Thu, Mar 02, 2006
Earlier Strike Threats May Now Become Reality
As the Wednesday
deadline passed with no deals reached between Northwest Airlines
and Delta Air Lines, and their respective pilots unions, the
possibility of pilots strikes now looms large over those
proceedings.
US Bankruptcy Court Judge Allan Gropper also failed to rule on
whether Northwest could toss its existing contract with its pilots
to force concessions upon them -- essentially allowing the carrier
to force the pay cuts if it chooses to do so. That would almost
certainly force pilots with that carrier to strike, a move the pilots union voted to authorize
earlier this week.
For the moment, however, both sides continue to work to hash out
a deal. That's a potential bright spot for Northwest, at least, as
is the news a second union that had gone to the wall with the
carrier over concessions -- the Professional Flight Attendants
Association -- agreed Wednesday to accept a cut in their pay and
benefits, in exchange for Northwest agreeing to drop its
requirement of more foreign (read, cheaper) flight attendants on
overseas routes.
As for Delta, talks between that carrier's pilot union and
management have broken off. As the case now heads to third-party
arbitration, the pilot's union told the Associated Press it would
conduct a strike vote of its own in the near future.
Both carriers, which
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last September 14, state
they need substantial concessions from their workers in order to
survive. Pilots -- who have already agreed to earlier concessions
in both cases -- say they've paid enough.
In either case, a prolonged pilots strike would likely doom the
airlines. A Delta spokesman aptly described such a strike as
"murder-suicide".
Northwest spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch would not comment on whether
-- or when -- the company would force terms upon its pilots. "It's
our intention to continue negotiations until the judge makes his
decision," he said.
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