AMFA Comments on Northwest Airlines Bankruptcy Filing.

LACONIA, N.H. -- Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association National Director O.V. Delle-Femine issued the following statement about Northwest Airlines' filing today for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection:

"Speaking on behalf of our members who have spent most or all of their careers working to make Northwest Airlines successful, we are saddened for our airline company but not surprised that the current management has filed for bankruptcy protection. We said earlier on that management's refusal to negotiate with us in good faith, or to agree to binding arbitration, showed that they intended all along to declare bankruptcy in the hope that a bankruptcy judge would impose the unreasonable terms Northwest knew it could never get through the normal negotiating process. But the terms of Northwest's last offer were harsher than the terms a bankruptcy judge granted to United Airlines with respect to AMFA. As we also said earlier, we would rather take our chances with a bankruptcy judge than submit to management's proposed terms and working conditions that would have been devastating economically and contrary to AMFA's commitment to quality maintenance."

AMFA's craft union represents aircraft maintenance technicians and related support personnel at Alaska Airlines, ATA, Horizon Air, Independence Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. AMFA's credo is "Safety in the air begins with quality maintenance on the ground." To learn more about AMFA, visit www.amfanatl.org.