Northwest flight attendant strike looks more likely
A strike by Northwest Airlines’ flight attendants looks more likely as this story goes live. On Wednesday, negotiators for the Association of Flight Attendants sent their representatives home saying that further talks were unlikely before the Friday (August 25) strike deadline.
In the past, Northwest has said that a strike could jeopardize its viability. Recently, the carrier said it has contingency plans. The bankrupt airline is appealing a recent ruling by Federal Bankruptcy Judge Allan Cooper who refused to block a work action by flight attendants.
Any work action that results could well come in the form of CHAOS (Creating Havoc Across Our System): walkouts targeted at select flights throughout the carrier’s worldwide route system.
At issue are new contract terms that the airline imposed on the flight attendants against their will. The flight attendants’ union says it will try to warn Northwest passengers ahead of time, before any strikes occur. Passengers booked on the airline should go to the union’s Web site to sign up for special e-mail notifications.
A visit to that site finds the rhetoric heated. Cabin crewmembers rail against the Chapter 11 carrier saying “their incompetence [is] unacceptable and their treatment of employees outrageous. We will be seen. We will be heard”.
What travelers are waiting to see is exactly how they will be heard.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
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