Northwest, Mechanics Resume Talks

Northwest Airlines Corp. and its mechanics union resumed contract talks over pay and benefits Saturday for the first time since negotiations collapsed in March and the White House intervened to stop a threatened strike.

Negotiators for the nation’s fourth-largest airline and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. met as a presidential emergency board prepared to issue recommendations for a settlement in the four-year-old dispute.

The National Mediation Board, which is overseeing the talks at its offices in Washington, described the newest round as an “assessment of the status of negotiations” ahead of the emergency board recommendation, which is due by Thursday.

With several other strike-threatening disputes looming over the nation’s airline industry, Northwest and AMFA--an organization representing 10,000 mechanics, cleaners and custodians--presented their cases to the three-member emergency board in Philadelphia two weeks ago.

Sources close to the situation said it was possible the two sides could make progress on outstanding disputes over wages, back pay and pension benefits, and even reach an agreement before settlement terms were recommended.

But the airline and the union were cautious in their characterization of the talks. Neither would speculate on a possible settlement.

“We are eternally optimistic,” said AMFA National Secretary O.V. Delle-Femine.

If there is no settlement by the time the emergency board issues its settlement recommendation, the two sides have 30 days to consider it.