Four Airlines Facing Possible Strikes Soon

N E W   Y O R K, Feb. 6, 2001 -- The White House has suggested it might intervene if labor negotiations at four of the nation's major air carriers break down in strikes, President Bush said today.

United, American, Delta and Northwest airlines — which together handle about two-thirds of domestic air traffic — are in talks with various unions to stave off possible strikes. Northwest could face a strike by mechanics next month, while other deadlines are approaching in the spring.

Officials are concerned any or all of these negotiations could devolve into strikes within a short time, crippling the nation's air industry.

"If four major airlines were on strike at the same time, the country would come to a halt," says aviation economist Darryl Jenkins.

Speaking during a visit to a toy store in McLean, Va., to promote his tax plan, Bush urged the airlines and labor to work out their differences.

"I am worried about strikes at airlines. … It could have a harmful effect on our economy," said Bush, adding that he would "explore all options" if the sides cannot reach agreement.

"The president's got some opportunities if they're unable to do so," Bush said.

The White House has already begun conferring with the National Mediation Board, and is exploring the formation of a presidential emergency board, which could force an end to a potential strike.

Sources say the airlines are pressuring the president to get involved. Given the potential for mayhem, he may have little choice.

Still, Capt. Andy Deane of the Delta chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association doesn't think a presidential emergency board would prevent a strike: "It will delay it for approximately 60 days, [but] it doesn't really help the situation in our view."

After Giving Concessions, Unwilling to Concede?

Representatives for Northwest and its machinists union met in Washington for talks throughout Monday night and will resume their meeting today.

Unions granted wage concessions to the carrier in the 1990s, when Northwest was near bankruptcy. Now the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association is on the verge of a strike after four years of negotiations. (The mechanics are the only Northwest employees still operating without a contract.)

"There is great interest on both sides to avoid a strike," AMFA Local 33 President Steve MacFarlane said in a statement issued Monday. "It is important to realize that once a strike begins it is like an injury that opens an artery. Everyone involved will be trying to stop the bleeding … everyone."

AFMA represents 10,000 mechanics, cleaners and custodians. Its latest proposal is a wage increase of 38 percent for senior-level mechanics.

The union is planning a strike vote, but if the National Mediation Board determines that talks with the airline are going nowhere and releases the parties from negotiations, the White House may intervene, appointing a presidential emergency board to prevent a strike action and force the parties to talk.

The Northwest situation complicates United's talks with its mechanics, who are represented by the International Association of Machinists, a rival union of AMFA. Whatever deal may be struck between AMFA and Northwest may lead IAM to seek to match it in its contract negotiations with United, so as not to fall behind another union.

The mediation board will be bringing negotiators for United and its union back to the table in Washington on Feb. 15-16. But there is little indication the two sides are any closer than they were two weeks ago, when talks in San Francisco ended with no agreement.

Joe Tiberi, a spokesman for the IAM unit representing United mechanics, told The Associated Press there had been no communication between the two sides. "We're going in there ready to talk and complete an agreement," he said.

But, he added, "our position hasn't changed."

IAM is seeking to be released from mediation so it can begin a 30-day cooling-off period required before a strike, but the union acknowledges the mediation board may be loath to release more than one aviation union at a time.

Progress Noted on Some Fronts, Not Others

Delta's 10,000 pilots may strike as early as April 1. Although compensation and job security are among the items in negotiation, pilot overtime is also a concern. Many Delta pilots have refused to offer their services to fly overtime, meaning a larger percentage of Delta cancellations are attributed to a lack of a flight crew than was the case a year ago.

Wary of what happened to United Airlines last summer, when a shortage of pilots and crews' refusal to work overtime resulted in numerous cancellations, Delta asked for a court injunction barring pilots from refusing to fly overtime. Observers say the move has only solidified the pilot union's resolve. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court denied the airline's request, although it did alert the union that an "ongoing concerted refusal to request overtime by some pilots" was unlawful under the Railway Labor Act.

Karen Miller, a spokeswoman for the Air Line Pilots Association, the union representing Delta fliers, said "good progress" was made last week in advance of the Feb. 28 deadline that, if no agreement has been finalized, would mark the beginning of a 30-day cooling off period before a strike.

Miller also noted that mediators have moved the committees off-site from union and company offices this week to an undisclosed location in Atlanta, to focus on core issues — job security, retirement and work rules.

Meanwhile, the talks between American and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants have been going on for more than two years. The NMB has called back the union and the airline to the table; they will meet separately with American and APFA on Thursday and Friday, although the union has asked for a release from mediation. On Feb. 21 APFA will announce the results of a strike vote of its 22,600 members.

But with other potential airline strikes in the wings, the specter of even one shutdown is daunting, making the NMB's job even more critical.

John Ward, president of APFA, said: "I think the mediation board has referred to this spring as March Madness. And I don't think they're referring to basketball."

ABCNEWS' Lisa Stark contributed to this story.