Unfriendly skies

Northwest should acknowledge pilots' sacrifices

It seems like only yesterday that high-profile politicians were desperately calling for President Bill Clinton to end the United Auto Workers strike through federal arbitration. But now, amid the second largest strike of 1998, officials are begging Clinton to send the Northwest pilots back to work under the guise of an old labor law that would put the strike off for 60 days. But intervening in the Northwest pilots' strike will not resolve the fundamental problem at hand - that Northwest has mistreated its workers.

With 6,000 pilots on the picket line instead of in the cockpit, 1,700 flights have been cancelled so far and three major cities - Detroit, Minneapolis and Memphis - are without their primary airline service. For many people who had to change their flights or opt for a different mode of transportation, the strike has presented as a burden on the country and the economy. Clearly, both sides of the equation need to work together to help alleviate future problems them strike will cause.

Northwest's management should not forget how the pilots saved the airline from bankruptcy in 1993 by taking a 15.7-percent pay cut. While the inconvenience created by the strike is significant, it would have been much worse if the entire airline had folded. Also, the fact that Northwest has amassed record profits since 1993 must be brought into strike negotiations. Instead of attacking the pilots for inconvienencing passengers over the past week, their critics should recognize their commitment to their customers for working under a low wage contract for the past five years.

How could these pilots be unhappy when many of them are earning almost $150,000 and they don't work more than 14 days a month, Northwest executives argue? Pilots are skilled workers who hold hundreds of lives in their hands every time they start up the engine. Northwest marginalizes the critical role pilots play in the entire operation by saying that their pilots don't deserve the going rate common in the industry.

Northwest has presented propaganda to win the support of the public through skewed numbers and claims that fail to address important facts about the industry. They say that with the raise they have proposed, the pilots will be making more than other pilots at top airlines. While in part true, pilots at American, United and Delta Airlines all are in line for their own contract negotiations, negating Northwest's claim. After years of concessions, the other airlines' compensation packages will all likelihood provide far greater wages than in any package Northwest has offered its employees.

In addition to better pay, the pilots are asking for a number of concessions. Retroactive pay for years of concessions is not unreasonable, nor is a stock option plan comparable to other airlines. In a time when skilled jobs are becoming scarce for working Americans, consumers should stand up for laborers and view advertisements with skepticism. Just as the United Parcel Service and UAW strikes were successful displays of the power of labor, the Northwest pilots are reminding us of who drives corporations - the workforce. Keeping this in mind, both Northwest and the pilots should work together to produce a contract that will be beneficial for management and labor alike.

09-08-98