NWA uses Champion for some flying

08/11/2005

Liz Fedor,
Star Tribune
August 11, 2005


Northwest Airlines started using Champion Air to do some of its flying Wednesday, acknowledging that it’s experiencing some operational problems ahead of its Aug. 19 strike deadline with its mechanics union.

Northwest used a Champion plane and crew Wednesday to fly Northwest passengers between Detroit and Dallas-Fort Worth, which prompted the Northwest pilots union to immediately file a grievance and demand that the practice be halted.

Mark McClain, chairman of the Northwest branch of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), said he called Northwest CEO Doug Steenland on Wednesday and told him that the use of the charter carrier to do Northwest pilots’ work was “wholly unacceptable” and a violation of the pilots’ contract.

“I told him that we expected him to cease and desist from further action,” McClain said in a Wednesday interview.

Northwest acknowledged earlier this week that Bloomington-based Champion Air was included in its strike contingency plan and would be used “if needed in order to serve our customers.”

In a statement Wednesday, the airline said it has “activated a portion of our contingency plan due to an abnormally high level of aircraft that are currently out of service.” A company spokesman declined to say how many planes are out of service or why they are not available for flying.

Northwest has insisted that the strike prospect has not deterred customers from making travel plans with the airline, and it maintains that it will be able to fly a full schedule by using replacement workers and outside vendors if mechanics strike.

Having already lost $683 million this year, Northwest can ill afford having prospective passengers book with other airlines out of fear that their flights will be delayed or canceled.

Northwest said that it intends to use Champion for “a very limited number of flights” and that “we do not believe that the use of Champion Air violates any Northwest labor agreement.” Late Wednesday, the airline’s management said it was “in discussions with ALPA about this issue.”

While the pilots were preparing their grievance against Northwest on Wednesday, leaders of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) were conducting strike preparation meetings with their members in the Twin Cities.

AMFA and management negotiators return to the bargaining table Monday in Washington, D.C., to make a final attempt to reach a negotiated settlement.

But Mike Klemm, strike committee coordinator for AMFA Local 33, isn’t optimistic about a settlement, because union members view management’s concessionary proposal as “an effort to break our union.”

ALPA’s McClain was critical of Northwest management’s approach toward its employees and said he is distressed that “there is a propensity by some to take advantage of the employees when they are down.”

McClain said he spoke to Steenland for about 20 minutes. “I think Steenland is getting bad advice from some of the people that surround him now,” he said.

Northwest has been pressing for $1.1 billion in labor cuts from its union and salaried employees. The pilots already accepted $265 million in annual cuts and are looking at options for a second round of concessions.

“At the very time Northwest pilots will be an integral part of any long-term solution, now is not the right time to be poking us in the eye,” McClain said of Northwest management.