Labor Update

August 21, 2005 - 3:00 p.m. (CDT)

^ Northwest Airlines Operates as Scheduled

Northwest continues to operate its normal early-fall, weekend flight schedule despite the strike by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA).

Load factor through noon (CDT) on Sunday, August 21, was 80.9 percent, an indicator that customers continue to have confidence in our reliability and operations. More than 1,300 flights are scheduled for Sunday and more than 1,400 flights are scheduled for Monday.

In the first week of NWA's new maintenance structure, the airline expects to complete more than 96 percent of its flights, a percentage comparable to that achieved in the midst of thunderstorm activity in our hubs. During the first day of the new operating plan, NWA completed more than 98 percent of its scheduled flights.

On the final day of AMFA negotiations, August 19, we experienced an AMFA job slowdown. Those actions had an impact on our transitional operation. Now that the initial transition period is nearing an end, we anticipate our operations will remain normal. We apologize for any inconvenience these issues may have caused some of our customers.

more...

http://www.nwa.com/features/laborupdate/index.html .

^ Morningstar is a good source for ongoing information about the NW Strike...article links are provided on the Morningstar NW Page with stories update all day/night:

http://quicktake.morningstar.com/Sto...SA&Symbol=NWAC .

(run cursor over the story title on right side...link will activate)

As of Sunday 8/21...evening here are a few of the stories available via Morningstar NW page links:

Source Date/Time Headline
DJ 08-21-05 | 07:50 PM EST Northwest Air Replacements To Face Key Test Monday
DJ 08-21-05 | 12:42 PM EST No More Problems Reported As Northwest Strike Enters Day 2
DJ 08-21-05 | 09:31 AM EST Striking Northwest Air Mechanics Eye Fleet Maintenance
DJ 08-20-05 | 09:32 PM EST UPDATE: Northwest Air Jet Blows Tires Landing In Detroit
DJ 08-20-05 | 06:06 PM EST Northwest Air Jet Blows Tires While Landing In Detroit
DJ 08-20-05 | 01:02 PM EST Northwest Air: Operations Running Particularly Well Early Sat
DJ 08-20-05 | 11:13 AM EST Early Travel Smooth Sat As Northwest Mechanics Strike
DJ 08-20-05 | 05:26 AM EST Northwest Air Brings In Replacements As Machinists Strike
DJ 08-20-05 | 01:46 AM EST UPDATE: Northwest Air Mechanics Go On Strike
DJ 08-20-05 | 12:27 AM EST Northwest Air Mechanics Decide To Walk Off Job -Union

PRN 08-20-05 | 12:14 AM EST Northwest Airlines Will Continue to Operate Normal Schedule
DJ 08-19-05 | 08:15 PM EST Justice Opposes Antitrust Immunity For Northwest, Delta
DJ 08-19-05 | 07:22 PM EST Federal Judge Bars Mesaba Air Mechanics From Staging Strike

Hope this helps you keep up with latest NW news and strike developments.

TravelerJim

^ UPDATED MANY TIMES EACH DAY ON-LINE:
The MSP Star Tribune is an excellent source for NW strike developments...also links available to the MSP TV Channel 5 Eyewitness News TV station which has streaming video links to latest stories about the NW strike (TV station link upper right on Star-Tribune webpage).

http://www.startribune.com/ .

NWA says 'normal'; union says no way
Tony Kennedy and Liz Fedor, Star Tribune
August 22, 2005 NWA0822


http://www.startribune.com/stories/1778/5571837.html .

Traffic increases will test NWA strike plans :

http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/5571345.html .



and many related NW strike stories:

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Day 1: Orderly picketing, few delays
Bankruptcy? It might be avoided
AMFA members are resolute
Nick Coleman: A funeral march--with picket signs
Two Northwest mishaps at Detroit
For some passengers, disruptions were minor
Audio: NWA passenger says employees reluctant to talk
Audio: NWA officials says taking cuts never easy
Audio: NWA official says mechanics aren't terminated
Audio: NWA official says Friday night was difficult
Gallery: NWA strike
Mechanics were optimistic up to the deadline
The basics: NWA vs. the mechanics
Talk: Your thoughts about the strike
Blog: Share your air travel story

^ I have been watching the Star Tribune's coverage for several days ..they are doing an excellent job in telling the NW strike story.

TravelerJim

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/22/bu...pagewanted=all

Free registration required

I also liked the graphic art on it too...didn't know that NW had 79% market share at DTW

My brother had just emailed me that article.

