June 9, 2006 - After nine days of voting across the Northwest Airlines system, District 143 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today announced that 62 percent of the voting Equipment Service & Stock Clerk (ESSC) membership accepted the terms of an agreement reached with the bankrupt airline on May 19, 2006.
“It was a choice between bad and worse,” said IAM District 143 President Bobby DePace. “The agreement contains substantial sacrifice from our members, however, they agreed to the terms in order to preserve their contract and decades of collective bargaining gains.”
Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper had said he would rule on Northwest’s motion to abrogate the ESSC contract on June 14, 2006 if the agreement was not ratified.
The ESSC membership joins IAM-represented Plant Protection (PP) and Clerical, Office Fleet and Passenger Service (COFPS) with ratified agreements with Northwest. Forty Flight Simulator Technicians & Simulator Support Specialists (SIMOP) are the only remaining IAM group without a modified agreement, but the airline has not moved to abrogate their agreement at this time and negotiations with the carrier are ongoing.
The agreement will not become effective until Northwest Airlines has concessions in place, either ratified or imposed with court approval, with all the unions at the airline.
IAM District 143 represents 12,200 Northwest Airlines employees in the Equipment Service, Office & Clerical, Passenger Service, Plant Protection and Flight Simulator Operator classifications. More information about the Machinists Union at Northwest Airlines is available on the District 143 website, www.iam143.org.
