On July 31, flight attendants for Northwest Airlines rejected a union contract that would have drastically cut wages and benefits. The rejected contract would have reduced wages by 21 percent and cut total compensation by 40 percent. In response, the airline imposed an even more draconian contract on the flight attendants. On Aug. 1, the flight attendants voted to go on strike.
The 9,300 Northwest flight attendants, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, set Aug. 15
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Strike actions could include a companywide strike lasting anywhere from 15 minutes to one day or a series of mini-strikes affecting certain flights or certain gates. Flight attendants for Northwest’s regional carrier Mesaba Airlines face similar wage cuts and plan to participate in the CHAOS actions.
Due to the tight scheduling of flights, even small work stoppages could seriously disrupt or completely shut down Northwest flights throughout the country. Similar tactics were used successfully by flight attendants against Alaska Airlines in 1993.
The union conducted picket lines on Aug. 4 at several major airports to rally workers for the planned strike.
Workers repel attacks on wages, benefits
The contract rejected on July 31 included a lower base salary, increased health insurance premiums, and a freeze in employer contributions to the pension fund.
The contract also required 20 additional hours of work per month, which in reality amounts to many more work hours. Flight attendants are only paid for time in the air. They are not paid for time spent passing through security checks, waiting for passengers to board the plane, and flight delays. Flight attendants can often be on duty for twice the amount of time they spend in the air. The contract would have locked the flight attendants into these severe conditions for five and a half years and could have affected flight attendant wages for years after that.
Median annual earnings for a flight attendant are approximately $48,000. Earnings would have dropped to less that $30,000 under the rejected contract. Less experienced flight attendants would see their wages, currently as little as $16,000 per year, drop below family poverty levels.
“People are angry,” said Mollie Reiley, interim president of the union’s Northwest branch. “This is about justice. When you’re making 28, 29, 30 thousand dollars a year and you’re being asked to take close to a 40 percent cut in wages, benefits, overrides, et cetera, people can’t afford it. They’re going to lose their homes. They won’t be able to afford to stay. I think a lot of our people just said, enough’s enough.” (AP, Aug. 1)
Northwest bankruptcy ploy to weaken unions
In September 2005, Northwest Airlines filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, blaming high fuel prices and competition from other carriers. Northwest bosses have used bankruptcy protection to take back $800 million in annual wages and benefits from workers.
Unions representing Northwest pilots and ground workers have been forced to accept drastic wage cuts. The Aircraft
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The bankruptcy court has aided Northwest bosses in the theft of workers’ wages and benefits. On July 6, 2006, bankruptcy judge Allan Gropper ruled that Northwest Airlines may void its collective bargaining agreement with its flight attendants and impose a contract that cuts wages by 40 percent. The airline is currently asking Judge Gropper to declare any strike by the flight attendants illegal.
“Some people are so angry that they can’t articulate their concerns,” union president Reiley said. “If the issue is justice, they’re not going to get that from a bankruptcy court.” (St. Paul Pioneer Press, Aug. 1, 2006)
In the last year, higher fares and fuller flights have resulted in huge profits for many airlines, including Northwest. According to the investment firm Merrill Lynch, from April to June the airline industry posted a collective pre-tax profit of $1.5 billion, largely thanks to the benefits of bankruptcy protection in voiding labor contracts and cutting wages and benefits.
Northwest is not hurting financially—far from it. Northwest posted $179 million in profits for the second quarter of 2006, despite fuel costs being 27.6 percent higher than last year. The company also has $1.58 billion in cash and short-term investments.
When a company loses money, bosses like the ones at Northwest Airlines sometimes say things like “we’re all in this together” in the hopes that workers will remain silent as they bear the brunt of corporate restructuring in job losses and pay cuts. For the capitalist class, profits always come before workers’ needs.
Even when companies regain profitability after restructuring, workers won’t get better wages and benefits unless they fight for them. Solidarity with flight attendants in a militant struggle against their bosses can help strengthen the position of all workers during the current ruling class assault on the working class.
