business

Northwest Airlines pilots will start voting Monday on a strike authorization, four days before a federal bankruptcy judge is scheduled to decide whether to toss out the existing contracts between the carrier and its pilots and flight attendants unions.

Mark McClain, chairman of the pilots union, said in an interview Friday that management has refused to budge on key issues, including job security.

"They are being opportunistic," McClain said of Northwest executives. "They feel they've got the upper hand in bankruptcy court and they want to take every advantage they possibly can."

Results of the strike vote won't be announced until Feb. 28.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper has been prodding the parties to reach a deal, noting that negotiated labor agreements make it more likely that Northwest will successfully restructure its business.

But Gropper has said he will rule Friday on Northwest's request to nullify current contracts for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and the Professional Flight Attendants Association (PFAA).

Absent new contracts with its two big unions, Northwest needs court permission to impose lower wage rates and new work rules.

Northwest pilots already have agreed to two rounds of pay cuts: a 15 percent reduction in 2004 and an interim, 23.9 percent cut late last year. Flight attendants agreed to 20.7 percent temporary pay cuts in late 2005.

Now, Northwest wants the unions to reach long-term agreements that include $358 million in annual concessions from the pilots and $195 million from the flight attendants.

McClain said that although all pilots have taken cuts of at least 39 percent, some are earning 50 to 55 percent less than they did in early 2004. Those with the biggest pay cuts have been shifted to smaller planes with lower pay scales or have moved from pilot to first-officer jobs.

In a statement Friday, Northwest said that it wants to reach agreements with the pilots and flight attendants before Gropper rules on the company's contract-nullification request.

However, it added, "We do not believe that ALPA has the legal right to strike if the bankruptcy court judge allows the airline to abrogate its current contract with that union. If ALPA would attempt to strike Northwest Airlines, the company would seek an immediate injunction."

But McClain said union attorneys maintain that the pilots would have the right to strike.

At Mesaba Airlines, Northwest's regional partner, a similar labor showdown is unfolding. Mesaba's ALPA leadership said Friday that strike authorization ballots were mailed to its pilots on Wednesday.

Mesaba, which filed for bankruptcy in October, is attempting to reject labor contracts with its pilots, flight attendants and mechanics.

Liz Fedor • 612-673-7709