Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Board denied bid to end talks with mechanics

Northwest Airlines Corp., seeking worker givebacks to end losses, and its mechanics union were told by a U.S. board that the airline's request to end negotiations with the union has been denied.

The National Mediation Board told both parties in a letter today that the case doesn't call "at this time" for letting them move into a cooling-off period before a possible lockout or strike. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association told the board that it opposed Northwest's proposal to end talks.

Northwest, of St. Paul, Minn., on May 24 asked the board to declare an impasse in the talks, saying the union was unwilling to agree to labor-cost savings amid the company's "deteriorating financial condition."

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