_Pilots Win First Round _

Minneapolis, MN – A major victory for labor occurred when pilots at Northwest Airlines returned to work after winning significant pay and job security increases during an 18-day strike. Northwest Airlines ceased all flights on August 28, when 6,000 pilots shut down the carrier.

Bloomington, MN – AFSCME Council 5, which represents over 40,000 public sector workers in Minnesota, held its annual convention here Oct. 5-7. At the convention, two notable resolutions were passed, both of which were written by AFSCME Local 3800, the clerical workers union at the University of Minnesota.

Minneapolis, MN – Members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) will continue their strike against Northwest Airlines. In a vote tallied Dec. 30, more than 70% of striking AMFA members who were eligible to vote overwhelming rejected Northwest’s latest offer. The offer amounted to four weeks severance pay and allowed some workers to collect unemployment benefits. The scabs who are currently doing AMFA work would have remained.

Bloomington, MN – More than 800 aircraft mechanics and their supporters rallied here Nov. 19, expressing their determination to continue the fight against Northwest Airlines. Members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) have been on strike since Aug. 19. They rejected an NWA contract proposal that would have eliminated 53% of the mechanics’ jobs and given the remaining workers wage cuts. Since August, the contract proposals of NWA have gotten worse and the company has hired permanent replacement workers – scabs.

Duluth, MN – The 4400 workers on strike against Northwest have received almost no support from other unions at Northwest or from the national union federations (AFL-CIO and Unite to Win). Scandalously, the strikers are being left to fight on their own without vital support and resources that the labor movement could bring to bear.

Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of striking Northwest Airline mechanics and their supporters converged Sept. 1 on the hotels where strikebreakers are being housed. Buses chartered by NWA were stopped and the scabs missed their shift at the airport.

Fight Back! interviewed Ted Ludwig, president of Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) Local 33, the union that is leading the strike against Northwest Airlines.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 200 public employees, Aircraft mechanics and other workers rallied here, August 30, to support the strike at Northwest Airlines. Initiated by AFSCME Local 3800, the clerical workers union at the University of Minnesota, the protest targeted scabs who are housed near campus. A large number of the participants were members of AMFA, the union of striking airline mechanics.

Bloomington, MN – Thousands of striking Northwest Airlines workers and their supporters rallied across from the Northwest hangar at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International airport, Aug. 27. They rallied to support the strike of 4,400 mechanics, cleaners and custodians who are members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) Local 33. The strike began on Aug. 19 in response to Northwest’s proposal to lay off 53% of AMFA mechanics – and to sock the remaining workers with a wage cut of more than 25%.

Milwaukee, WI – 450 members of the Association of Flight Attendants are taking a stand against a greedy, union-busting employer. While the rest of the airline industry was talking givebacks, this group of workers chose to fight back in a fierce struggle to get their first contract. After a three-week strike against the airline that began on Labor Day weekend, the flight attendants were able to get an agreement, which was worth putting to a vote by the members.