Northwest Union Ordered to Halt ‘Sickout’

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order telling the union representing Northwest Airlines’ flight attendants to stop its members from staging a “sickout” over stalled contract negotiations. Judge Donovan Frank said officials of Teamsters Local 2000 must immediately take “all reasonable steps within their power” to prevent flight attendants from falsely calling in sick. Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest had sought the decision, characterizing a higher-than-normal illness rate around the holidays as “guerrilla warfare” by the attendants. The airline said it has had to cancel more than 300 flights since Dec. 30. Local 2000 President Billie Davenport said the union had told its members not to participate in any illegal job action, but Judge Frank wasn’t convinced. “The union’s public posture may be one of denial, but the evidence indicates that its private strategy is one of advocating a concerted ‘sickout,’ ” Frank wrote. His order was to remain in effect until a hearing on a preliminary injunction, which wasn’t immediately scheduled.

In a separate action, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Northwest over the alleged racial harassment of a former worker at San Francisco International Airport. The airline disputes the EEOC allegations and said it promptly investigated the alleged incident when it was brought to company’s attention in 1996. Northwest Airlines shares rose 31 cents to close at $22.50 on Nasdaq.