NORTHWEST LAYS OFF THOUSANDS.

Byline: Karren Mills Associated Press 

Northwest Airlines on Wednesday laid off more than half its work force - 27,500 employees - and canceled all flights through Labor Day because of the pilots strike.

In a positive development, both sides agreed to meet for ``exploratory'' talks in Chicago on Saturday at the request of federal mediators. The National Mediation Board was careful not to describe the talks as negotiations.

The layoffs included flight attendants, mechanics, customer service employees and other ground workers.

``This is a sad day for Northwest Airlines,'' said Dewayne Tucker, a Northwest vice president.

At Los Angeles International Airport alone, 695 flight attendants and 41 mechanics, inspectors and other technical operations personnel had received their notices by late Wednesday afternoon.

The airport has a total of 1,746 active employees, according to Northwest Airlines.

Because of the layoffs, it will take the airline eight to 10 days to resume a full flight schedule when the strike ends, said spokesman Jon Austin.

Northwest has about 50,000 employees, including the 6,100 pilots who walked out Friday night. The two sides are separated on issues of compensation and job security.

``I can't believe this is even happening,'' said Carol Steinmetz, a flight attendant who has worked for the airline for 26 years. Steinmetz was in the air headed for Tokyo when the strike began. She made it back home Monday night on a United Airlines flight to Chicago and a Northwest-chartered flight to Minneapolis.

Billie Davenport of Teamsters Local 2000, which represents the flight attendants, said the union - one of six at Northwest with open contracts - supports the pilots. ``They're fighting for all of labor,'' she said.

North Dakota's congressional delegation, meanwhile, asked President Clinton to halt the strike by ordering a 60-day cooling-off period.

``North Dakota is left high and dry. Our economy is devastated. Our people are terribly disadvantaged by this,'' said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

Northwest has offered a four-year contract with a 3 percent raise on the date of signing and additional annual raises totaling 6 percent. Pilots are seeking a three-year contract with a 7 percent raise on the date of signing and additional annual raises totaling 7 percent.

Northwest said its last offer would raise average pilot pay to $150,000, which the pilots say is inflated.

Air Canada's 2,100 pilots also are on strike, citing disagreements on pay and working conditions. Air Canada, which carries about 60,000 passengers daily, canceled all of its flights worldwide Tuesday night.