensive coordinator job with the NFL’s Seahawks. Grubb said the convenience of staying in the same city factored into his choice to take the gig.
“That was part of it,” Grubb said. “I think there was a lot of factors that went into that decision, but certainly, not having to uproot my family and things like that were part of it, but definitely wasn’t the only factor.”
Grubb spent one year with the Seahawks, but was fired at season’s end. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide offense struggled with consistency in 2024.
Eventually, the chance to become the UA offensive coordinator arose again. This time, Grubb took it for real.
“Third time’s the charm,” Grubb said. “I think there was a lot of factors. Obviously, I felt like there’s a lot of things already in place here. Hats off to the staff, they did a lot of heavy lifting this past year. Just implementing a lot of things that are within the system offensively, being able to come in here and get some things off the ground that guys have already seen.
It felt like I could be an addition to, not necessarily like we have to totally uproot everything that’s going on. Certainly there’s some things that I do that are different, just like everybody, but it just felt like there’s a lot of groundwork laid, that we should have a good opportunity for success.”
Alabama began spring practice on Monday, and continued Wednesday. Spring ball will go through April 12, when the Crimson Tide plays the A-Day game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The new festival, set for Oct. 11-12 at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, will present more than 20 acts on two stages, organizers said. The goal, they said, is to offer a mix of legacy country artists, modern chart-toppers and rising country stars.
Travis Tritt is on the lineup for the new Iron Hills Country Music Festival in Birmingham. Here, Tritt performs during the 149th Kentucky Derby Barnstable Brown Gala on May 5, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky.(Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)
Jo Dee Messina is on the lineup for the 2025 Iron Hills Country Music Festival in Birmingham, Alabama. Here, she performs at Rock the South 2023 in Cullman. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)
Weekend passes for Iron Hills go on sale Friday, March 7, at 12 p.m. CT, via the festival website. Early-bird prices are $174.95 for general admission, $499.95 for VIP. Perks for VIP tickets include a viewing area close to the main stage, air-conditioned bathrooms, access to a VIP lounge and bar, and a separate entrance at the gate.
Prices for GA tickets will increase over time in various “tiers,” organizers said, growing more expensive as the festival dates near.
When GA early-bird passes sell out at the $174.95 level, the cost will increase to $199.95, organizers said. After that, GA prices will increase to $224.95, and then $249.95. Taxes and fees will be added to passes at all price levels.
Prices for VIP passes will remain the same. A limited number of super-VIP passes, known as Hoss Passes, will cost $999.95 each. The Hoss Pass includes all VIP perks, another separate viewing area for the main stage, 10 drink tickets, a private bar, one meal per day, a camping chair, an ice bucket and a swag bag.
It’s unclear if day passes will be sold for the festival.
A schedule with specific set times for each act hasn’t been announced, but the artists have been divided into two daily lineups, one for Saturday, Oct. 11, and one for Sunday, Oct. 12. Gates open at 12 p.m. on Saturday, 2 p.m. on Sunday, organizers said.
Ryan Bingham, right, is on the lineup for the new Iron Hills Country Music Festival in Birmingham. Here, Bingham performs at the Bourbon and Beyond Music Festival on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky.(Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Turnpike Troubadours, Travis Tritt and Midland will perform on Saturday, for example, while Ryan Bingham, Chase Rice and Jo Dee Messina are scheduled for Sunday.
Also, folks who like homegrown talent will be happy to hear that four acts with Alabama roots are booked for the festival: Mountain Grass Unit from Birmingham, Kashus Culpepper from Alexander City, Tiera Kennedy from Gardendale and Drayton Farley from Woodstock.
Poster for the 2025 Iron Hills Country Music Festival.(Courtesy photo)
Food and merchandise vendors will be on site, organizers said. Parking won’t be available at Sloss, but festivalgoers can park in nearby lots or use street parking.
Iron Hills is the brainchild of Johnny Grimes and Chad Johnson, both of whom are organizers of Furnace Fest, a three-day event in Birmingham that showcases heavy rock, thrash, punk and metal bands.
Furnace Fest 2025, also at Sloss Furnaces, is scheduled on the weekend before Iron Hills, on Oct. 3-5. Furnace Fest — a reboot of a “DIY punk rock festival” that was held in Birmingham from 2000 to 2003 — made its return in 2021 and has continued at Sloss over the past four years.
Grimes has made his mark on Birmingham’s music scene in another way: He’s one of the partners who bought WorkPlay in 2023, renovating and reviving the concert venue at at 500 23rd St. South.
Grimes and Johnson described their vision for Iron Hills via a joint statement that says:
“The current climate of the music festival experience tells us that the fans expectations are at the highest level. Fans want what they pay for. Every principal involved in this event started out as a music fan long before we were the ones producing the events.
“We trust that we have the collective experience of being fans first to ask ourselves — what kind of event would we want to attend? How do we push Iron Hills to be something that stands on its own among a sea of other epic concert events out there today?
“You can book great talent. You can hire in great food and great drink vendors. How do we extend beyond what money can buy and produce, not just a concert or a festival, but a world-class experience that will provide memories that last a lifetime? We welcomed the idea of such a challenge.”
Sloss Furnaces National Landmark in Birmingham is a park, a museum, an event space, a concert venue, a festival site and more. (AL.com file photo/Tamika Moore)
The festival founders touted Sloss as a “no-brainer” location, saying the former ironworks at 20 32nd St. North is convenient for travelers, atmospheric for concertgoers and an essential component of the Birmingham skyline.
“In the last five years since we began producing music events here, we have seen artist after artist — instead of being held up in some bus or hotel room, arriving mid-day, demanding just to get lost in the endless tunnels, the engine rooms, or just aimlessly walking the giant perimeter to take in the magnitude of the very place that built Birmingham,” the statement said. “Nowhere else on earth can you stage a concert at an abandoned iron mill.”
