Tentative agreement may bring closure to NWA strike

The deal, announced Oct. 9, won\’t mean immediate jobs for the strikers, the union said. Instead, members will have the choice of going on layoff and possibly being recalled to a position in the future – or leaving the company and accepting 10 weeks\’ worth of separation pay. Workers who crossed the picket line and new hires during the strike will keep their jobs under the terms of the proposed settlement.

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Details of the voting process have not yet been announced, but it is expected to occur within 30 days, the union said.

"Ballot information will be sent to each member who is actively on strike status, but not to those who crossed the picket line or to members who have previously resigned or retired," the union said.

In addition to the provisions for going on a recall list or receiving separation pay, the proposed settlement calls for yearly pay increases of 1.5 percent beginning Jan. 1, 2007, and improvements in overtime pay.

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All provisions in the settlement are subject to changes by a bankruptcy court; Northwest has been in bankruptcy since Sept. 14, 2005, about a month after the strike began. The airline has demanded a series of concessions from all employee groups, including pilots, flight attendants and ground workers.

Only five years ago, AMFA represented more than 9,500 workers at Northwest. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and major cuts by the airline slashed that number to about 4,400 on the first day of the strike. This summer, the union estimated that 3,551 members remained on strike, 306 had crossed the picket line and returned to work, 328 had retired and 184 had resigned.

The strikers got a small boost last month when the Minnesota Court of Appeals overruled the state of Minnesota and said the striking Northwest workers were entitled to unemployment benefits. The court said the 25 percent pay cuts demanded by the airline constituted "a constructive lockout," thus entitling the workers to benefits.

Will the proposed settlement be ratified? In an unscientific poll conducted on AMFA Local 33\’s website, 55 percent of respondents say no, 33 percent say yes and 12 percent have "no idea."

For more information
Visit the AMFA Local 33 website, www.amfa33.org

 

 

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