NWA mechanics face potential long strike
08-24-2005, 11:45 PM
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NWA mechanics face potential long strike
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Northwest mechanics face potential for a long strike
By LIZ FEDOR
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
MINNEAPOLIS -- The deal that Northwest Airlines mechanics left on the bargaining table Friday would have paid mechanics about $56,500 a year, but union leaders chose to strike because they thought 25 percent pay cuts -- coupled with huge layoffs -- were too great a burden for their members to bear.
While the union may have found Northwest's "last, best offer" to be repugnant, a University of Minnesota professor said this week that by rejecting the offer, members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association have put their fate in the hands of Northwest management and its replacement workers.
The airline is still flying, and the union is still on strike. But other airlines reported Wednesday a modest increase in business since the carrier's mechanics when on strike last week.
The union is "facing the potential for it to be on strike for a long time," said John Budd, a professor of human resources at the Carlson School of Management. "The work performance of the replacements will really determine the future of AMFA, Northwest and all of its employee groups."
On the flip side, Budd said, the best-case scenario for AMFA is if Northwest's operations -- completed flights and on-time performance -- "significantly deteriorates." If large numbers of passengers start booking away from Northwest because of operational problems, it might be viewed as strengthening AMFA's hand at the bargaining table. But a drop in passengers would erode Northwest's revenue base and could send the airline into bankruptcy court.
Jeff Mathews, contract coordinator for AMFA, said Tuesday that the airline's proposal was viewed as substandard by all of the union's negotiators. "Every single piece of that offer was below what United Airlines was able to achieve through a bankruptcy proceeding," Mathews said.
While many experts have said union workers receive more severe cuts inside bankruptcy, AMFA leaders have said repeatedly they are willing to take that risk.
On Aug. 1, about three weeks before the strike began, Northwest said there were 4,427 mechanics, cleaners and custodians.
Management's "last, best offer" proposed job protection for 2,750 technicians. But top-scale mechanics' pay would fall from $36.14 an hour to $27.17 per hour. That's a drop from $75,171 in annual pay for the most experienced mechanics to $56,513.
In addition to the pay cuts, close to 2,000 AMFA jobs would have been cut. Northwest offered a maximum of up to 26 weeks' severance pay as well as medical, dental and flight benefits for the people who would be furloughed.
Mathews revealed Tuesday that "we offered a 16.8 percent cut off of the base pay." But Northwest rejected AMFA's concessionary proposals because the company did not view them as achieving $176 million in permanent cuts it wants.
Northwest has imposed compensation rates and working conditions for AMFA members who are willing to cross picket lines and work for $26.53 an hour.
Before the strike, Northwest's mechanics were the second highest-paid in the nation, behind Southwest Airlines'
Northwest mechanics face potential for a long strike
By LIZ FEDOR
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
MINNEAPOLIS -- The deal that Northwest Airlines mechanics left on the bargaining table Friday would have paid mechanics about $56,500 a year, but union leaders chose to strike because they thought 25 percent pay cuts -- coupled with huge layoffs -- were too great a burden for their members to bear.
While the union may have found Northwest's "last, best offer" to be repugnant, a University of Minnesota professor said this week that by rejecting the offer, members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association have put their fate in the hands of Northwest management and its replacement workers.
The airline is still flying, and the union is still on strike. But other airlines reported Wednesday a modest increase in business since the carrier's mechanics when on strike last week.
The union is "facing the potential for it to be on strike for a long time," said John Budd, a professor of human resources at the Carlson School of Management. "The work performance of the replacements will really determine the future of AMFA, Northwest and all of its employee groups."
On the flip side, Budd said, the best-case scenario for AMFA is if Northwest's operations -- completed flights and on-time performance -- "significantly deteriorates." If large numbers of passengers start booking away from Northwest because of operational problems, it might be viewed as strengthening AMFA's hand at the bargaining table. But a drop in passengers would erode Northwest's revenue base and could send the airline into bankruptcy court.
Jeff Mathews, contract coordinator for AMFA, said Tuesday that the airline's proposal was viewed as substandard by all of the union's negotiators. "Every single piece of that offer was below what United Airlines was able to achieve through a bankruptcy proceeding," Mathews said.
While many experts have said union workers receive more severe cuts inside bankruptcy, AMFA leaders have said repeatedly they are willing to take that risk.
On Aug. 1, about three weeks before the strike began, Northwest said there were 4,427 mechanics, cleaners and custodians.
Management's "last, best offer" proposed job protection for 2,750 technicians. But top-scale mechanics' pay would fall from $36.14 an hour to $27.17 per hour. That's a drop from $75,171 in annual pay for the most experienced mechanics to $56,513.
In addition to the pay cuts, close to 2,000 AMFA jobs would have been cut. Northwest offered a maximum of up to 26 weeks' severance pay as well as medical, dental and flight benefits for the people who would be furloughed.
Mathews revealed Tuesday that "we offered a 16.8 percent cut off of the base pay." But Northwest rejected AMFA's concessionary proposals because the company did not view them as achieving $176 million in permanent cuts it wants.
Northwest has imposed compensation rates and working conditions for AMFA members who are willing to cross picket lines and work for $26.53 an hour.
Before the strike, Northwest's mechanics were the second highest-paid in the nation, behind Southwest Airlines'
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