Northwest Talks at Impasse

Mechanics walked away from talks with Northwest Airlines Corp. on Wednesday, accusing the carrier of refusing to bargain.

They can strike after 9:01 a.m. Pacific time Aug. 20. Northwest, the nation’s fourth-largest airline, has vowed to keep flying.

“Clearly Northwest Airlines would prefer a strike over an agreement, and it looks like they’re probably going to get their wish,” said Steve MacFarlane, spokesman for the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn.

Shares of Northwest fell 41 cents, or 8.6%, to close at $4.37.

Northwest hasn’t budged from its original demand for pay cuts of about 25% and the right to hire contractors to do more of the work of its AMFA mechanics, cleaners and custodians.

The airline now hires outsiders for 37% of that work, Northwest spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said. That’s just shy of the 38% cap mechanics agreed to in 2001 as part of a deal that included raises of about 24% for mechanics and 13% for cleaners and custodians.

The airline wants to lay off about 2,000 of the union’s 4,500 Northwest workers. In January 2002, Northwest employed 8,390 AMFA workers.

“It’s not even so much about the pay. This is about Northwest airlines trying to eliminate us and break our union,” MacFarlane said.

Mediated talks had resumed Tuesday in Washington and were scheduled to run through Friday.

Ebenhoch said the company “made a number of significant offers to AMFA,” including job protection for three-quarters of its workers and a profit-sharing plan. He said Northwest was willing to resume negotiations.