Northwest Flight Attendants Threaten to Strike

Airline Asks Court To Prevent Walkout

Northwest says it will go ahead with its cost-cutting plan, despite its flights attendants' disapproval. (By Paul Sancya -- Associated Press)

Flight attendants for Northwest Airlines Corp. announced yesterday that they have begun a countdown to walk off the job, a day after rejecting a contract that would have cut their pay by about 20 percent.

The announcement is the latest in a battle between Northwest, which is struggling through bankruptcy reorganization, and its 9,300 flight attendants.

The employees, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, said they were gearing up to take action as soon as 10 p.m. Aug. 15, the end of a 15-day warning period.

The union is not in negotiations with the airline, but an agreement that avoids job actions could still be reached before the Aug. 15 deadline.

Northwest filed a motion in bankruptcy court to prevent the flight attendants from striking or taking other job actions, said Roman Blahoski, an airline spokesman. He said the airline thinks such strikes would be illegal under the federal Railway Labor Act.

Blahoski said the airline was "not discussing contingency plans" but would be willing to sit down with the flight attendants. Any deal, he said, must include $195 million in savings that the airline is seeking from the attendants.

It is not clear how the attendants' actions will affect travelers. Experts urged fliers to choose other airlines or buy refundable tickets if the two sides do not reach an agreement.

The attendants, for now, do not plan on widespread strikes but intend to conduct what one industry observer called "guerrilla warfare."

Under a program known by the union as CHAOS (create havoc around our system), members will walk off certain planes, not show up for work or strike at specific airports.

"The members are very angry," said Mollie Reiley, president of the bargaining group for Northwest flight attendants. "To some of them, it's as basic as whether or not they can continue to work here. I think, for a lot of them, they had nothing to lose by rejecting it."

No specific plans have been put in place, and the union has been educating its members about potential actions, Reiley said.

Analysts said the attendants could harm Northwest by disrupting its operations and driving away business travelers. Northwest, which has 46 flights out of the Washington area's three major airports, filed for bankruptcy protection last year.