The list of smart moves NW management has been making lately is not a short one ~ getting labor costs under control in a manner similar to LCCs, creating essentially a dual-product on flights where costs are cut in back while offering a higher quality product in the front, cutting out things that no one really cares about.

Cartmanqb,

Thanks for the story and the link to NY Times...
FYI - the story opened up for me without having to register...

TravelerJim

Northwest Put To The Test

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in788964.shtml .

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 22, 2005

Northwest Airlines Strike

Northwest Airlines mechanics walk the picket line outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sunday, Aug. 21. (AP)

No new talks are scheduled between Northwest and the union, which is refusing to take pay cuts and layoffs that would have reduced their ranks almost by half.

(AP) Northwest Airlines Corp. gets a true test of its ability to keep planes flying during a mechanics strike today, as its flight schedule returns to heavier weekday levels.

About 4,400 Northwest unionized mechanics, cleaners and custodians walked off the job Saturday morning, generally the lightest flying day of the week, when the carrier operates 1,215 flights.

Northwest operates 1,381 flights on Sundays and 1,473 on weekdays, company spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said.

more...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in788964.shtml .

^ Keep track of what's happening with the strike by looking at MSP's Star Tribune newspaper online ....they are doing an excellent job of posting new sotires as they come about...and the Channel 5 Eyewitness News video link is great too...TV coveragre of the strike is posted several times each day..

http://www.startribune.com/ .

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1778/5571837.html .

^ Remember ...the link to the TV Channel 5 coverage of the strike is on the upper right side of the Star-Tribune homepage...

TravelerJim

USA Today coverage of strike:

^ Strike doesn't ground Northwest

http://www.usatoday.com/ .

By Dan Reed, USA TODAY
Its schedule mostly intact and its strikers drawing no help from other unions, Northwest (NWAC) management emerged from the weekend in a better position than its union mechanics who walked off the job early Saturday.
No carrier has ever done so well in operating through a strike as Northwest has over the weekend. Management triggered a plan 18 months in the making involving replacement workers and new agreements with companies ranging from aircraft maintenance firms to bus companies to help it manage through a strike. (Story: Northwest flies undaunted)

The strike isn't following the normal pattern. Striking pilots virtually shut down United for a month in 1985 and Northwest for 15 days in 1998. Flight attendants forced American to ground 90% of its flights over a five-day period in 1993 with a strike. The mechanics didn't even have to strike against Northwest in 1999 to bring its operations to a near-halt. They achieved that with a work slowdown.

more...

http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztra...est-usat_x.htm .

TravelerJim

Washington Post coverage of NW Strike:

Northwest Hires Replacements as Strike Goes On

By Joshua Freed
Associated Press
Monday, August 22, 2005; Page A06

MINNEAPOLIS -- Northwest Airlines Corp. got off to a smooth start by keeping its planes flying when mechanics struck. But the real test for the company and its replacement mechanics arrives with a far busier weekday schedule.

The strike began on Saturday, generally the lightest flying day of the week. Northwest averages 1,215 flights on Saturdays -- but that increases to 1,381 on Sunday and 1,473 on weekdays, company spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said yesterday.

Striking Northwest Airlines mechanics union members picket at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2005, in Minneapolis after mechanics walked off the job Friday evening, Aug. 19, 2005. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) (Jim Mone - AP)

Struggling Airlines
The airline industry, facing rising fuel prices, sharp competition, an inflexible market for ticket prices and the lingering fear of terrorism, is in the midst of its most critical period in decades.

Northwest Hires Replacements as Strike Goes On
Real Test for Northwest Comes This Week
Northwest keeps flying, strike sees day 2
Northwest Hires Replacement Mechanics
Northwest Weathers First Day Of Strike
More News
The airline will find that maintaining its schedule will be tougher as the work week begins, said Scott Hamilton, an airline consultant for Leeham Co. in Sammamish, Wash. "Sooner or later if the replacement mechanics can't keep on top of it, it's going to start causing cancellations," he said.

Northwest's unionized mechanics, cleaners and custodians walked off the job Saturday morning after refusing to take pay cuts and layoffs that would have reduced their ranks almost by half. No new talks have been scheduled.

Terry Trippler of Cheapseats.com, a ticket fare Web site, said Northwest's schedule had recovered from a work slowdown just before the strike began Saturday morning. Northwest apologized to passengers for delays then, and said it would work to resolve them.

