Facing what could be its worst labor dispute since a pilots strike grounded planes in 1998, Northwest Airlines Inc. is preparing to fly a full schedule if its mechanics walk off the job.
Northwest has told employees it is confident the airline could fly without union mechanics and aircraft cleaners, more than 900 of whom are based at Detroit Metro Airport.
But some travelers say they won't choose Northwest if members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association go on strike and are replaced. Some worry about safety, and in metro Detroit the sentiments also reflect strong union ties that could keep customers from crossing a picket line.
In a message to employees Monday, Northwest President and Chief Executive Doug Steenland said the airline plans to keep its full schedule using managers who are licensed mechanics, contract mechanics and outside vendors to keep the fleet flying.
Steenland said Northwest's plan to operate during a strike would meet the same federal safety standards the airline maintains with union mechanics.
"We have every confidence that this plan will work and work well," Steenland told employees.
But replacement workers didn't keep Eastern Airlines in the air.
When Eastern's ramp workers and mechanics went on strike in 1989, pilots and flight attendants joined. The company hired replacement workers to operate until Eastern collapsed in 1991.
In Northwest's case, it's unclear whether pilots, ground workers and flight attendants would join a mechanics strike. But pilots are concerned about safety during the days leading up to a strike. The pilots union plans to start a communications center to address members' concerns. It's a precautionary measure the union takes during serious labor disputes, Air Line Pilots Association spokesman Hal Myers said.
"We know that it can be a stressful time and that there can distractions out there," he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is keeping an eye on employee morale at the airline, spokesman Tony Molinaro said.
This year, traffic volumes have favored Northwest and most other airlines as the industry expects to surpass passengers levels that existed before Sept. 11, 2001. Northwest's planes have been packed. The June load factor, a measurement of the seats filled, was up nearly two points to 84%.
But even with safety assurances, Mitchell Schmidtke, a frequent Northwest flyer, said a mechanics strike would make him choose a different airline.
"I guess I would feel uncomfortable just wondering who are they bringing in," the 41-year-old Howell resident said.
Rob Hallett, 30, of Windsor agrees. "These people are here day in and day out. They know the job," he said of the union mechanics.
But that doesn't mean other certified mechanics won't, as long as the workforce is well supervised, said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association in Washington, D.C. "You may even get people who are as skilled and in some cases more skilled," Stempler said, citing the thousands of aircraft mechanics who were laid off in recent years.
Safety concerns aside, union leaders in other industries and a labor expert said some travelers would avoid Northwest to support the mechanics union.
"It's quite common for labor unions to respect a picket line and to respect a strike," said Roland Zullo, research scientist with the Labor Studies Center at the University of Michigan's Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations.
Jim Cianciolo, president of Teamsters Local 243, said he would tell his 4,000 members not to fly Northwest. "We would absolutely tell people not to fly on it," he said. "I think there would be a lot of support."
Bob Killeen, treasurer and secretary of UAW Local 879 in Saint Paul, Minn., echoed Cianciolo's message:
"We'll find some other way to get there," said Killeen. His members include 3,200 workers and retirees at Ford Motor Co.
Carrie Urberg, 42, of Toledo said she would support the union by driving instead of flying Northwest to Minnesota for her family's usual fall trip to see relatives.
"All unions, no matter what kind of union it is, need to show solidarity for their union brothers and sisters," said Urberg, a shelver at the Toledo Public Library and a member of the Communications Workers of America Local 4319.
But neither safety nor Northwest's union would keep Debbie Creighton, 51, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., from flying.
"I wish the workers well. But life goes on," she said.
