Northwest FAs threaten strike

[T-Bird76]

Stay tuned on Jan 17, Northwest airlines will be in court asking a judge to throw out the Pilots, FAs, and Ground workers contracts so Northwest could impose wage reductions. FAs at Northwest filed a statement with the bankrupcy court judge saying it will authorize a strike if the Judge throws out the contracts. A strike by FAs will shut down Northwest unlike the mechanics strike.

According to the PFAA Northwest wants to hire more foreign FAs for international flights and begin using lower paid FAs from a new subsidiary group which would greatly reduce flying hours for Northwest's current FAs. The PFAA also comments the following "Indeed, there is little economic down-side for the flight attendant group with respect to initiating a strike: the drastic pay cuts proposed by Northwest, combined with the elimination of premium international flying, will make it relatively easy for flight attendants to find immediate employment at comparable compensation levels."

Northwest's labor problems are amazingly similar to Eastern's labor problems when Eastern went into Chap 11. The pilots strike at Eastern was the straw that broke the camels back at Eastern and shut them down for good.

[Ari707]

Why do these unions think that it is better to shut an airline down and put it out of business rather then to work with it and try to save it? and then get back what they gave up once the ship is righted? isn't some work better then no work????

[Midnight Mike]

Why do these unions think that it is better to shut an airline down and put it out of business rather then to work with it and try to save it? and then get back what they gave up once the ship is righted? isn't some work better then no work????

This is no longer just a question of losing some money out of your check, now Northwest is talking about using foreign crews on the flights, & at the same time they want to throw away Union contracts, this, after several rounds of employ give backs.

You can not keep attacking your employees like this and expect them to perform their jobs....

Once they give up some of the items, they will get them back, once there are foreign crews on the flight, Northwest will never let them go, would imagine that these foreign crews would not be part of the Union. What is next, use these same foreign crews on domestic flights?

I am extremely pro-business & do whatever it takes to keep the company going, but, Northwest is constantly pushing their employees, where the attitude is going to be, who cares if the company goes bankrupt, and it certainly appears to be heading that way.

Northwest needs to negotiate in good faith, but the idea of forming an airline within an airline, with non-union pilots, have foreign non-union Flight Attendants working flights, is union busting, that is not negotiating in good faith...

[Midnight Mike]

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/200 ... ants_x.htm (http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2006-01-05-nwa-attendants_x.htm)

Northwest flight attendants threaten strike if contract voided
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Northwest Airlines' flight attendants union says in a bankruptcy filing that it may strike if a bankruptcy judge allows the carrier to reject its contract.