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August 11, 2005
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| The company said normal fare rules will apply if there's a strike. But it said it might waive some rules or rebook passengers onto another airline's flight if there's an "irregular operation" during the strike. (MPR Photo/Mark Zdechlik) |
Eagan, Minn. — Northwest's announcement marks the first public exposition of its strike contingency plan. In a meeting with newspaper and wire service reporters, company officials sketched out their strategy for maintaining a full operating schedule in the event of a strike.
Northwest's plan involves three groups of substitute mechanics. The first group includes about 300 management level employees who have been trained as mechanics. Those managers will oversee the work performed by about 1,000 temporary mechanics. And some maintenance will be permanently outsourced to third-party vendors.
In a recording supplied by the Associated Press, Andy Roberts, the vice president of operations at Northwest, says the company has not compromised its hiring standards with the replacement workers and vendors.
"Any individuals that are going to touch Northwest aircraft in terms of maintenance will have been trained in the Northwest training program and to Northwest standards," says Roberts.
Roberts says third-party vendors already perform a large portion of the airline's heavy maintenance and engine work. The mechanics' current contract allows Northwest to contract out up to 38 percent of its maintenance work.
The airline's threats to do more outsourcing are not new, according to the national director of the the union representing Northwest mechanics. O.V. Delle-Femine of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association says the way the airline is now tying the threat of more outsourcing to a possible strike is just hype.
Delle-Femine says the union has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the quality of the replacement and contract mechanics.
"We don't know who these people are, what their qualifications are, whether they're going to pencil-whip the aircraft. We don't know them," says Delle-Femine.
And Delle-Femine insists that none of Northwest's plans will impede the union's intention to strike if necessary.
"If we have to strike, we strike. we've been intimidated before with other strikes... It's nothing new," says Delle Femine.
Northwest flight attendants are voting on whether to strike in sympathy with the mechanics. Their balloting period closes the day the mechanics can strike. The company says its contingency plan also includes training replacements for at least 1,500 flight attendants in the event they, too, walk out.
Northwest's CEO Doug Steenland calls the contingency plan a prudent response to the possibility of a strike. The airline has been locked in a contract dispute with mechanics for months.
The airline wants mechanics to agree to $176 million in job and pay cuts. The union says it has offered $143 million in cuts, but the airline says the mechanics overstate the value of their offer.
Steenland says Northwest is steadily losing money and has to restructure itself.
"The company simply has no choice. We can't ignore reality and keep on losing $4 million a day," says Steenland.
Talks between Northwest and the mechanics union resume in Washington D.C. on Monday. The union's president says in spite of Northwest's threat to cut mechancs' jobs in a strike, he remains hopeful about the outcome of next week's negotiations.
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