Airlines continues push for labor concessions

Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005 | 9:41 a.m.

Delta Air Lines, which is said to be on the brink of filing for bankruptcy protection, asked its pilots for a second round of wage and benefit cuts late on Monday, according to the Air Line Pilots Association.

The move came as Northwest Airlines, which is seeking more cuts from employees to try to fend off its own bankruptcy filing, considered giving permanent jobs to some substitute mechanics starting on Tuesday.

Delta's request for cuts was disclosed in a message that the pilots' union put on its phone line, addressed to its 6,500 members. It said negotiators for the airline and the union met on Tuesday at Delta's request. "The company presented the negotiators with a comprehensive, deeply concessionary contract proposal," the message said.

archive