Flight attendants say Northwest negotiations at impasse
Relations between Northwest Airlines and its fuming flight attendants continue to slide south. Cabin crewmembers at the bankrupt airline have now declared contract negotiations with the carrier at an impasse, and have asked the National Mediation Board (NMB) to release them from further mediation with airline management.
“The NMB was created to protect employees,” says Interim Master Executive Council President Mollie Reiley. “Management,” she contends, “has no motivation to negotiate.”
Northwest management imposed contract terms on flight attendants after they voted down company contract offers resulting in significant cuts in both pay and benefits.
By some accounts, morale among the carrier’s cabin crewmembers is low. They’ve voted to authorize a strike, a strike that’s been barred by a federal judge.
“The right to strike,” maintains Reiley, “is…the one thing that forces management to negotiate fairly.”
What’s next? The National Mediation Board can determine that further mediation will not help the airline and its flight attendants reach consensual agreement. If that happens, NMB then offers to submit the dispute to arbitration. If either side rejects such arbitration, a 30-day cooling off period begins. If there’s no agreement by the end of that period, workers can exercise their right to strike. The NMB has asked for a status conference involving the Association of Flight Attendants and Northwest on Tuesday, September 26.
Meanwhile, Northwest continues with plans to exit Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, and flight attendants simmer, barred — at least at this point — from venting their rage on the company by walking out.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
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