Northwest, ground workers agree on concessions

[gulfcoastliberal]

orthwest Airlines reached a tentative agreement with its biggest union this weekend in a move that could help defuse a potential showdown in a New York bankruptcy court this week.

The International Association of Machinists District 143, which represents ground workers including ticket agents and ramp workers, said Sunday that it had made enough progress with Northwest to put the airline’s latest proposal for concessions before its members.

Two other unions, representing pilots and flight attendants, are yet to reach similar agreements. But the progress with IAM signals that a threatened breakdown of labor relations at Northwest might be avoided. Settlements would end the threat of a strike shutting down the airline in the near future.

Barring settlements with the pilots and flight attendants, Northwest will go ahead Tuesday with a trial in bankruptcy court in New York asking a judge to let it void those union contracts. The unions have threatened to strike if the judge allows Northwest do that.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060115/NEWS11/60115006