Strike gets a green light

MINNEAPOLIS — A bankruptcy judge said he won't block a strike by Northwest Airlines Corp. flight attendants, a union victory that could lead to random, unannounced walkouts beginning Aug. 25 if the two sides don't make a deal.

Northwest has said even limited work stoppages could put it out of business for good.

But Thursday's ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper in New York said that regardless of the danger a strike puts Northwest in, labor law gives him no authority to stop one.

The union and the airline both said they would rather make a deal, and Gropper's ruling eight days before the strike deadline seemed to leave plenty of time. But no talks were scheduled.

"This group of flight attendants wants to fight," said Mollie Reiley, head of the Northwest branch of the Association of Flight Attendants. "They are not going to accept what's on the table. So we're looking for a new offer."

Northwest said it planned to appeal the ruling today.

The nation's fifth-largest airline said it needs $195 million a year in savings from flight attendants, who have twice voted down tentative agreements that cut that deep. The most recent rejection came despite the endorsement of union leaders. After the most recent vote on July 31, Northwest, with Judge Gropper's permission, imposed the first contract that flight attendants had rejected, triggering the union strike threat.

The new terms included a 21 percent pay cut; flight attendants said it amounts to 40 percent when health insurance increases are added in. Also, flight attendants lost their pay for when a plane is parked because of delays — especially irksome when travel restrictions because of terror threats in London are causing extra delays.

A deal, a court ruling or presidential action could all head off a strike.

Without one of those things, flight attendants have said they will impose what they call "CHAOS," for Create Havoc Around Our System, at 9:01 p.m. on Aug. 25.

Instead of a traditional full-scale walkout, the union's CHAOS plan calls for random stoppages with little or no advance notice. So flight attendants might strike a single flight, or certain gates, or might stage a full walkout for, say, 20 minutes. Although the individual stoppages may not disrupt the airline's operations, the uncertainty can drive travelers to other airlines.