Mar 1, 2006 1:41 pm US/Eastern
Flight Attendants, NWA Reach Tentative Agreement
MINNEAPOLIS (CBS) ―
The union representing Northwest Airlines flight attendants said it has reached a tentative agreement with the airline.
The agreement, which was reached Wednesday morning, means the flight attendants' current contract would not be thrown out by a bankruptcy court judge.
The Eagan, Minn.-based carrier filed for bankruptcy protection Sept. 14 and is the nation's fourth-largest carrier. Bankrupt carriers can ask a judge to let them reject their contracts, including union contracts. Northwest has said it needs worker concessions to be profitable again.
The pilots union says it is continuing to negotiate with the airline on new contracts for the pilots that could include hefty pay cuts. Two pay cuts have already sliced 39 percent from their wages.
The pilots' union announced Tuesday that pilots overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike. More than 4,000 pilots voted, and 92 percent said they would be willing to walk off the job if a bankruptcy judge in New York throws out the current contract and Northwest then imposes new terms.
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