Bush Steps In to Block Northwest Strike

MINNEAPOLIS —  President Bush blocked any mechanics’ strike against Northwest Airlines for at least 60 days Friday, citing the need to protect the economy and “the hard-working people of America” from travel disruptions.

The mechanics had threatened to walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. EST Monday when a 30-day cooling-off period was to expire, affecting flights throughout the United States and abroad.

Northwest carried 59 million passengers last year and has more than 2,600 daily flights, with major hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Memphis, Tenn., as well as Amsterdam and Tokyo.

“It’s important for our economy, but more important, it’s important for the hard-working people of America to make sure air service is not disrupted,” the president said during a visit to Sioux Falls, S.D. He had said previously that he would intervene to stop any strike at Northwest.

Bush’s order establishes an emergency board that has 30 days to propose a settlement. It then gives the parties another 30 days to resolve the dispute. If that fails, Congress could impose a settlement.

The union was unhappy with the move, which came as negotiations continued in Washington with the help of federal mediators.

“It’s horrible news,” said Steve MacFarlane, president of Local 33 of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn., which represents about 10,000 Northwest mechanics, cleaners and custodians. “[Bush] is basically saying that we will never be able to withhold our labor as leverage against our employer,” he said. “To have the federal government tell you that you cannot walk off the job without its permission is extremely distasteful.”

MacFarlane said the union would halt its strike preparations.

“There’s no sense in our wasting our resources and our members’ time fighting for something that the president has taken away from us,” he said.

MacFarlane also dismissed Bush’s 60-day order as meaningless, saying “he has clearly stated that he is not going to allow an airline to go on strike in the year 2001.”

The airline welcomed the president’s intervention.

“President Bush’s appointment of a Presidential Emergency Board ensures that our customers can continue to make their travel plans . . . with confidence,” said Robert Brodin, Northwest’s senior vice president for labor relations.

Northwest will accept the board’s contract recommendations if the parties do not reach a settlement before then, Brodin said.