Court rules against Northwest flight attendants

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.reuters.com/article/tnBasicIndustries-SP/idUSN1321885120070413

Court rules against Northwest flight attendants
Fri Apr 13, 2007 5:24PM EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York bankruptcy judge denied a motion by Northwest Airlines Corp.'s flight attendants on Friday to change a ruling that allowed the airline to void their work contract and impose heavy pay cuts last year.

Northwest, in bankruptcy since September 2005, voided the flight attendants' contract last July after failing to agree on pay cuts that would save the airline $195 million a year.

The ruling helps Northwest with its plan to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of June, after cutting its annual labor costs by about $1.4 billion overall.

Northwest's flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, have protested strongly against the airline's cuts, but were barred from striking by a federal appeals court last month.

FULL story at link.

[ThomCat]

1. That sucks royally.

They're not allowed to strike, and now the contracted they negotiated is voided so that the company can do whatever they hell they want. x(

One more sign that corporations run this damned country.

[Solo_in_MD]

2. This is not the first time I have seen a comment that they could not strike

but I have been unable to find any discussion of the legal basis for blocking it. Anyone have a pointer?

[ThomCat]

3. In the early 80s Reagan was able to fire all the striking

air traffic controllers. Air traffic was deemed too critical to be shut down. I don't know what law allowed this, but I remember when it happened. I'm sure the flight attendants are being barred from striking under the same law.

[Solo_in_MD]

4. I dont think it is the same law

The controller were barred from striking by Federal law.

The law you are thinking of is Taft-Hartley, but it requries the President to invoke it

Airline personal can strike, but there specific ones are not being allowed to by a bankrupcy judge. That is what I am wondering about.