Dates for Iron Hills’ debut were announced in December, as organizers spread the word via the Facebook and Instagram pages for Furnace Fest. Iron Hills now has its own Facebook and Instagram accounts, along with a website.
Birmingham has been the home of several high-profile music festivals over the years, including City Stages, Sloss Fest, the Birmingham Heritage Festival, the Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil and more. None of these, however, has focused exclusively on country music.
Traveling country festivals — basically, themed touring concerts with several acts — have stopped in the metro area, such as Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival and George Strait’s Strait Fest. But none of these events originated in Birmingham.
Organizers are touting Iron Hills as the first homegrown country festival in the Magic City.
June Jam, a beloved country festival in Fort Payne, returned in 2023 after a 26-year hiatus. The festival, founded by the Alabama band, is taking a break this year, but expects to return in 2026, organizers said.
Alabama A&M men’s basketball coach Otis Hughley Jr. picked up some national recognition on Wednesday.
Hughley was one of four coaches to receive a Guardians of the Game pillar award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches, claiming the award for inclusion.
The awards are presented each year at the NABC Convention to coaches, administrators and contributors who embody the NABC’s core values of leadership, service, education, advocacy, and inclusion.
Other award winners include Purdue coach Matt Painter, LSU-Shreveport head coach Kyle Blankenship, Chapman head coach Dan Krikorian and NABC International Committee chair Alan Lambert.
“The NABC Guardians of the Game platform showcases the impact coaches make beyond Xs and Os,” NABC executive director Craig Robinson said in a release. “Each of this year’s recipients have left their own unique mark on and off the court, and I thank them for living out the NABC’s core values and serving as role models for our profession.”
Alabama A&M’s men are currently 10-19 overall and 6-10 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play, set to face Grambling State on Thursday before closing out the regular season on the road against Southern.
The SWAC men’s basketball tournament is set to begin on March 12 in Atlanta.
Hughley, who has been at Alabama A&M since 2022, was also named the head coach of the Senegal Women’s National Team and will lead the team in the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket competition.
Along with previously coaching the Nigeria women’s national team, he coached in Spain and China.
Before taking over at Alabama A&M, he served as the head coach at LeFlore from 2004-2010 as he compiled a 185-20 record and a Class 6A state title in 2007.
Most notably, he coached four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, with those teams from 2007-2009 going 59-6; he would later follow Cousins and serve as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings.
He’s also served as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors (2011-2012), served as a scout for the Sacramento Kings, coached the Chinese Taipei Men’s and Women’s teams (2015-2016) and assisted with the Auburn women’s basketball team (2018-2019).
One of Mobile’s biggest aerospace companies has announced it plans to shut down local operations in the next few months, “progressively rationalizing” hundreds of jobs.
VT MAE released a statement Wednesday morning saying that it “has made the strategic decision to undertake a capacity transition plan for its operations in Mobile, Alabama.”
“Under this move,” the company explained, “VT MAE will progressively rationalize its Mobile operations and transition its airframe MRO activities to facilities in Pensacola, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas. The process is estimated to take place over the next few months.”
While the euphemistic phrasing did not explicitly state that the company plans a complete shutdown of its Mobile site, a quote from general manager Alvin Bass clarified that somewhat: “We are grateful for the support and successful history we have had in Mobile for more than 30 years, and we deeply value our long-standing relationship with the Mobile community. The difficult decision was made after we had gone through a long and careful consideration of multiple factors and options. … Thank you, Mobile, for the incredible memories and unwavering partnership. Your support has been instrumental to our journey, and we will always hold this community close to our hearts.”
While VT MAE did not provide figures, it appeared that Mobile’s aerospace sector was in line to lose upwards of 500 jobs. In a May 2023 article on the company, Business Alabama reported that the company had 579 full-time employees and had more than 1,000 workers if contractors were included. At the time, it also was planning to hire 200 more full-timers for an expansion that would refit Airbus A320 passenger jets to carry freight.
The city of Mobile’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023, listed VT MAE among the city’s principal employers, ranking it ninth with 1,280 employees.
The company’s statement said that the shutdown was driven by industry competition: “In efforts to further optimize its operations and enhance its competitiveness in the global airframe Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) market, VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering (VT MAE) has made the strategic decision to undertake a capacity transition plan for its operations in Mobile, Alabama. Under this move, VT MAE will progressively rationalize its Mobile operations and transition its airframe MRO activities to facilities in Pensacola, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas. The process is estimated to take place over the next few months.
“Providing comprehensive support to employees will be a top priority during this transition,” continued the statement. “This includes redeployment opportunities at its other U.S. facilities, as well as outplacement and transition assistance. The company will also work with the local communities including the state, city, landlord and industry partners for a smooth transition.”
Requests for comment from the Mobile Chamber and the Mobile Airport Authority were pending as this story was published.
There’s an irony to the fact that Mobile jobs will be transitioned to Pensacola: Back in 2014, VT MAE signed a deal with the Florida city to lease property there. The planned new facility was described as a “satellite facility” to the Mobile operation, which reportedly employed about 1,500 people at the time.
The rise of Airbus in Mobile was seen as a positive development for VT MAE. One of Airbus’ partner companies, MAAS, built a jetliner painting facility at the Brookley Aeroplex, and partnered with VT MAE to present Mobile as a place where jet owners could have aircraft serviced and repainted.
In August 2024, WPMI-TV15 and the Pensacola News-Journal reported that VT MAE had shed up to 300 Chilean workers holding jobs in Pensacola and Mobile. The employees were first notified there was a problem with their visas, then told their jobs and health insurance were being cut. The company disputed the terminology of saying the affected employees had been laid off and said it was a matter of “work authorization expiration.”
