Merger in the Air

  • Judge temporarily blocks Northwest flight attendants from going on strike
    There will be no strike at Northwest Airlines, at least for now A federal judge has temporarily blocked any job actions by the airline's flight attendants. The judge says he needs more time to consider the legal issues in the precedent-setting case.August 25, 2006
  • Northwest: Hearing at noon; strike by nightfall?
    The situation between Northwest Airlines and its flight attendants comes to a head Friday. At noon a federal judge takes up an appeal by the airline, which wants to block a threatened strike by the flight attendants. The judge faces a deadline of 9:01 p.m., when the flight attendants could begin walkouts.August 25, 2006
  • Travelers brace for CHAOS
    Northwest Airlines' flight attendants could implement their CHAOS work slowdown strategy as early as Friday night. CHAOS makes it hard for travelers to plan; that's by design. That's making some travelers nervous, but others aren't worried.August 25, 2006
  • Northwest appeals decision allowing flight attendants to strike
    Northwest Airlines says it has appealed a bankruptcy court decision allowing flight attendants to go on strike. Bankruptcy experts say Northwest has an uphill battle in its appeal, and the most likely way out of a strike will be intense negotiations.August 18, 2006
  • A year after mechanics went on strike, a trail of contradictions
    It's been a year since 4,000 Northwest mechanics and cleaners declared a strike. They still haven't declared an end to their walkout, even though their jobs have been filled by replacement workers.August 18, 2006
  • Armed with the right to strike
    After a federal bankruptcy judge denied Northwest from blocking a strike, the company's flight attendants are poised to proceed with CHAOS, a strike strategy designed to create confusion and unpredictability for airline management. Midmorning explores how this new ruling will reshape the labor negotiations between Northwest and its flight attendants.Midmorning, August 17, 2006
  • Judge rules Northwest flight attendants can strike
    Flight attendants for Northwest Airlines won a major victory Thursday from the judge overseeing the company's bankruptcy. Judge Allan Gropper ruled he does not have the authority to block a threatened strike. Some observers say this ruling could finally force a successful compromise.August 17, 2006
  • How chaotic would CHAOS be for Northwest?
    Northwest Airlines flight attendants have set the clock ticking toward a possible strike, one day after union members rejected a negotiated package of pay and benefit cuts. The union says on Aug. 15 its members will begin a strategy of intermittent work stoppages, called CHAOS, designed to confuse airline management, and lead travelers to book elsewhere.August 1, 2006
  • Flight attendants reject new contract with Northwest
    Flight attendants at Northwest Airlines have rejected the latest attempt at a cost-cutting contract with the bankrupt company. The vote escalates the standoff between the two sides, with the airline planning to impose pay cuts, and the flight attendants planning to strike.July 31, 2006
  • Flight attendants' deal -- the end of Northwest's labor woes?
    A last-minute deal between Northwest Airlines and its flight attendants union means no strike for now -- and perhaps the end of the carrier's long drive to cut labor costs.July 17, 2006
  • Judge rules Mesaba can throw out labor contracts
    Eagan-based Mesaba Airlines has won the right to impose a cost-cutting contract on its 1,300 union workers in a bid to address its bankruptcy. Despite its court victory, some observers say Mesaba's survival seems as precarious as ever.July 14, 2006
  • Northwest flight attendants vote to switch unions
    Flight attendants at Northwest Airlines are switching unions at a critical moment in negotiations with the company. If flight attendants do not agree on a new cost-cutting contract within 10 days, Northwest can impose pay and benefit cuts on them. The Association of Flight Attendants won its election at Northwest by promising a strong and savvy approach to negotiations.July 6, 2006
  • Bankruptcy judge pressures NWA flight attendants
    Flight attendants at Northwest have been given two weeks to negotiate a cost-cutting contract, or the airline can impose one. A strike remains a possibility.June 29, 2006
  • NWA baggage handlers ratify pay, benefit and job cuts
    More than 5,000 Baggage handlers and ramp workers at bankrupt Northwest Airlines have ratified a contract that cuts pay, benefits, and jobs. The workers had turned down an earlier proposal.June 9, 2006
  • Northwest Airlines flight attendants reject wage cuts
    Northwest is now asking the judge overseeing its bankruptcy for permission to impose its own terms on the flight attendants. The union says it will strike if that happens.June 6, 2006
Merger in the Air photo by Michael Carter

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