St. Paul, Minn. – Northwest Airlines, flying while in bankruptcy, wants to position itself to outsource all flight-attendant jobs on international flights, as well as all attendant jobs on planes with 100 or fewer seats.
That’s the word from the flight attendants union, which Northwest is leaning on for $195 million in annual wage and other givebacks.
Northwest’s outsourcing proposal could eliminate the jobs of thousands of the carrier’s 9,800 flight attendants, said Bob Krabbe, assistant contract administrator for the Professional Flight Attendants Association.
Many jobs could go overseas to lower-paid foreigners.
“We’ll fight this vigorously,” he said.
Northwest would not discuss the union’s account of the airline’s plans, saying it does not comment on contract negotiations.
Northwest has about 500 flight attendants who are foreign nationals based in Asia. Those attendants are limited to flying south and west of Tokyo, said Krabbe.
Hiring lower-paid foreign flight attendants could fit with Northwest’s drive to cut costs.
The airline, which has lost about $3 billion on its operations since the start of 2001, is seeking $1.4 billion in givebacks from its employees.
Northwest flight attendants earn from $19,500 to $48,000 a year, depending on experience.
The airline wants to cut their pay by as much as 22 percent. But it’s expected that Northwest will soon raise that target.
If the airline doesn’t get the concessions it wants at the bargaining table, it can ask the judge overseeing its Chapter 11 bankruptcy to impose new contracts.
