AFGE depot employees at Hill Air Force Base in Utah earned bragging rights this week after accepting the Secretary of Defense’s Robert T. Mason Award for Depot-Level Maintenance Excellence at the 2014 DoD Maintenance Symposium in Birmingham, Ala. The F-22 Raptor Depot Maintenance Team at Hill AFB’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex won the award for accomplishing superior depot maintenance during fiscal 2013. The team – which provides scheduled modifications and unscheduled maintenance for the Air Force’s fleet of 187 F-22 aircraft – improved on-time deliveries by shortening flow times, increasing throughput rates, and eliminating bottlenecks, resulting in a program milestone of turning around each aircraft in 109 days on average. AFGE Local 1592 President Monty Lewis (holding the award at right) joined other base representatives in accepting the award during a banquet Nov. 18. Click here for more details on the depot team’s accomplishments.