The Star-Tribune reported that the Northwest Flight Attendants union has told the federal judge who postponed their planned strike that Northwest has little incentive to negotiate. No negotations are planned, and there is no reason to believe there will be any before the judge issues his final ruling on the matter.
Mollie Reiley, the president of the union, commented, Northwest “would like us to return to the table while the injunction is in place and our hands are tied.”
On July 31, after the union rejected a deal, Northwest voided their contract and imposed pay rates, work rules, and benefit changes to save $195 million in costs. Those rates, according to the union, dropped the average pay from $42,000 last year to $33,000 this year.
For more information, please consult our previous post on this continuing threat to Northwest operations.