The NMB appoints Jim Mackenzie mediator

As stated in last Friday’s Negotiating Committee Update, the Association and the Company jointly requested the services of the National Mediation Board (NMB) on December 17th. The NMB has accepted our request and assigned Jim Mackenzie as our mediator.

Prior to joining the NMB, Jim completed 31 years as a commercial pilot for a number of major airlines, retiring from Northwest Airlines in 2006 as an Airbus Captain. Following retirement, Jim was a Captain B-777/787 Instructor pilot for Alteon, a Boeing Company and an aviation consultant. He spent 30 years working in various positions for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) including Chairman of the NWA Pilot Retirement and Insurance Committee and a member of the NWA Unsecured Creditors Committee as well Co-Chairman on the PeopleExpress Merger Committee. A Navy pilot, he spent 5 years flying the A-4 Skyhawk on active duty in the Western Pacific and 9 years in the Reserves as an adversary pilot.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Masters in Business Management from the University of Kansas. Mr. Mackenzie has been with the NMB for a little over two years.

We look forward to working with him as we negotiate the JCBA under the Railway Labor Act.