Dennis Miller
What about my Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2003
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Northwest Flight Attendants Reject Second Tentative Agreement
Passengers Warned to Expect CHAOS
Washington, DC - Northwest Airlines flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), today rejected their second tentative agreement with the company. A majority of flight attendants voted to reject the agreement by a margin of 3,266 to 2,637.
"Our members have spoken: these drastic cuts to our pay, benefits and work rules are simply unacceptable," said Mollie Reiley, AFA-CWA Interim Master Executive Council President. "While we will attempt to go back to the negotiating table with the company, we continue preparing for CHAOS."
AFA-CWA reached the tentative agreement ten days after being elected as the new collective bargaining representative for Northwest flight attendants. Prior to AFA-CWA entering negotiations, a federal bankruptcy judge ordered that cost savings must equal at least $195 million for five years. The court, also established the terms of the previous tentative agreement as the starting point for the latest round of bargaining.
"Our members refuse to watch more than 40 percent of our wages and benefits get funneled into company profits and executive bonuses. It is simply not necessary and will not be tolerated," said Reiley.
In June, the bankruptcy court granted a motion filed by Northwest management seeking to abrogate the contract to impose new terms if no agreement were reached. Management has said these terms, which include drastic changes to pay, benefits and work rules, will be implemented on August 1. AFA-CWA is currently exploring legal options.
CHAOS, or Create Havoc Around Our System (tm), is AFA-CWA's trademarked strategy of targeted work actions using random, unannounced strikes. If Northwest management imposes contract changes without the flight attendants' consent, AFA-CWA can call for an all-out strike or CHAOS.