EAGAN, Minn. (AP) -- Northwest Airlines Corp. has 1,500 replacement workers and managers ready to take over for its union mechanics if they strike on Aug. 20, company executives said Thursday as they detailed their strike plans.
The nation's fourth-largest airline said it still hopes to reach a deal with mechanics when talks resume Monday. But the carrier is vowing to keep flying through a strike, and on Thursday Northwest executives invited reporters to its headquarters to explain how.
The airline has been trying to reassure travelers that a strike won't disrupt air travel. Its ability to fly without the mechanics -- and mechanics' ability to shut Northwest down with a strike -- are key points at the bargaining table.
The company has arranged for 300 to 350 managers to supervise another 1,100 or so temporary mechanics, said Andy Roberts, the airline's vice president for operations.
In a strike, Northwest said vendors would permanently take over so-called "line maintenance," which is work that can be done at a gate or overnight, outside of its Detroit and Minneapolis hubs.
The workers in Minneapolis and Detroit would be temporary, although Roberts said permanent replacements would be hired at some point after a strike begins. He declined to say how long Northwest would wait before hiring permanent replacements.
Line maintenance at all other domestic airports would be handed over to vendors permanently, Roberts said.
Vendors will do the heavy maintenance work.
"All airframes, engines and components will be outsourced. The vast majority of heavy checks will have been performed for this year, and those that haven't will be vended out," Roberts said.
Much of that work is already done by vendors, Roberts said. The mechanics' current contract allows Northwest to send up to 38 percent of mechanic work to outside vendors.
Roberts said Northwest has already trained ground workers from another union to drive the tractors that push airplanes back from the gate; that work is currently done by mechanics union members.
President and CEO Doug Steenland declined to say whether the ground workers union, the International Association of Machinists, has agreed to allow them to perform work that's usually done by striking mechanics. But the IAM and the mechanics union have been bitter rivals since the mechanics voted to leave the IAM in 1998.
The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has questioned whether Northwest will really be able to fly without them.
"We never thought that we could keep every flight from leaving. But we will seriously, seriously hamper the operations" if there's a strike, said Ted Ludwig, president of AMFA Local 33, which represents mechanics in Minneapolis. "To us, it just seems like this plan is coming apart, and they're trying to do everything they can to reassure people to book on Northwest Airlines."
Flight attendants are voting on whether to stage a sympathy strike. Balloting ends at the same time as the strike deadline.
Northwest also said it can field an additional 1,500 flight attendants if there's a sympathy strike. Those replacements will include managers, replacement flight attendants and laid-off flight attendants who have recently been recalled.
The company said normal fare rules will apply if there's a strike. But it said it might waive some rules or rebook passengers onto another airline's flight if there's an "irregular operation" during the strike.
Joshua Freed can be reached at jfreed(at)ap.org
The nation's fourth-largest airline said it still hopes to reach a deal with mechanics when talks resume Monday. But the carrier is vowing to keep flying through a strike, and on Thursday Northwest executives invited reporters to its headquarters to explain how.
The airline has been trying to reassure travelers that a strike won't disrupt air travel. Its ability to fly without the mechanics -- and mechanics' ability to shut Northwest down with a strike -- are key points at the bargaining table.
The company has arranged for 300 to 350 managers to supervise another 1,100 or so temporary mechanics, said Andy Roberts, the airline's vice president for operations.
In a strike, Northwest said vendors would permanently take over so-called "line maintenance," which is work that can be done at a gate or overnight, outside of its Detroit and Minneapolis hubs.
The workers in Minneapolis and Detroit would be temporary, although Roberts said permanent replacements would be hired at some point after a strike begins. He declined to say how long Northwest would wait before hiring permanent replacements.
Line maintenance at all other domestic airports would be handed over to vendors permanently, Roberts said.
Vendors will do the heavy maintenance work.
"All airframes, engines and components will be outsourced. The vast majority of heavy checks will have been performed for this year, and those that haven't will be vended out," Roberts said.
Much of that work is already done by vendors, Roberts said. The mechanics' current contract allows Northwest to send up to 38 percent of mechanic work to outside vendors.
Roberts said Northwest has already trained ground workers from another union to drive the tractors that push airplanes back from the gate; that work is currently done by mechanics union members.
President and CEO Doug Steenland declined to say whether the ground workers union, the International Association of Machinists, has agreed to allow them to perform work that's usually done by striking mechanics. But the IAM and the mechanics union have been bitter rivals since the mechanics voted to leave the IAM in 1998.
The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has questioned whether Northwest will really be able to fly without them.
"We never thought that we could keep every flight from leaving. But we will seriously, seriously hamper the operations" if there's a strike, said Ted Ludwig, president of AMFA Local 33, which represents mechanics in Minneapolis. "To us, it just seems like this plan is coming apart, and they're trying to do everything they can to reassure people to book on Northwest Airlines."
Flight attendants are voting on whether to stage a sympathy strike. Balloting ends at the same time as the strike deadline.
Northwest also said it can field an additional 1,500 flight attendants if there's a sympathy strike. Those replacements will include managers, replacement flight attendants and laid-off flight attendants who have recently been recalled.
The company said normal fare rules will apply if there's a strike. But it said it might waive some rules or rebook passengers onto another airline's flight if there's an "irregular operation" during the strike.
Joshua Freed can be reached at jfreed(at)ap.org
