By Doug Cunningham

After a nearly 14 month strike, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) says it’s reached a strike settlement agreement with Northwest Airlines. The tentative agreement will go to the union membership for a ratification vote. The strike started when Northwest tried to slash the number of AMFA jobs and force a 25 percent pay cut on the workers. If this agreement is approved AMFA members will have recall rights. The strikers status will change to being on layoff. Strikers who decide to resign from Northwest Airlines will get up to 10 weeks of severance pay.

By Jesse Russell

Striking mechanics Northwest Airline mechanics get some good news. Jesse Russell reports:

Last year a Minnesota unemployment law judge ruled that Northwest mechanics, represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, were ineligible to receive unemployment benefits. Those workers received some positive news on Tuesday when a Minnesota appeals court judge said the ruling was wrong and that the 25-percent pay cuts imposed on the workers by the airline was a lockout. The union still considers itself on strike, even though Northwest has kept the airline flying with replacement workers. Many of the 1600 workers who have not taken part or full-time jobs will receive more than $13,000 in benefits.

By Doug Cunningham

Striking Northwest Airlines mechanics are scheduled to resume contract talks with the company today. It was one year ago this week that the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) went on strike. It was triggered by failure to reach an agreement and Northwest’s imposing job cuts of 2,000 along with a 26 percent pay cut. It’s been a rough year for the strikers thanks to weak labor laws that let Northwest Airlines hire 1200 strike-breaking replacement workers and outsource some mechanics’ work. Some union members also crossed the picket lines to return to work.

By Jesse Russell

Mechanics at Northwest Airlines, on strike since August, are being encouraged by their union to reject a new contract proposal from the airline. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has called the new proposal “the worst contract in the history of airline labor.” The new agreement allows employees who are currently listed with the airline in a “on strike” status to transfer to a “off payroll, on layoff” status. That status will give the employees access to four weeks layoff pay. Members will be voting between now and December 30.

By Jesse Russell

Northwest has nearly finished hiring replacement workers for the mechanics that have been stalwart on picket lines since late August. Of the more than 3,000 members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association that have been on strike, the union says only about 70 have returned to Northwest. Of those, two returned to the picket lines complaining about the quality of the replacement workers and the new working environment. Northwest has asked a bankruptcy court judge to impose cuts on the other unions at the airline.

By Doug Cunningham

Northwest Airlines wants to throw out its union contracts. The airline has asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to do that if the unions don't agree to concessions of $1.4 billion a year. Northwest filed for bankruptcy protection in September. The pilot's union at Northwest expected this step and says it's hopeful an agreement with Northwest can be reached. Mechanics have been on strike at Northwest since August. The mechanics union will meet with Northwest today to discuss the status of their dispuite and to see if a resolution can be reached. Northwest has hired permanent replacements for the 4400 striking mechanics. Northwest plans flight schedule reductions starting in January as part of overall cost reduction. The company is planning additional schedule as well. The airline said it expects its first-quarter 2006 system mainline capacity to be down 11 percent to 13 percent.

Northwest may no be flying as straight as the company reported. That is what Minneapolis' Star Tribune and the union representing the companies striking mechanics allege after reviewing records released by federal aviation inspectors. The reports suggest that during the first month of the strike there were training deficincies, thin staffing, maintenance shortcomings and mistakes in recording aircraft repairs. Northwest said that many of the issues in the FAA report have been addressed and some replacement workers have been retrained. The strike began on August 20 when 4200 mechanics walked off the joband the airline brought in 1,200 replacement workers.

Citing soaring fuel prices and high labor costs, the nation's third and fourth largest airlines filed for chapter eleven bankruptcy yesterday. Delta and Northwest are expected to join carriers United and US Air in using bankruptcy to cut workers' jobs, wages and pensions. A strike by mechanics and cleaners at Northwest is in its fourth week over company demands for over one billion dollars in concessions. The striking workers received both good and bad news this Tuesday, as the United Auto Workers donated 800,000 dollars to support the strikers and the company announced that it had begun hiring permanent replacement workers.

By Jesse Russell

As the Northwest strike slogged on the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association says they only know of five members that have returned to work.

