Front Page || Main Index || Corpus Christi News || Business || Texas || Sports || Entertainment || Selena
Tuesday, Sep. 1, 1998
Northwest, union have ample strike funds
Millions of dollars amassed by both sides could indicate extended walkout
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS - With a strike survival fund of $3 billion, Northwest Airlines appears able to engage in a long staredown with its striking pilots.
The pilots have set aside about $65 million, too, begging the question: How long will this strike last?
President Clinton on Monday said he asked Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater to meet with both sides in an attempt to restart negotiations to end the dispute. The parties will meet Tuesday, according to domestic policy aide Gene Sperling.
Earlier, White House officials had said that if the strike reached Labor Day, Clinton might reconsider his decision not to order a 60-day ``cooling-off'' period for the parties as he did last year in the early stages of a strike by American Airlines pilots.
Northwest on Monday canceled all its 1,700 daily flights through Wednesday, and international flights from Europe also were canceled for Thursday, company spokeswoman Kathy Peach said.
So far, the impact has been relatively small on travelers and businesses, most of whom had made other travel arrangements. But the longer the strike lasts, the more problems it will cause.
Some 34,000 U S West employees began returning to work Monday after a tentative settlement was reached in a strike that forced customers to wait for phone repairs and installations.
In addition to a wage hike, the proposed three-year contract includes the union's goal of limits on mandatory overtime, while setting up a performance-pay plan the company wanted but making it voluntary.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web