Mechanics union won't fly at Delta

The mechanics union that waged an unsuccessful strike against Northwest Airlines in 2005 is packing up its wrenches at Delta, Northwest's new corporate parent.

The National Mediation Board on Thursday granted a request by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association to stop representing the former Northwest mechanics. The union said revoking its certification would be in the best interests of the Northwest workers.

Delta Air Lines Inc., which has a hub in Salt Lake City, acquired Northwest late last year. Northwest was heavily unionized, but the only major union at Delta is its pilots.

While the unions for Northwest flight attendants and other ground workers have said they will try to organize those workers company-wide, AMFA was seen as having little chance to represent all Delta mechanics once the two airlines are integrated.

"It hasn't been an easy day," said Dennis Sutton, the trustee for the AMFA local that covered Minneapolis and Detroit-based mechanics. "But it's best for everybody involved."

AMFA worked with Delta to iron out the seniority integration of Northwest and Delta mechanics, a process Sutton said went well. He said AMFA mailed union cards to as many Northwest and Delta mechanics as it had addresses for, but the response suggested there was no point in pursuing an election.

About 970 of Delta's 6,700 mechanics came from Northwest. Delta said it would bring the former Northwest workers up to Delta pay scales beginning in the next pay period.

In a memo, Delta TechOps President Tony Charaf called the switch "fantastic news for Delta and the new TechOps team. As I've said many times in the past, our flexible work force has always been an advantage as we grow our global customer base."

Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said Delta does almost $500 million a year in maintenance work for more than 100 other customers, although it also uses outside contractors for some of its own work, such as heavy maintenance.

When Northwest sought steep pay cuts in 2005 in an effort to avoid bankruptcy, AMFA led about 4,400 workers out on strike. It was a huge gamble that failed spectacularly. Northwest suffered some operational hiccups but kept flying. Northwest replaced them all by the end of the year with a mix of new hires and union members who crossed the picket line.

The strike officially ended in November 2006 when the union ratified a deal that mostly gave Northwest the terms it had already won.