Bill, a lead inspector with 20 years at the airline who requested his last name not be used, says HE wouldn‚t go back even if it means that he will never work at Northwest again.

[BILL1] I want to work, I want the company to succeed. I've been there 20 years and to be treated like this is insulting. If I can't go back in with a payscale that I can live off of and work rules that I can work with then I'll say goodbye and I'll go fix something else.

In what could be seen as a major blow to organized labor, Northwest Airlines announced this morning plans to begin hiring replacement workers permanently. Workers striking against the airline have been told that if they return to their jobs by tomorrow, they may not be laid off. The workers, represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association walked off the job August 20.

After talks collapsed on Sunday AMFA chief negotiator Jeff Matthews told the Detroit News, "Out of the $1.4 billion in labor cost savings target, the company let this opportunity skip away over $10 million (severance costs), clearly reflecting the fact that the issue is not money but the company is intent on driving this work group into the ground and keeping the heel of its boot on each of our throats."

By Doug Cunningham

After new rounds of talks ended Sunday, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association says it would be a miracle if an agreement were reached following those sessions. Northwest told the union it wants to wipe out even more union jobs than before the strike started - the number now is up to 3350. McFarlane says an agreement will be reached eventually. Northwest is aggressively pursuing a strategy it prepared for at least 18 months of replacing its mechanics and pressing hardcore demands for concessions and jobs cuts. The union believes that no matter what happens I nthe ta

By Doug Cunningham

Northwest Airlines and it's striking Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association talked in Minneapolis into the night last night. Northwest is threatening permanent replacement of the strikers but AMFA's Steve McFarlane says the union may sue to block that.

[Steve McFarlane 1] : "We believe that because they have been bargaining in bad faith that they're not entitled to replacement workers. And we're considering our options right now and of course one of those would be to sue Northwest and prevent them from doing that."

AMFA says an FAA inspector trying to hold Northwest to the same standards as before the strike was removed from Northwest property and others in the FAA may be trying to help Northwest cover up safety infractions. AMFA believes Northwest will file bankruptcy before October 17th no matter what. McFarlane says working families have to stand up and fight or corporations like Northwest will destroy the American dream.

More than 200 striking Northwest airline mechanics
held a Labor Day rally outside Terminal 2 at San
Francisco International Airport. WIN reporter, Grace
Turner, was there.

[Start Grace]:

Across the country, more than 4,400 members of the
Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association have been
walking picket lines without pay or healthcare
coverage since August 20th.

[Prisco1] „Right now we‚re on strike because Norwest
airlines has made some extreme demands and they
haven‚t backed off on those demands.‰

Joseph Prisco, AMFA Local 9 President, says the mechanics are drawing a line in the

More than 200 striking Northwest airline mechanics held a Labor Day rally outside Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport. WIN reporter, Grace Turner, was there.

If you use the picture, please credit Grace Turner.

Click here to go to the audio of the feature story.

A militant mood infused the hundreds of union members and supporters gathered to support striking Northwest airline mechanics.

Across the country, more than 4,400 members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association have been walking picket lines without pay or healthcare coverage since August 20th.

[Prisco1] “Right now we’re on strike because Norwest airlines has made some extreme demands and they haven’t backed off on those demands.”

Joseph Prisco, AMFA Local 9 President, says his union offered Northwest a 16 percent pay cut and an additional 20 percent cost increase in medical benefits. But he says, Northwest refused to negotiate and is insisting on a 25 percent wage cut, as well as the layoff of about half of the mechanics.

Prisco says the mechanics are drawing a line in the sand for all workers by refusing Northwest’s demand.

[Prisco2] “They see some of the splits in the labor movement and they figure they can pick us off one at a time. What we’re trying to do is remind the other unions the regardless of our internal disputes we need to close ranks and fight the real bad guys, which are the bosses.”

Northwest hired 1,900 replacement mechanics at a higher wage than it offered its union workers. Management began lining up the strikebreakers about 18 months ago, long before it began negotiations with the union.

According to AMFA, temporary mechanics are not required to undergo FBI 10-year security background checks and are not as familiar with Northwest airplanes. Prisco argues the use of these inexperienced crews are dangerous.

