Court: NWA Flight Attendants May Strike

A New York bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday that Northwest Airlines flight attendants may strike next week.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper denied the Minnesota airline’s request for an injunction that would have blocked the 9,000 flight attendants from walking off the job as soon as Aug. 25, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The union has threatened unannounced, temporary and partial work stoppages if Northwest imposes a concessionary contract on members as a way to achieve $195 million in yearly labor expense savings.

Union leaders say such a contract would amount to a 40 percent cut in wages and benefits. But financial analysts say a flight attendants’ strike could push the nation’s fourth-largest airline into liquidation.

Northwest plans to appeal Gropper’s ruling.