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Northwest-pilots showdown
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July 10, 1998: 3:00 p.m. ET
Mediation board mulls declaring talks at impasse, clearing way for strike
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The National Mediation Board is considering whether to declare that talks between Northwest Airlines and its pilots have reached an impasse, a spokesman for the agency said Friday.
Such a decision would allow the Air Line Pilots Association to move one step closer to a strike against the nation's fourth-largest domestic carrier.
The pilots' union last struck a major U.S. carrier in February 1997, prompting President Clinton to intervene between the Allied Pilots Association and American Airlines.
"The Northwest management and the pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association met in the board's offices on Wednesday and Thursday. They didn't schedule a new meeting date," said Jim Armshaw, spokesman for the independent government agency.
"The board is assessing the situation in light of its responsibilities under the Railway Labor Act," he said.
Under the act, the National Mediation Board has the sole authority to declare talks at an impasse, which would set into motion a 30-day "cooling off" period required before pilots could hit the picket lines.
The talks, which began in August 1996, have been in federal mediation since July 1997. And the pilots have argued that the negotiations have been at an impasse since June 15, when the union sent a letter to Northwest's management stating that it believed no progress would be made "without a deadline."
But although Northwest said it is "obviously disappointed" with the negotiations, the carrier was reluctant to characterize the situation as an impasse.
At issue are the economic terms of a new five-year labor agreement covering roughly 6,200 pilots. The St. Paul, Minn.-based company said it is offering a 10-percent wage increase over the life of the five-year agreement -- terms comparable to the 1997 contract covering American Airlines' pilots.
However, union spokesman Paul Omodt contended the agreement actually spans an eight-year period, translating to a 8-percent annual gain. The union is requesting 15 percent over five years.
In addition, Omodt argued that Northwest's proposal doesn't mirror the contract with American Airlines because it doesn't include profit sharing and stock options.
Northwest officials weren't available for comment.
-- by staff writer Robert Liu
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