Northwest, pilots reach a deal

[DemFromMem]

(AP) Pilots reached a tentative pay-cut deal with Northwest Airlines Corp. on Friday, a major step toward ending a showdown that put the bankrupt airline's future in doubt.

The Northwest branch of the Air Line Pilots Association announced the agreement but didn't release deatails.

The deal would still have to be approved by the union's leadership and members. The union said its leaders would meet Friday night to consider the agreement.

Pilots were the last Northwest union without a deal.

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_062152234.html

*****

I hope the pilots got a decent deal. But as a resident of Memphis, one of Northwest hub cities, I'm breathing a sigh of relief. The folding of Northwest would cause a lot of job losses here and wreak havoc with the local economy.

[dflprincess]

1. I hear you.

We in Minneapolis were facing the same situation - not to mention what fun it would be to try and fly anywhere if MSP were no longer a hub (even if we pay more for the convenience).

A week or so ago one of the local newscasters made a comment about how NWA claims (as all big companies do) that they have to pay their executives big bucks so they can attract and keep the "best" he said that when he's a 36,000 feet he'd rather believe they were paying the pilots and mechanics enough to "attact and keep the best". I'm with the newsman on that.

[LuckyLib]

2. We're a NWA family, and on top of the 40 percent pay cut already taken,

this will shrink the old paycheck even further. No retiring at our house! Who knows whether a 30 year job pension still holds. It's a bitch. But, damn, you should see the corporate stock cash-outs and the bags-o-money the former big guns rolled with. And this story is repeated all over America.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. This is an enormous relief,

but I hope people who travel keep in mind what huge sacrifices all of us NWA employees have had to make to try to keep the airline going. Sometimes you don't appreciate something until you nearly lose it. Without NWA Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis would no longer be hubs; other airlines would add flights but there would be nowhere near the number of flights, the prices would go up, and it would be pretty much impossible to get direct flights to almost anywhere. Meantime we've all been busting our butts trying to do our jobs and run a safe operation while our pay and benefits and pensions got smaller and smaller -- but fortunately we at least have a chance to come out of bankruptcy and become profitable again. It's been a very difficult situation and now we just hope for better times.

[Wheres The Beef]

4. Not a relief

NWA has done every dirty thing it can to kill off the competition. And the unions went along. Remember Republic airlines? Did you see what they did to Suncountry? They threatened the state of Mn into a bailout, Where is that Duluth maintenance base? This company needs to be disbanded for the good of every traveler. I'm sick of this monopoly.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. So, you'd happily eliminate 16,000 jobs just in Minnesota, 35,000 total,

90% of which are union jobs, many good Democrats -- including a number of DUers? Why do you want to put ME out of work? I have a good, responsible job that impacts flight safety. And do you really think we rank and file employees make company policy?

Here's something I've never quite understood -- dumping on some company (airline, whatever), let's boycott them, they're bad -- with no thought to what that does to the employees who depend on it for their livelihood. Sure, put it out of business; so what if people lose their homes, their health insurance (as bad as it is now, we still have some), what's left of their retirement; their kids can't go to college? Big deal, maybe you'd get to save $10 on a plane ticket (if you can get a non-stop flight to anywhere). A fair trade-off for putting thousands out of work?

I can't fathom why any liberal would wish for the destruction of so many jobs at a time when the Republicans are doing their best to bust unions and export jobs overseas.

[Wheres The Beef]

6. Okay, maybe a little harsh on disband

How ever the business has changed. I don't book a flight thinking that I'm keeping a flight attendant in his/her Eden Prairie home. Like most people I book online for the lowest fare. Just get me to my destination as cheap as possible.
The whole industry has evolved. Airfare has become a commodity. It's todays Greyhound bus. The competitive will survive. Look at Sky Harbor last year. Record passenger activity, and still america west had to merge with usair. Talk about the marriage from hell! When 2 po' people get married you are double po'.
Do I wish for the old days? Of course. Daytons, Honeywell, Iron Rangers and on and on. Do your people drive Fords and Chevys? Of course not. I've seen your employee parking lots. I used to drive the a shuttle bus at MSP. I didn't say boycott, but sometimes things change.

[saigon68]

7. Northworst Airways is a joke here

They have a lot of lazy management types who treat the passengers(read customers) like cattle.

They also like to intimidate and condescend to passengers when flights are canceled. Or LOST LUGGAGE reported

I won't ever give them a cent, as a matter of fact a lot of people apparently just go out of their way to ignore them

That's why this airline went into bankruptcy

Incompetent uncaring selfish ass-clowns ----

ALTHOUGH there were a minority of employees, who were fair BUT THEY WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN

[cobalt1999]

8. I stopped flying them

I stopped flying them when they went out and ordered a bunch of airbus planes. Besides another import, good Boeing union jobs lost.

[peacebuzzard]

9. Deal: Less pay, longer duty hours, more fatigue...the future of America

and an opportunity to supplement your airline job with either welfare benefits or a second job. Employees of NW and other airlines can now join the rest of the U.S. zombie serfs.