According to my reading of the Contract of Carriage, a strike is a Force Majeur event, and as such, the normal rules of reaccomodation do not necessarily apply. Unsure if Mrs. NWAOldtimer's flight change was due to early switch to fall schedule or the strike, or something else entirely; however, if due to the strike, it appears that NW was NOT required to accomodate her request to switch to a different flight.

The original flight was cancelled; she was put on a flight 2 hours later; that didn't work so she requested a flight arriving 2 hours earlier than her original. NW accomodated, with a smile, and without question. It seems the rest of NW's employees are working hard during this difficult time, and they deserve praise for that.