Northwest strikes hard at labor

In bankruptcy court today Northwest took a hard line against labor and asked a judge to void the contracts with its pilots and flight attendants. When asked for a statement Northwest responded "The time has come for Northwest to put in place a business model that is sustainable and realistic, there is really no alternative to achieving competitive labor costs. And there is no more time to wait."

Northwest did ask that the judge hold off on voiding the ground workers contract since Northwest announced it has a tentative agreement with that union on cost savings. FA's and Pilots for Northwest objected to the request outraged that they say they didn't have enough time to negotiate in good will with Northwest.

The Judge has not ruled on the matter yet but FA's and Pilots have said they would strike if their contracts are voided. Northwest is on the slippery slope right now, it will be interesting to see what comes of this.