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Airline Doesn't Expect Delays; Northwest Confident in Face of Strike

Posted on: Friday, 12 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

Northwest Airlines Corp., the second-largest carrier at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport, expects to continue flying its full schedule even if employees stage work stoppages next week, the company's executives said Thursday.

"We don't anticipate any disruption in travel plans," said J. Timothy Griffin, the airline's executive vice president of marketing.

Northwest plans to continue serving all its markets, Griffin said. So far, customers have not indicated any major concerns about the effects of a possible strike, he said.

"Travelers are continuing to back us with confidence," Griffin said.

Griffin and other company executives, including president and CEO Douglas Steenland, spoke with reporters during a teleconference as the strike deadline for Northwest's mechanics looms closer.

The National Mediation Board last month released the airline and the union representing Northwest mechanics and other ground crew workers from mediated talks, triggering a 30-day "cooling off" period. The board's action means that a strike could begin Aug. 20 if a new labor agreement isn't reached by that time.

Steenland said Northwest still hopes to reach an agreement with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents 4,500 airline employees, including 43 of Northwest's 168 employees in Milwaukee. But he said there's no guarantee that an agreement will be reached in time to prevent a work stoppage.

Northwest has contingency plans, including shifting more work to outside contractors, said Andrew Roberts, executive vice president of operations. Roberts said Northwest has been planning for a possible strike for 18 months.

Northwest has been increasing its Milwaukee service since 2003 and offers 38 flights daily to 13 non-stop destinations.

Of Northwest's 38 daily flights from Mitchell International Airport, 20 flights are offered through the Northwest Airlink regional carrier, which is operated in Milwaukee by Pinnacle Airlines Inc.

A strike at Northwest would not affect operations at Pinnacle because its employees are not represented by the union, Griffin said.

Northwest is seeking $1.1 billion worth of annual wage concessions from its workers. It got $300 million from pilots and salaried employees last year, but mechanics and flight attendants have resisted.

The concessions from mechanics and other ground crew employees would total $176 million, and involve pay cuts of up to 26%, the union said. The union said it has offered pay cuts of up to 16%, but Northwest said that would amount to potential cost reductions of $87 million on a temporary basis.

Union officials say a mechanics strike would disrupt Northwest's operations.

Copyright 2005, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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