Marrero's job will be complicated by the Norris-LaGuardia Act, which generally bars judges from blocking strikes. Bankruptcy Judge Allan L. Gropper, who has spent much of the past year overseeing Northwest's reorganization, agreed that a strike could kill the airline, and that both sides would benefit from more time to cool off. But he found that the Norris-LaGuardia Act bars him from stepping in.
The Association of Flight Attendants said its strike preparations were gaining momentum, and it has been holding classes all week in cities where Northwest flies to train flight attendants on its "CHAOS" strike strategy, for "create havoc around our system."At one class Thursday in an office building across from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, about 45 flight attendants watched a video about job actions at Alaska Airlines. The union said flight attendant actions, including striking some individual flights and handing out union leaflets to passengers on board one flight, forced the company to make a better deal.
But that was in 1993. CHAOS hasn't been used since then except as a threat. The union claims that's because it's such an effective threat. Indeed, in 2000, US Airways threatened to shut the whole airline down rather than allow flight attendants to conduct a CHAOS campaign. They eventually made a deal before any job actions took place.
Some say Northwest's tack against the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) has become increasingly common as airlines balance their desire for good employee relations against their need to pinch every penny.
"The last several years have pushed (industry) labor relations into a new frontier," said Joe Schwieterman, transportation expert at DePaul University. "Both sides are playing hardball tactics."
Top U.S. carriers have been forced to exact worker concessions to offset the pressures of low-fare competition and soaring fuel costs.
Northwest, which entered bankruptcy in September, last month terminated its flight attendants' contract and imposed terms that save the carrier $195 million a year.
Although the airline had court permission, the AFA said the action triggered its right to strike. The union has demanded that Northwest negotiate a contract that members will ratify.
Northwest is no stranger to union showdowns. It has faced four strikes since industry deregulation in 1978, according to data from the National Mediation Board. Only Continental Airlines with five strikes in 28 years, has seen more.
Experts are divided over whether Northwest's tough reputation is an effective bargaining tool or unnecessarily provokes employee wrath. The carrier has recently negotiated deals with its other unions and has achieved a labor savings goal of $1.4 billion.
Bankrupt airlines frequently ask for court permission to void labor contracts, but they usually reach deals with unions before the judge rules on the request.
"I think the way they handle negotiations has been very abrupt and confrontational," said Stuart Klaskin at KKC Aviation Consulting. "Northwest certainly has a reputation ... for having attracted some of the industry's more aggressive and tough-minded managers."Airport Business
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