Minnesota legislators are drafting bills to make striking mechanics from Northwest Airlines eligible for state unemployment and job retraining benefits.

The legislation could get a hearing as soon as March 8 in the Senate Jobs, Housing and Community Development Committee, said Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, chair of the committee and one of the legislation's sponsors.

Mechanics routinely looked out for the safety of those flying Northwest, Anderson said. "Now it's our turn to look out for you," she said during a Capitol rally Feb. 20 that marked the six-month anniversary of the strike by members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association.

"You are Minnesota workers, you are Minnesota citizens," said Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis. "Your work was yanked away. What else is the Dislocated Workers Program for?"

3,500 jobs wiped out The mechanics, represented by AMFA Local 33, remain ineligible for unemployment benefits in Minnesota as long as they remain on strike. Last fall, administrative law judge Richard Croft, of the state's Department of Employment and Economic Development, ruled that cleaners and custodians represented by AMFA are eligible for unemployment benefits, but mechanics are not.

Croft ruled that Northwest's demand for a 25 percent pay cut was so unreasonable that it was the equivalent of a lockout, he said. A few days later, however, Croft ruled that higher-paid mechanics were not forced to strike because, in his opinion, they could absorb a 25 percent pay cut.

AMFA officials and legislators say Croft's ruling ignores that Northwest eliminated more than 3,500 jobs ? about 80 percent of the bargaining unit. AMFA represented 4,427 workers when the strike began in August; Northwest now has only 880 mechanics on its payroll, all of whom are strikebreakers. Northwest eliminated all cleaner and custodian jobs, and outsourced the remaining mechanic jobs to third-party vendors.

Mechanics Gene Fuller and Randy Vold say they have no future without retraining. Union Advocate photos

Ted Ludwig, president of Local 33, said more than 850 mechanics have not found other work and should qualify for state benefits.

"We're asking the Legislature to stand up for citizens, rather than coddling to Northwest Airlines," Ludwig said. "Whether we're on strike or not, Northwest has destroyed our jobs. That was their intention all along." Striking mechanics are receiving unemployment benefits in Michigan and other states.

Retraining is key
Mechanics at the Capitol rally said access to the state's Dislocated Workers Program and the retraining it helps provide is more important than weekly unemployment checks.

"Anybody can pick up a $10-an-hour job," said Conrad Schneider, of Shoreview, who was an inspector with 21 years at Northwest. "I can fix damn near anything. But if you want to get into a high-end industry, you have to have the training. The state should help with that," he said, especially if it expects mechanics to again become solid taxpaying citizens.

Even at this point, mechanics run into employers who think they'll go back to Northwest. "These guys cannot get jobs," said Lynn Stetler, a member of AFSCME Local 2822 whose husband, Mike, is on strike. Her husband, who had 25 years at Northwest, has submitted nearly 100 applications and received only two interviews. Most companies, she said, don't even have the courtesy to send a response, let alone a rejection letter.

A piece of paper costs money
Many airline mechanics are highly skilled in a variety of areas, including electrical, mechanical, sheet metal, hydraulics and pneumatics, said Randy Vold, of Burnsville, who also was an inspector with 21 years at Northwest.

"But most of the companies have gotten to the point that it don't make no difference how much experience you've got, how much knowledge you got, if you don't have a chunk of paper that says that you can do that."

Getting specific certification in trades such as heating and air conditioning, which would take advantage of mechanics' existing skills, can take a couple of years and cost thousands of dollars, said Gene Fuller, of Bloomington, who was an inspector with 28 years at Northwest. "You've got to jump through the hoops, get the certificate saying yeah, this guy can do the job." Meanwhile, he said, his training to qualify for his airline mechanics license, and nearly 1,200 hours of additional training he pursued while at Northwest are "worthless. I've got to start from square one."

Vold echoed that: "I can't get anywhere without retraining. That's the only way you're going to change your life and get on with it."

Where is the governor?
Rally speakers also criticized what they called complacency and a lack of leadership from Gov. Tim Pawlenty in trying to save Minnesota jobs at Northwest.

"This airline owes Minnesota taxpayers $400 million," said Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley. "Taxpayers ought to get something in return.? Why can the governor fly to Detroit to save jobs at the Ford plant, but he can't drive to his own hometown of Eagan to save Northwest Airlines jobs?"

Chaudhary pointed out that many striking mechanics are living off the equity in their homes. Northwest executives, on the other hand, are "getting their bonuses and stock options while you're losing your pay, your jobs, your careers. You're putting everything ? everything ? on the line."

Minnesota businesses and citizens deserve a better "hometown" airline, he said. "We need to attract an airline to Minnesota that values Minnesota workers and values Minnesota values."

Michael Kuchta edits the Union Advocate, the official publication of the St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly. E-mail him at advocate@stpaulunions.org