How is it that NW had $100 million to prepare for a strike? if they wanted $176 million from the mechanics union (AMFA)? Maybe if they had negotiated $76 million in pay cuts, they wouldn't have had to waste $100 million preparing. What a joke. And this is competent management????

After spending $100 million to gird for a strike by a union that has conceded millions in pay cuts, Northwest is using a mix of supervisors and nonunion mechanics to see if the brave new era of airline economics permits it to fly without its loyal workforce.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1778/5575700.html

Management's "last, best offer" proposed job protection for 2,750 technicians. But top-scale mechanics' pay would fall from $36.14 an hour to $27.17 per hour. That's a drop from $75,171 in annual pay for the most experienced mechanics to $56,513. ...
Mathews revealed Tuesday that "we offered a 16.8 percent cut off of the base pay." But Northwest rejected AMFA's concessionary proposals because the company did not view them as achieving $176 million in permanent cuts.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1778/5575864.html