TWA Strike Is Over, but the Dispute Isn’t : Flight Attendants Still Want Jobs Restored
Even though Trans World Airlines’ flight attendants union has declared that its strike against the airline is over and has told its members to return to work, the union’s “contractual dispute” with TWA continued Monday, and the situation remained confused.
Both the Independent Federation of Flight Attendants and the airline confirmed that TWA made a new settlement offer last week to end the strike, the 75th day of which is today. Neither side would give details of the new offer, which is to be voted on Wednesday by the union membership in seven locations.
Last Saturday, the union leadership made what it termed an “unconditional offer to immediately return all striking flight attendants to work.” But TWA said the gesture came too late, adding that since the strike began, it has trained and hired 3,000 new flight attendants at greatly reduced pay scales.
Accepted Pay Cuts
Another 1,500 union attendants earlier crossed picket lines and returned to work, TWA said. Larry Hilliard, an airline spokesman, said TWA has made a commitment to its new employees that they could keep their jobs when the strike ended. Thus, he added, there is room for only 200 more returning strikers. The union says that 82% of its members--about 5,500 people--are still honoring the strike.
Before the flight attendants walked out on March 7, those with 12 years’ seniority were earning $35,000 base pay, according to Hilliard. Union members who crossed the picket lines and went back to work now earn 22% less than their pre-strike wages, in accord with the airline’s earlier request for pay concessions from all employees. And the newly hired attendants are receiving a starting base pay of $1,007 a month.
Karen Lantz, a spokeswoman for the union, said the IFFA had not heard from TWA concerning its offer to return attendants to their jobs. Concerning TWA’s statement that only 200 would be taken back, she said: “They might have told the newspapers that, but they haven’t told us about that yet.”
The union official said that the IFFA had “changed its strategy” in the strike but added that she would not give specific details until the members had been informed. In general terms, she said, “we plan to make more aggressive use of consumer, labor, political and community allies.”
The union also hopes ultimately to get a “back-to-work clause” in its final agreement with TWA or to have a court order the airline to take back the striking workers. In a case still pending and set for trial June 30, the union has sued the airline in federal court for allegedly not bargaining in good faith.
Some observers maintain that, in effect, the union is already the loser in the dispute.
“Enough people have broken the ranks to make a mockery of the strike attempt,” said David Sylvester, of the brokerage firm of Montgomery Securities in San Francisco.
“Unfortunately for the union people,” he added, “it’s all over but the shouting. It was all over about a month ago.”
He added that with the decrease in the number of Americans planning trips to Europe this year, “TWA will have no real motivation to build up its work force above pre-strike levels.”