"This weekend has gone much much better than I think [the union] thought it was going to, and maybe a little bit worse than Northwest wanted it to," he said.

more....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/?nav=globetop .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...082100136.html .

TravelerJim

FOX News covers NW Strike:

http://www.foxnews.com/index.html .

Northwest Trying to Fly With Replacements

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166338,00.html .


Sunday, August 21, 2005

PHOTOS VIDEO

Click image to enlarge
STORIES
�Northwest Airlines Mechanics Strike�Jet Tire Blows in Landing�Bush Unlikely to Intervene in Possible Northwest Strike�Northwest Stocks Fall on Fears of Bankruptcy
MINNEAPOLIS � Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWAC) got off to a smooth start by keeping its planes flying when mechanics struck. But the real test for the company and its replacement mechanics arrives with a far busier weekday schedule.

The strike began on Saturday, generally the lightest flying day of the week. Northwest (search) averages 1,215 flights on Saturdays � but that increases to 1,381 on Sunday and 1,473 on weekdays, company spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said Sunday.

The airline will find that maintaining its schedule will be tougher as the work week begins, said Scott Hamilton, an airline consultant for Leeham Co. (search) in Sammamish, Wash.

"Sooner or later if the replacement mechanics can't keep on top of it, it's going to start causing cancellations," he said.

About 4,400 Northwest unionized mechanics, cleaners and custodians walked off the job Saturday morning after refusing to take pay cuts and layoffs that would have reduced their ranks almost by half. No new talks have been scheduled.

more..

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166338,00.html .

Including that quote from the union negotiator made last Friday night - when the union went on strike:

"After talks broke off late Friday, union negotiator Jim Young said the mechanics would rather see the airline go into bankruptcy than agree to Northwest's terms."

The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association represents about 11 percent of Northwest's 40,000 employees.

TravelerJim

CNN Strike Coverage:

http://money.cnn.com/index.html?cnn=yes .

Northwest: How long can it go on?

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/19/news...sion/index.htm .
The mechanics have walked out and management says no problem; unions say just wait.
August 21, 2005: 5:36 PM EDT
By Chris Isidore, CNN/Money senior writer


Northwest Airlines management vows it will keep its planes flying despite the strike.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Northwest Airlines' mechanics union announced early Saturday morning that it was going out on strike, but airline management has pledged to keep flying its normal schedule.

As of Sunday afternoon, the company claimed no significant strike-related disruptions as it employed 1,500 replacement workers. "We had a normal operations day (Saturday) and expect another one today," a Northwest spokeswoman said on Sunday.

An executive acknowledged earlier, however, that Northwest has suspended its daily on-time performance report.

The leadership of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association said it doubts that the No. 4 airline will be able to maintain a normal schedule on a prolonged basis.

more...

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/19/news...sion/index.htm .

TravelerJim

^ UPDATE: Northwest Shares Up; Co. Keeps Schedule Despite Strike

Morningstar...Dow Jones:

http://news.morningstar.com/news/DJ/...INE000188.html
08-22-05 09:21 AM EST

^ SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) - Shares of Northwest Airlines rose early Monday after the company kept flights in the air over the weekend despite the strike by more than 4,400 mechanics and aircraft cleaners who rejected labor cost cuts demanded by the nation's fourth-largest airline.

The stock (NWAC) surged 52 cents, or 9.7%, to $5.90 on Instinet volume of 61, 735.

In the wake of the strike by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, Northwest said planes are taking off on schedule, and passengers can book flights without being concerned that the strike will disrupt future plans.

The union claims the airline anticipated a strike. "The fact that Northwest began making strike preparations 18 months ago, a full year before our negotiation process started, proves that the talks were a farce," said O.V. Delle-Femine, national director of AMFA.

The walkout forces Northwest to use more than 1,000 contract and maintenance workers to keep its planes flying during the busy summer-travel season.

"We're operating our schedule on time," Andy Roberts, executive vice president of operations at Northwest, said during a conference call Saturday. "Our operation is going to run extremely well over the next few weeks."

more...

http://news.morningstar.com/news/DJ/...INE000188.html .

TravelerJim

You gotta see this .....
from Channel 5 video (link located upper right side of Star-Tribune homepage)

Want to see what a NW ground worker does ...while passengers were 90 minutes waiting for plane to depart...(video taken befoe the strike by passengers in the terminal):

http://www.startribune.com/ .

See "NWA Worker Golfing on the Job"...

TravelerJim

A good read - I guess I never realised how close NW could have been to shutting down without this apparent well planned strategy.