Audio With strike averted, life goes on at Mesaba (story audio) Photos Running on time Horak: "Talk about good luck" Mesaba's Dave Jackson View full slideshow (4 images) More from MPR Pilots, management settle on Mesaba contract (01/11/2004) Resources Mesaba Airlines Air Line Pilots Association Your Voice Join the conversation with other MPR listeners in the News Forum.

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With strike averted, life goes on at Mesaba
by Jeff Horwich, Minnesota Public Radio
January 12, 2004

A Mesaba turboprop taxis out for takeoff Sunday morning at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, as seen from the entrance to the B Concourse. (MPR Photo/Jeff Horwich)

Mesaba Airlines is back in business. The airline and its pilots narrowly averted the first strike at a U.S. air carrier since 2001. A final marathon negotiating session this weekend yielded a pilot's contract both sides say they're happy with. Travelers and leaders in greater Minnesota are breathing a sigh of relief that air service from Mesaba will continue. Nonetheless, the industry realities that brought the dispute to a head remain.

Eagan, Minn. — Negotiators streched the suspense and their own human endurance, trading proposals non-stop for 25 hours beyond the original strike deadline Friday night. The extended session also disrupted service at Mesaba. In case of a strike, Mesaba had parked its 97 planes at its hubs in Detroit, Memphis and the Twin Cities, and left them there all day Saturday.

Full service had resumed by Sunday afternoon. At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Mesaba travelers inconvenienced by weekend cancellations sat next to those blissfully oblivious to the narrowly-averted strike.

	Horak: "Talk about good luck"

Doug Hulmes of Arizona spent the night in a hotel, courtesy of Northwest, when there was no flight Saturday night to take him to St. Cloud.

"I was hoping to meet with my dad (Saturday) night," he said. "I only have five days here and every minute with him counts."

Dr. Joseph Horak was on his way to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Mesaba.

"I'm very glad to hear that it ended, but I wasn't aware that there would be" a strike, he said. "Talk about good luck."

Lay-offs were in store for most Mesaba employees if pilots struck. Employees at the airport said they couldn't talk to the press, though one flight attendant who would not give her name said, "I'm thrilled. I need a job."

Mesaba pilots were equally reticent.

	Running on time

"Can't say anything," said one about to depart on a flight to Aspen.

Is he happy to be flying again?

"I'm always happy to be flying."

In greater Minnesota, officials like Bemidji Mayor Richard Lehmann were relieved. Lehmann says Bemidji is the fourth-busiest airport in the state, and only Mesaba flies there.

"We have a fair number of people that travel to Bemidji to catch flights out of here, plus the local business economy is reliant on our airline traffic," Lehmann said. "So it's a very important part of Bemidji's economics."

Details of the deal between pilots and management are under wraps by order of the National Mediation Board, until pilots vote on the contract in the next two weeks. Union officials say the contract raises salaries to the level of other regional carriers like Comair and Air Wisconsin. The $17,000 dollar starting salary for a first officer is no more.

Pilots said they feared management and Northwest would use lower-cost competitors to put pressure their jobs. Issues involving this so-called "job security" concern were reportedly what absorbed the final hours of negotiation.

	Mesaba's Dave Jackson

Announcing the deal, union chairman Tom Wychor thanked John Spanjers, the president of Mesaba.

"I want to thank him for staying at the table and finding a way for us to meet the goals of the company and the goals of the pilots," Wychor said. "We hope that this begins a new era and a new beginning for labor relations at our proud carrier."

Airline spokesman Dave Jackson says company officials are "very pleased" with the contract, and that it recognizes the value of Mesaba pilots.

"We feel like it puts us on a fresh start," Jackson said. "Getting past these negotiations was a big step for us, and we're looking forward to the future with Northwest Airline as our partner."

Mesaba said throughout negotiations that too rich a contract for pilots would drive Northwest to drop the company for a less costly carrier. Ray Neidl, a financial analyst who watches Northwest, says in a difficult industry that danger is real, and the airline is watching for any opportunity to cut its financial losses.

"It's more important to Northwest that their suppliers maintain the lower cost structure necesary to operate these routes profitably for Northwest, and if Mesaba can't do it they'll find somebody else who can," Neidl said.

Mesaba's Dave Jackson has not heard Northwest's reaction to the contract deal. But he says Mesaba negotiators stayed true to the needs of Northwest throughout the process.

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