Northwest attendants asked to take pay cut MINNEAPOLIS (AP) =97 Northwest Airlines is asking flight attendants to take= a=20 9.8% pay cut as part of a plan to reduce annual costs by $950 million. The= =20 Eagan, Minn.-based carrier, which posted a first quarter loss of $396=20 million, pitched the plan Wednesday during a meeting with the Teamsters=20 union, which represents roughly 10,000 Northwest flight attendants.=20 Northwest has also presented the cost-cutting plan to ground workers,=20 pilots and mechanics. In total, flight attendants are being asked to=20 concede to $134 million in annual savings through reduced pay and benefits,= =20 fewer vacation days and less assistance from the carrier for health=20 insurance. The restructuring plan covers the period from July 1 to Dec. 31,= =20 2009. The proposed work rule changes would result in the furlough of about= =20 925 flight attendants. Northwest has already furloughed 871 flight=20 attendants this month. Mollie Reiley, Teamsters Local 2000 trustee, said Northwest's plan =97 which= =20 would save $864 million in flight attendant costs over 6.50 years =97 was=20 "outrageous" and demonstrates a "complete lack of respect" for union=20 members. Reiley said flight attendants plan to express their displeasure=20 at the company's annual meeting April 25 in New York. The company,=20 meanwhile, said its operation was approximately the same size in 2002 as it= =20 was in 1996 but with $1.2 billion more in expenses and $400 million less in= =20 revenue. Flight attendant costs have increased nearly 42% to $559.2 million= =20 over that period, the company said. The union has forwarded the proposal to a team of financial and industry=20 analysts to examine the financial data on which the company is basing its=20 plan. On Wednesday, Northwest Airlines reported its first-quarter losses=20 more than doubled as the war in Iraq and higher fuel costs battered the=20 travel industry. Chief Executive Richard Anderson said he saw no signs that= =20 business would improve anytime soon and he warned that more cost-cutting=20 was needed. In March, the carrier cut its work force by 4,900 and grounded= =20 20 airplanes. On Monday, Northwest told mechanics, custodians and cleaners= =20 that it wants to eliminate 1,000 jobs. On Tuesday, the company asked its=20 other ground workers to absorb about $120 million in annual cuts, including= =20 1,450 job cuts *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.carstt.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************