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Monday, Sep. 14, 1998
Northwest shifts focus to other unions
With pilots back to work, airline also begins trying to restore its customer base
By BETH SILVER
Associated PressMINNEAPOLIS - With its pilots' contract settled, Northwest Airlines is turning its attention to its other five unions, getting planes back in the air and rebuilding relationships with customers.
``Once a contract is resolved, everybody has the same common interest in moving forward,'' Northwest spokesman Jon Austin said.
Business was slow Sunday at Twin Cities International Airport, but it promised to pick up as a quarter of the flights were expected to be back on schedule by Wednesday. Full service is expected by Sept. 21.
The 17-member executive council of the Air Line Pilots Association ratified the contract Saturday night to send its 6,200 pilots back to work. The 31,000 Northwest employees laid off because of the 15-day strike were told to be ready to return to work.
Newsweek magazine reported that Deputy White House counsel Bruce Lindsey threatened both sides and almost walked away from negotiations before a settlement was reached.
In its Sept. 21 edition, Newsweek reported Lindsey warned management that a hard stand would endanger its pending alliance with Continental Airlines and told pilots that President Clinton would declare a public emergency that forces them back to work if they did not negotiate.
Under the contract, the pilots will receive a 12 percent pay increase over the four-year contract. They also won job protections; a phase-out of a two-tier wage scale that pays new hires less; stock options and profit-sharing.
Northwest's 27,000 members of the International Association of Machinists already have authorized a strike and asked federal mediators to declare an impasse.
But flight attendant Glinda Edmondson said she is ready to return with no hard feelings.
``It's part of the corporate world. You have to fight for your rights and the pilots did just that,'' she said.
Northwest will need legions of loyal employees to bring the carrier back to full speed. Plenty of loyal fliers got a taste of other airlines during the pilots' walkout, and Northwest said it would have its first money-losing quarter since 1993.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