ILWU International President Jim Spinosa shakes hands with AMFA National Director O.V. Delle-Femine at ILWU longshore Local 10’s September membership meeting. Left to right: Coast Committeeman Joe Wenzl, AMFA member Jose Caraballo, ILWU International Vice President Bob McEllrath, AMFA Local 9 President Joe Prisco and ILWU Local 10 President Trent Willis.

by Tom Price

When Northwest Airlines unilaterally slashed mechanics’ jobs and wages Aug. 20, the workers walked out. Since then, except for growing support from other union workers, things have gotten worse.

The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn., the union representing 4,427 mechanics, cleaners and custodians, returned to the bargaining table Sept. 8 to accept much of the company’s demand for $176 million in concessions and to bargain severance packages. On that same day longshore Local 19 voted a $20 per member assessment for AMFA strikers, totaling nearly $10,000.

But when AMFA sat down at the table, the company boosted its demands to $203 million in concessions and another 1,000 job cuts. AMFA broke off talks Sept. 11.

NWA’s previous last offer Aug. 20 called for a workforce reduction of 53 percent, a 26 percent pay cut, 20 percent medical co-pays and a freeze in retirement contributions. NWA also hired 1,300 scabs to do AMFA’s work. If the company gets its way, the new job cuts will mean AMFA will have lost 90 percent of its jobs over the last four years.

"Our resolve is still very strong," said AMFA Asst. National Director Steve MacFarlane. "This isn’t about increases in pay and benefits. This is truly about our very survival and our jobs in the airline industry."

Workers around the country are outraged by NWA’s shabby treatment of its employees. In Toledo, Ohio AMFA threw up picket lines Sept. 5 and 6 at rail yards, protesting cargo headed to NWA in Detroit. Members of the United Transportation Union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen refused to cross the line until federal Judge Ann Aldridge ordered them to cross on Sept. 7. UPS pilots had pledged Aug. 16 not to handle diverted NWA cargo.

The United Auto Workers approved $880,000 in contributions to the strikers Sept. 13.

"Japanese and European aircraft mechanics have supported us and made contributions," MacFarlane said. "Minneapolis municipal workers kicked in another $5,000."

The ILWU turned out strong at a Labor Day rally at San Francisco Airport’s old international terminal. Longshore Local 10’s President Trent Willis addressed the crowd.

"We see that job cuts, outsourcing, attacks on pensions and Social Security do not equal prosperity and happiness," Willis said. "They equal poverty and death. The ILWU will not stand for it!"

Longshore Local 23 members, about a dozen at a time, continue to demonstrate with strikers at Sea-Tac and bring coffee, sandwiches and their banner along with them. Local 19 members frequently join them.

NWA declared bankruptcy Sept. 14 and claimed the striking workers had been permanently "replaced."

NWA lost no time in attacking its other workers. The day after its bankruptcy the company eliminated 400 pilot jobs. Pilots had given up a quarter billion in wages and benefits last year. NWA wants another 22 percent pay cut. Pilots can expect a double hit as their pensions, as part of the bankruptcy proceedings, are taken over by the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp., a federal agency that makes partial payments to those who lose their pensions. PBGC rules state that anyone who retires before 65 suffers a penalty. Federal rules require pilots to retire at 60.

NWA wants relief from its $3.3 billion pension obligation for the years 2006 through 2008. Its three weapons for doing that: bankruptcy, where the judge relieves them of the obligation, legislation, where the Republican Congress re-writes the laws in their favor, and union busting, where NWA forces massive concessions out of workers. The company has chosen all three at once. It spent $107 million preparing scabs and nearly another million in pension reform lobbying during the first half of 2005.

NWA announced Sept. 21 that it would eliminate 1,400 flight attendant jobs and contract out many others. Those remaining will face at least a 20 percent pay cut. The airline is expected to demand more wage and benefit cuts from all workers, and federal bankruptcy judges can order re-writing of union contracts. The company has also announced it will outsource flight attendant, aircraft cleaning and maintenance jobs to other countries like China and Singapore, where there is no FAA inspection. But even the FAA will lose as many as 300 inspectors this year, and has only 97 replacements, according to the Sept. 23 Los Angeles Times. MacFarlane commented on the fact that thousands of security people stand around in airports looking at passengers, yet nobody is checking the planes.

"We’re looking in people’s shoes, looking at grandmothers who wouldn’t hurt a fly, and we’re spending unbelievable resources on looking at the least likely people to harm us, and the most likely are completely ignored," MacFarlane said.

"American Airlines is one of the few that actually decided to bring the work back in house," MacFarlane said. American now keeps 80 percent of its maintenance in its own hangers. "They think they can make money off it, and as long as they manage it well, it can become a profit center for them."