AMFA Says Northwest Request Could Disrupt Air Traffic in July.

DETROIT -- If the National Mediation Board (NMB) releases Northwest Airlines from negotiations with its aircraft mechanics union, the 30-day countdown to a potential strike or lockout would end in time to cause potential disruption in air traffic starting as early as July, according to the Bob Rose, president of Local 5 of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA).

On Tuesday, Northwest asked the NMB to declare that its contract talks with mechanics are at an impasse. If the NMB grants Northwest's request, the Railway Labor Act stipulates that a strike or lockout could begin after a 30-day cooling-off period.

"We have two serious concerns about Northwest's request to end negotiations," Rose said. "First, the timing could make things difficult for people's summer travel plans. Second, some of the managers who might suddenly be responsible for certifying the airworthiness of Northwest's planes, including their ability to fly on instruments and land safely in zero visibility conditions, haven't touched a plane in as much as 20 years."

Rose said Northwest has had unreasonable expectations from the very start about how much it could accelerate the current round of negotiations. "In past rounds, Northwest dragged negotiations out for years, which was frustrating for us. This time, Northwest has been extremely impatient and doesn't want to allow even minimal times for our negotiating team to consider proposals adequately. Our team's been doing its best to move things along, but there's a limit to how fast you can go."

AMFA's craft union represents aircraft maintenance technicians and related support personnel at Alaska Airlines, ATA, Horizon Airlines, 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.