Support for strike uncertain
2 Northwest unions wait for flight attendants to act
August 3, 2006
BY JEWEL GOPWANI
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
As the countdown to an Aug. 15 strike at Northwest Airlines Inc. continues, two of the carrier's largest unions haven't decided whether they would support a flight attendants' strike.
That decision would be made after a strike starts, said union leaders for pilots and ground workers, who don't want to influence union negotiations. But it won't be an easy choice, labor experts said.
"You've got strains between a sense of sacrifice and a sense of solidarity," said Harley Shaiken, a professor specializing in labor relations at the University of California at Berkeley.
This year, Northwest's 5,000 pilots and 13,000 ground workers ratified deals that save Northwest $550 million annually. The flight attendants union is the only group at Northwest that hasn't agreed to concessions, which labor experts say leave unions for pilots and ground workers in a precarious position.
"I'm sure, when they have their debates about this, they're going to say, 'There's a possibility that we could jeopardize our own jobs,' " said Gary Chaison, professor of management at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.
Whether a strike will take place is unclear. Northwest, with approval from a bankruptcy judge, imposed lower wages and benefits on its flight attendants Monday after those workers rejected a contract proposal with hefty concessions. The union answered by saying it will be ready to strike individual flights, cities or en masse, as early as Aug. 15.
Northwest is asking the bankruptcy judge to block such a strike. As of Wednesday, there were no talks scheduled. Northwest and the Association of Flight Attendants are due in court next week to argue whether a union can strike a carrier in bankruptcy.
If the unions want to make a statement to the company, Chaison said, they'll support a flight attendants strike. Northwest unions were faced with a similar decision a year ago, when the airline's union mechanics went on strike. No other Northwest union honored the still ongoing strike by the mechanics group, which has few allies in the nation's labor movement.
In this case, the pilots say they'd support the attendants' right to strike. But heads of the pilot and ground workers unions said they hope attendants can reach a deal so all can move on.
"We need to be focused toward the future," Capt. Dave Stevens, who leads the Northwest arm of the Air Line Pilots Association.
2 Northwest unions wait for flight attendants to act
August 3, 2006
BY JEWEL GOPWANI
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
As the countdown to an Aug. 15 strike at Northwest Airlines Inc. continues, two of the carrier's largest unions haven't decided whether they would support a flight attendants' strike.
That decision would be made after a strike starts, said union leaders for pilots and ground workers, who don't want to influence union negotiations. But it won't be an easy choice, labor experts said.
"You've got strains between a sense of sacrifice and a sense of solidarity," said Harley Shaiken, a professor specializing in labor relations at the University of California at Berkeley.
This year, Northwest's 5,000 pilots and 13,000 ground workers ratified deals that save Northwest $550 million annually. The flight attendants union is the only group at Northwest that hasn't agreed to concessions, which labor experts say leave unions for pilots and ground workers in a precarious position.
"I'm sure, when they have their debates about this, they're going to say, 'There's a possibility that we could jeopardize our own jobs,' " said Gary Chaison, professor of management at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.
Whether a strike will take place is unclear. Northwest, with approval from a bankruptcy judge, imposed lower wages and benefits on its flight attendants Monday after those workers rejected a contract proposal with hefty concessions. The union answered by saying it will be ready to strike individual flights, cities or en masse, as early as Aug. 15.
Northwest is asking the bankruptcy judge to block such a strike. As of Wednesday, there were no talks scheduled. Northwest and the Association of Flight Attendants are due in court next week to argue whether a union can strike a carrier in bankruptcy.
If the unions want to make a statement to the company, Chaison said, they'll support a flight attendants strike. Northwest unions were faced with a similar decision a year ago, when the airline's union mechanics went on strike. No other Northwest union honored the still ongoing strike by the mechanics group, which has few allies in the nation's labor movement.
In this case, the pilots say they'd support the attendants' right to strike. But heads of the pilot and ground workers unions said they hope attendants can reach a deal so all can move on.
"We need to be focused toward the future," Capt. Dave Stevens, who leads the Northwest arm of the Air Line Pilots Association.
