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Northwest: 1,500 ready to work
Friday August 12, 5:32 pm ET

Northwest Airlines confirmed Thursday it has 1,500 managers and replacement workers ready to service aircraft if mechanics strike at the end of next week.
"The U.S. airline industry has changed and Northwest must change with it," Northwest CEO Doug Steenland said. "There's simply no other choice."

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Shifting strategy from keeping its contingency plans under wraps to detailing them before media cameras at company headquarters outside Minneapolis, Steenland and other Northwest executives sought to explain why they feel they can maintain their flight schedule even if mechanics walk at midnight Aug. 19.

Most of those details -- the training of replacement mechanics and flight attendants, the early adoption of the scaled-back fall schedule -- had already become know. The shift from playing it down to spreading the word appeared designed to reassure passengers that they could proceed with travel plans. There were a few new details, including the size of the strikebreaker work force and the fact that some of the replacement workers will be aircraft cleaners, just in case. Cleaners belong to a different union than mechanics and relations between the two workers groups are not good since mechanics broke away to join their own union.

It's not actually certain that there will even be a strike. Mechanics and management have agreed to resume negotiations Monday. But mechanics have already rejected what the airline wants, which is to let half of them and go and cut the pay for the rest of them by about a quarter. And in a Securities & Exchange Commission filing this week Northwest said even the labor cost savings it is now seeking, well over $1 billion, won't be enough if jet fuel prices continue to soar.

Published August 12, 2005 by Pacific Business News

nwafo

It is all part of the plan……Northwest wants to file bankruptcy and then the Unions wont matter much anyway.

Flea Bite

How do you think the new replacement workers will be accepted by pilots, agents, and other union people?

I think they will find out fast that life isn't nice ..

HSLD

Lets hope not.

So far, and not surprisingly, we haven't heard a peep from Duane Worth on this issue as Champion, an ALPA represented pilot group, is busting NWA pilot's scope clause by flying for NWA. So while it's no big secret that NWA mgt. is going for the throat, what will be interesting is how ALPA National will address one represented group violating the contract of another represented group.

IMO, if they do nothing ALPA will continue to marginalized even further than they already are.

Kill Bill

woerth-less is a tool. he sure helped us here at CAL by putting national alpa behind our wonderful "partnership accord" with management.

alpa is rotting from the inside. it is preserving itself by sacrificing the piloting profession.

us757

I really can't believe that the Champion pilots are actually flying the trips.
I haven't heard anything from NWA ALPA regarding it either.

???
****?

geshields

As an Ex-Champion Employee I am watching this closely and here is the latest VARS message...Champion and NWA MEC have been in constant communication about this.

Hello Fellow Pilots,
This is Matt Marsh with a message regarding the potential for additional flying to cover Northwest Airlines’ flights. As we are all aware, Northwest Airlines and their mechanics, represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), are in a cooling-off period with a rapidly approaching deadline of 2301 CDT Friday, August 19th.
Champion Air management approached your MEC with information they received from Northwest Airlines regarding additional flying. Due to the fact that Northwest Airlines is experiencing a greater frequency of aircraft on the ground (AOG) due to mechanical reliability, they requested that Champion Air fly a limited amount of flights between
identified city pairs until Northwest is able to accommodate these flights. I have had several discussions with the Northwest MEC Chairman about the type of flying Northwest Airlines is requesting Champion Air to perform. This may be a violation of Northwest’s scope clause; however, the Northwest MEC made it very clear that they are
not asking the Champion Air pilots to refuse these flights. This situation is similar to any disagreement a union employee may have their management—we advise you to “fly now, grieve later.” If there is a violation of the Northwest Pilots’ Agreement, the Northwest MEC will make the decision to pursue a remedy under their grievance process. This potential violation has nothing to do with the Champion collective bargaining agreement. Therefore, we are advising all pilots to report for and fly any flights that are subcontracted from Northwest
Airlines. The flying could begin immediately, and it is unclear as to how long the subcontracting will continue. Remember, this is not struck work. There are no picket lines to cross. In addition, this work is not in violation of our Agreement. In the event of an AMFA strike at Northwest Airlines, the Northwest MEC, in consultation with the ALPA President, will make a decision as to whether or not they will engage in a sympathy strike, and, if so, will define what flights, if any, will be classified as struck work. At that time, the Champion MEC, in consultation with the ALPA President, will make a decision as to whether or not we will engage in a sympathy strike. When this decision is made, we will send out a message to all pilots via the VARS
hotline with explicit instructions with regard to the MEC’s decision.
Please check the VARS hotline frequently for updates, especially prior to reporting for work after 2301 CDT Friday, August 19th.
I would like to personally thank all of you for your professionalism during this very difficult situation.
Fly safe.