With Pope Slated to Fly TWA, Labor Dispute Will Be Aired

Flight attendants from Trans World Airlines will get a chance to personally tell three Catholic bishops, including Los Angeles Archbishop Roger Mahony, why Pope John Paul II should not fly TWA when he comes to the United States.

TWA officials also will have the opportunity to present their side of the dispute, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops announced this week. No date has been set for the meeting.

The Independent Federation of Flight Attendants wants to persuade the bishops not to use TWA as the papal charter carrier. At issue is TWA’s refusal to rehire about 5,000 flight attendants who waged a two-month strike in 1986.

The airline is scheduled to provide three planes for the Sept. 10-19 visit--one for the papal entourage and two for the press.

“The conference believes that basic social justice norms have been observed in choosing TWA,” said Father Daniel Hoye, general secretary of the bishops conference, “but it wants to give both sides the opportunity to appear before a panel of bishops to state their positions in person.”