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 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Union negotiators have left town, leaving a federal judge as Northwest Airlines Corp.'s last hope to block a flight attendant strike that could begin as early as Friday night.
Flight attendants are angry that Northwest imposed pay cuts and work rules that the rank-and-file had rejected, and they say they'll begin sporadic, unannounced strikes anytime after 9:01 p.m. CDT Friday. Northwest, already operating under bankruptcy protection, has said a strike like that could kill it.
Just nine hours before the strike deadline, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero will have to make a snap decision on whether to intervene. Marrero will grapple with obscure provisions of labor law, but the core question is: Can airline employees walk off the job after their bosses unilaterally cut their pay and change their work rules?
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