FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 14, 2008 NWA MEC Opposes Delta/Northwest Merger
Minneapolis, MN - Today the managements and Boards of Directors of Northwest and Delta Air Lines announced their intent to merge. In addition, a new Delta pilot contract was agreed upon by the Delta MEC and Delta management without the participation of the Northwest pilot group. The NWA MEC opposes the merger of Northwest with Delta Air Lines as it stands.
Dave Stevens, the NWA MEC Chairman, stated, "This agreement clearly disadvantages NWA pilots both with respect to economic issues and seniority list integration. A merger built on this unstable foundation is likely to put the combined airline in a position similar to that of USAirways. A USAirways-style labor relations scenario at the merged carrier, combined with the current and projected price of fuel and the looming economic downturn, is likely to place the Northwest pilots and all other Northwest employees at greater risk than as a stand-alone carrier."
This merger announcement comes after months of negotiations which had resolved all joint pilot contract issues, but which stalled due to differing views on the integration of pilot seniority. The NWA MEC, on numerous occasions, stated their willingness to resolve the seniority integration by expedited arbitration. The Delta MEC rejected arbitration as a means of resolving the seniority list issue at that time.
Monty Montgomery, NWA MEC Vice Chairman, stated, "Inexplicably, the Delta MEC has reversed its position and is now willing to arbitrate the seniority list issues under ALPA merger policy , but, at the same time, has abandoned the joint pilot contract approach and has, instead, agreed to a new Delta pilot contract amendment which will increase the pay and benefits for only
Delta pilots." Mark Young, NWA MEC Secretary/Treasurer, stated, "Any economic value or synergies that could have come from this merger may now be lost due to a one-sided agreement." Dave Stevens said, "The NWA MEC will use all resources available to aggressively oppose the merger. The risk to Northwest Airlines and to the Northwest pilot group from letting this merger proceed, as it is now structured, is simply too great."
Founded in 1931, ALPA represents 61,000 pilots at 43 airlines in the U.S.
and Canada of which over 5,100 are active NWA pilots. Visit the ALPA website
at http://www.alpa.org and the NWA ALPA website at http://www.nwaalpa.org. #
# # Contact: Greg Rizzuto, 267-697-2174
Matt Coons, 317-379-2543 Doreen Clark, 952-567-0507
Minneapolis, MN - Today the managements and Boards of Directors of Northwest and Delta Air Lines announced their intent to merge. In addition, a new Delta pilot contract was agreed upon by the Delta MEC and Delta management without the participation of the Northwest pilot group. The NWA MEC opposes the merger of Northwest with Delta Air Lines as it stands.
Dave Stevens, the NWA MEC Chairman, stated, "This agreement clearly disadvantages NWA pilots both with respect to economic issues and seniority list integration. A merger built on this unstable foundation is likely to put the combined airline in a position similar to that of USAirways. A USAirways-style labor relations scenario at the merged carrier, combined with the current and projected price of fuel and the looming economic downturn, is likely to place the Northwest pilots and all other Northwest employees at greater risk than as a stand-alone carrier."
This merger announcement comes after months of negotiations which had resolved all joint pilot contract issues, but which stalled due to differing views on the integration of pilot seniority. The NWA MEC, on numerous occasions, stated their willingness to resolve the seniority integration by expedited arbitration. The Delta MEC rejected arbitration as a means of resolving the seniority list issue at that time.
Monty Montgomery, NWA MEC Vice Chairman, stated, "Inexplicably, the Delta MEC has reversed its position and is now willing to arbitrate the seniority list issues under ALPA merger policy , but, at the same time, has abandoned the joint pilot contract approach and has, instead, agreed to a new Delta pilot contract amendment which will increase the pay and benefits for only
Delta pilots." Mark Young, NWA MEC Secretary/Treasurer, stated, "Any economic value or synergies that could have come from this merger may now be lost due to a one-sided agreement." Dave Stevens said, "The NWA MEC will use all resources available to aggressively oppose the merger. The risk to Northwest Airlines and to the Northwest pilot group from letting this merger proceed, as it is now structured, is simply too great."
Founded in 1931, ALPA represents 61,000 pilots at 43 airlines in the U.S.
and Canada of which over 5,100 are active NWA pilots. Visit the ALPA website
at http://www.alpa.org and the NWA ALPA website at http://www.nwaalpa.org. #
# # Contact: Greg Rizzuto, 267-697-2174
Matt Coons, 317-379-2543 Doreen Clark, 952-567-0507
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