Passengers of Northwest Airlines at Port Columbus face possible delays as a strike by aircraft mechanics and aircraft cleaners against the airline is now in its 4th. Several union picketers were stationed Tuesday at the curbside passenger check-in.
But the job action Northwest occurs as the industry is reeling from higher jet fuel prices and several carrier bankruptcies.
Its mid-morning... three people examine the large flat screen showing airline departures and arrivals. The screen indicates Northwest flights from Minneapolis and Detroit are on time but the mid-morning flight from Detroit is already twenty minutes late...but the screen indicates flight 1702 is "in range."
Outside the terminal, three striking members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, carry large yellow pickets announcing their on strike. Greg Blumer is among those who walked off the job last Saturday after refusing proposed pay cuts and lay-offs.
Dave Nordstrom has worked as a Northwest Airlines mechanic for 28 years. He went out on strike the first time in 1982. He says he wants his job back. He complains NWA has cut the number of mechanics and is sending the jobs oversees.
A Northwest Airlines Spokeswoman in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Jennifer Bagdade, says the airline continues to operate despite the strike. She says a pre-strike work slowdown by mechanics caused schedule disruptions last week-end. Bagdade says Northwest is using a combination of management staff and replacement and vendor mechanics to keep planes in the air.
The strike at Northwest comes at a time when the airline industry is flying into economic headwinds. A published report in the Wall Street Journal says US airlines spent nearly $3.5 billion more on jet fuel this year compared to last year offsetting gains made in passenger traffic since 9-11.
Airport Authority Vice President Dave Whitaker says the airport is keenly aware of the financial squeeze on airlines and actively works on keeping down airport costs for the carriers that use Port Columbus.
During the the second quarter of this year, Northwest Airlines carried 174,000 passengers to and from Port Columbus. No new talks are scheduled between the airline and the mechanics union.