Pilots of Northwest Airlines Picket to Demand a Share in NWA’s Success

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., March 6 /PRNewswire/ — Pilots of Northwest Airlines will conduct informational picketing March 7 at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport to demand a share in Northwest Airlines’ financial success in return for their deep concessions made in Bankruptcy Court to save Northwest Airlines from liquidation.

   Who:   Northwest Airlines pilots.  

Great visuals of pilots picketing in uniform. Pilot spokesmen will be available.

   When:   Wednesday, March 7, 2007, 4:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. CST    Where:   Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport   Ticketing level at the Lindbergh Terminal    Why:  

Northwest is on far better financial footing than the grim Chapter 11 business plan that NWA executives sold to the Bankruptcy Court last year to support their ultimatums for deep employee concessions. As a result, Northwest pilots demand to share in the company’s success by quickly regaining their lost pay, benefits, and work rules.

   Pilots at Northwest deserve REAL profit- and success-sharing plans.   —  NWA’s profit- and success-sharing programs are a farce because NWA       pilots will receive only pennies on the dollar compared to the amount       of pay and work rule concessions pilots conceded in Bankruptcy Court.       The potential of a few thousand dollars a year for each pilot falls       far short of making up for an annual $40,000 to $100,000 pay cut.    —  Even the inclusion of the Northwest pilots’ claim sale proceeds would       at best return only about 20 cents on every dollar conceded.   

Expect Northwest Airlines to soon announce an outrageous compensation plan for approximately 400 NWA executives, including the NWA CEO and NWA executive vice presidents.

   —  Northwest pilots’ concessions were intended to save Northwest       Airlines, NOT to enrich Northwest executives.    Background:  

Northwest pilots agreed last year in Bankruptcy Court to give $358 million annually (including a 23.9 percent pay cut) to help the company avoid liquidation. This sacrifice was in addition to the $265 million (including a 15 percent pay cut) annual concession Northwest pilots gave in December 2004. Northwest pilots’ total concession of $623 million a year totals more than $4 billion through 2011.

Founded in 1931, ALPA represents 60,000 pilots at 40 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. ALPA represents approximately 4,700 active NWA pilots and 550 furloughed NWA pilots. Visit the ALPA website at http://www.alpa.org/ and the NWA ALPA website at http://www.nwaalpa.org/.

Air Line Pilots Association, International

CONTACT: Wade Blaufuss, +1-919-673-0970, or Will Holman,+1-612-840-7749, both of Air Line Pilots Association, International

Web site: http://www.alpa.org/