[Prisco2] “Well, they’re still flying but it’s a limited schedule and they’re also flying with mechanics that aren’t properly trained, so eventually all this maintenance is going to back up and God forbid there’s an accident because of one of them, but that’s what we’re worried about most – the safety of the aircraft.”

So far the mechanics haven’t received much support from the leadership of other unions with Northwest fight attendants, pilots and baggage handlers crossing their picket lines.

Joanne Kazeme, Northwest flight attendant representative:

[Kazeme1] “We have today several scab flight attendants working the line that have replaced our flight attendants that chose not to go to work and cross the picket line.”

However, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union is doing what it can to support the strike.

Trent Willis is the president of ILWU Local 10.

[Willis1] “If we don’t band together, union worker, non union worker, all workers, we are in big trouble.”

AMFA is asking for all labor union members to stop flying with Northwest until the airline bargains in good faith with the union.

For WIN evening news, I’m Grace Turner.

As the strike by Northwest Airlines’ mechanics enters its second full week, there has been no noticeable change in the positions of either party. The mechanics continue their picketing, Northwest says its planes run on or close to schedule with no major problems. Benno Groenveld has more from St. Paul:

[Benno]:
Other unions at Northwest continue to ignore the mechanics’ picket lines. But at least one flight attendant has refused to cross the lines and was fired for her action.

Northwest Airlines meanwhile is demanding concessions from its other unions. Negotiations with the flight attendants about their contract start up again tomorrow with the airline looking for savings of one

In Minnesota, hundreds of supporters for the mechanics striking against Northwest Airlines rallied on Saturday. The rally marked one week since workers walked off the job. No new talks have been scheduled between the airline and the Airline Mechanics Fraternal Association. The airline has hired replacement workers and says there has been little disruption. The union claims the airline is manipulating statistics.

By Jesse Russell

Mechanics for Northwest Airlines continue to march the picket lines over a proposal to cut pay, benefits and jobs. The airline has been asking for $176 million in concessions from the workers. The company spent nearly $100 million to train more then 1,400 replacement workers in lieu of the strike. Ron Bigelow is a strike captain for the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA).

[bigelow1]: All we're trying to do is maintain our jobs and be reasonable about it. You can't expect people to take a 26 percent cut in salary, that's ridiculous.

Bigelow says the strike is going well and the union won't back down.

By Doug Cunningham

Ted Ludwig, President of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association Local 33, says the public shouldn't fly Northwest Airlines as long as the strike - now in its fourth day - continues. Ludwig says Northwest is NOT flying a full schedule and he says some rank and file members of other Northwest unions are tired of working with scabs.

[Ted Ludwig 1] : "That seems to be a pretty substantial amount now. There seems to be a growing concern about having to work with scabs every day."

Ludwig says Northwest forced this strike.

[Ludwig 2] : "Their almost terroristic bargaining where they just came in and they told us we have to give this much or there's not gonna be a deal. The amount they wanted us to give we just could not physically or monetarily give without the extinction of our union."

By Jesse Russell

A strike at Northwest airlines enters its third day today. Northwest has asked workers represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association to give up $176 million in cost savings. Meanwhile, the airline spent more than $100 million training 1300 replacement workers to cover in the possibility of a strike. The airline has proposed laying off half of the workers and cutting the salaries of the remaining workers by 25 percent. It is a situation that echoes throughout the friendly skies, but the Mechanics are the first to follow through with a threatened strike. However some analysts aren't sure the workers can weather a long-term strike as the union has a small strike chest and few back ups were seen during the first two days of the strike.

By Doug Cunningham

Northwest Airlines mechanics union continues to negotiate with the company in Washington but a Friday night strike deadline is quickly approaching. Ted Ludwig is President of Local 33 of the Aircraft Mechanic's Fraternal Association.

[Ted Ludwig 1] : "I am hopeful that we'll get some kind of agreement. Of course, none of us really want to go on strike."

Northwest is pressing for $176 million in concessions and wants to slash union jobs, all the while threatening to go into bankruptcy. Ludwig says the union will continue to talk with Northwest right up to the strike deadline.