Friday, June 10, 2005

Northwest Northwest placed recruiting ads for replacement flight attendants Sunday in major newspapers across the nation, including in Detroit.

N'West seeks strike workers

The airline is recruiting replacement personnel in case of flight attendant, mechanic work stoppage.

By Joel J. Smith / The Detroit News

Jim Mone / Associated Press Northwest mechanics John Albright and Geanna Dumonceaux hand out bags of airline pretzels to fliers at the Minneapolis airport. Error processing SSI file Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

Northwest Airlines is recruiting replacement workers should contentious talks with union-represented mechanics and flight attendants lead to a strike or lockout.

The airline says it needs deep concessions from its workers or it will be forced to follow other major airlines into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport's largest carrier is running Internet and newspaper ads recruiting applicants for the jobs, including in The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press.

The call for replacement workers could strike a nerve with union loyalists in Metro Detroit and other markets with a heavy organized labor presence.

Northwest officials vow the Minneapolis-based airline won't shut down if either of the two groups strike or the carrier decides to lock out workers.

Northwest CEO Doug Steenland told analysts this week that the airline is preparing a "contingency plan" in case of a strike.

"Our contingency plan, in my judgment, puts us in a position where we will be able to assure our customers that we will be able to take them to the destination that they had planned upon -- on Day One," Steenland said.

Union leaders are furious over the recruitment of replacement workers. Top officials from both unions say they doubt Northwest can find enough workers to replace all its members.

Northwest has lost $3.1 billion since 2001 and $458 million in the first quarter of 2005.

Northwest is seeking an additional $800 million in concessions from workers, but says the unions haven't acknowledged the gravity of Northwest's financial problems.

Steenland has said Northwest will be forced into bankruptcy if it can't reduce the wages and benefits of its workers. Northwest, which has 600 daily departures from Detroit Metro, employs about 10,000 workers in Michigan.

Last month, Northwest hired AvTech USA Inc. to provide heavy aircraft maintenance work on its fleet of 400 planes in case there's a strike by its mechanics. The company has been advertising heavily on various Internet employment sites for $32 per hour aircraft mechanics for Detroit, Minneapolis and other Northwest destinations.

The company promises a $2,000 bonus, paid housing, tools provided, medical insurance and a 401(k) retirement plan.

AvTech couldn't be reached Thursday for comment.

Northwest placed recruiting ads for flight attendants Sunday in major newspapers around the country, including in Detroit. The display ads in the classified sections list the qualifications for a flight attendant career. At the bottom of the ad in small print it reads: "Individuals who successfully complete Flight Attendant training may be offered employment in the event of a labor dispute or strike."

Northwest is also advertising on Internet job listing sites such as Monster.com.

Northwest wouldn't say how many responses it has received.

"There is a lot of hate out there," said O.V. Delle-Femine, national director of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association which represents about 5,500 Northwest mechanics. "They've already hired 400 replacements. If we shut them down, it's going to be rough on the carrier. It's going to be a mess."

Delle-Femine said his union is in federal mediation with Northwest and that the carrier's last offer was to eliminate half the mechanic jobs and cut the pay of the remaining mechanics by 24 percent. Delle-Femine said he won't agree to those stipulations.

On Thursday, mediators ruled that Northwest must keep negotiating with mechanics.

Northwest had wanted the mediator to declare the talks at an impasse. That would have prompted a 30-day countdown toward a strike or a lockout -- or a deal. The mediator's decision heads off the possibility of a strike soon.

Northwest also is in mediation with the Professional Flight Attendants Association.

"They are doing what they have to do to get a contingency plan in place, but at the same time they are enjoying terrorizing our employees into submission," said Peter J. Fiske, who is on the flight attendants union's board of directors. "Quite frankly, it isn't going to work."

You can reach Joel J. Smith at (313) 222-2556 or jsmith@detnews.com.