Northwest Offer Came Up Short, Union Says

The union for Northwest Airlines Corp. mechanics Tuesday defended its rejection of a last-minute offer by the airline, saying the Northwest proposal came up short in several areas.

The national director of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn., O.V. Delle-Femine, said the airline’s proposal, although it may have appeared good, “didn’t meet our criteria; there were other issues other than money.”

The union, which represents about 9,500 mechanics, cleaners and custodians, outlined the proposal’s shortcomings for its members Tuesday. The union said the back-pay offer didn’t make up for substandard wages during 4 1/2 years that mechanics have sought a new contract.

The union also noted that Northwest’s proposal was for a four-year contract, rather than the three-year deal previously discussed; overtime pay calculations would not have included premiums received for holding special licenses; and there would be no payoff for unused sick time on retirement.

In all, the union listed 20 objections to the Northwest offer.

The union had been prepared to go on strike against the nation’s fourth-largest airline at 12:01 a.m. EST Monday. But President Bush appointed an emergency board last week that pushes any possible strike back to at least mid-May.

On Sunday, shortly before the emergency board was to begin overseeing negotiations, Northwest offered a 26% initial wage increase, up from the 19% on the table; a 112% pension increase, up from 88%; and an increase of more than 100% in its retroactive payment to be divided among mechanics--from $41 million to $88 million.

The offer would have increased hourly pay for an average senior mechanic to $33, up from the current rate of $26.25. The union had asked for a 40% raise to $36.84.

The rejected retroactive pay would have given an average veteran mechanic a lump sum of $10,000, up from the company’s previous offer of $4,100. The union initially had been seeking about $87,000.

“Those are offers that, obviously, we really hoped that AMFA would accept. That was Northwest’s offer to AMFA to close the deal,” said Northwest spokesman Doug Killian. “It was a firm offer.”

However, under terms of the negotiations, the offer was made as a “supposal.” Such supposals come with an understanding that if they are rejected, negotiations revert to the previous table position.

That means the late offer by Northwest is no longer on the table and cannot be voted on by union members because it was rejected by AMFA negotiators.

The union was hoping the emergency board would look at the late offer by Northwest as a starting point.

Northwest objects to that idea.

“They rejected it, so now we go back to the table position,” Killian said. “Northwest’s negotiating team went well beyond its initial offer of industry-leading pay and benefits to close the deal with AMFA. Now we’re confident that the PEB [presidential emergency board] recommendation will be fair and just, and Northwest will accept the PEB’s final recommendation.”

Union officials haven’t said whether they will accept the board’s recommendation.