No talks are scheduled this weekend between the airline and the union groups representing the employees.
"We anticipate talking with the unions next week before the Thursday deadline" for voiding current contracts and setting new work terms, Mesaba spokeswoman Elizabeth Costello said Friday.
Kishel ruled early in the week that Mesaba can void its contracts with the three unions, but he directed management on Friday to delay that action until at least 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Costello said it is still possible to reach deals by that deadline. If negotiations fail, Mesaba has told Kishel that it intends to impose labor cost cuts of 17.5 percent on the unions.
Tom Wychor, chairman of the Mesaba pilots union, said that in the pilot negotiations, $4 million in cutbacks over four years separate the two sides. But a deal remains elusive, he said. "We have taken painful steps to meet many of their needs," Wychor said. "This company must step up to address our concerns," including financial benefits to the pilots as the company grows.
Some employees at the airline have said that they would rather strike and force the company to shut down rather than taking such concessions. Northwest Airlines says that they have plans in place in case the airline halts flights during a strike. No word on what those plans include but the pilots at NWA have said they will not cross any picket lines.
Both sides seem to be playing hard ball and it is a toss up to see who will flinch first. With the jobs of over 3,000 people in the balance of the outcome of a decision by the US Judge overlooking this case, it appears that no one is willing to move forward towards an agreement instead they just seem to be throwing metaphorical punches at each other.
WCCO.com
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