Pilots sue Mesaba Airlines over contract talks MINNEAPOLIS (AP) =97 Pilots are suing Mesaba Airlines for failing to bargain= =20 in good faith in violation of the Railway Labor Act, which governs=20 collective bargaining in the airline industry. The Air Line Pilots=20 Association's federal court lawsuit accuses Mesaba, a commuter affiliate of= =20 Northwest Airlines, of engaging in practices over two years of negotiations= =20 that were designed to undermine and draw out the bargaining process. he=20 Mesaba pilots' ALPA unit, said management has continuously stalled, created= =20 unnecessary obstacles and thwarted progress at the bargaining table. The=20 union said Mesaba has failed to respond to ALPA proposals or offer timely=20 proposals of its own, has taken erratic and inconsistent bargaining=20 positions and has offered substandard and regressive bargaining proposals.= =20 Mesaba, in a prepared statement Tuesday, denied the allegations. "We have=20 conducted good faith negotiations at every step of the process against the= =20 backdrop of the most difficult period in the industry's history. Our=20 negotiations have been lengthy and complex, as is generally the case in our= =20 industry, and both sides have represented themselves vigorously," the=20 Minneapolis-based carrier said. The union also alleges that management has tried to subvert ALPA's=20 representational rights by circumventing ALPA and calling on individual=20 pilots to meet with managers to discuss contract negotiations. "We've=20 demonstrated our professionalism both as airline pilots and union members=20 throughout these protracted negotiations, and we are committed to attaining= =20 a new contract that reflects our considerable contributions to the success= =20 of our airline," Wychor said. Mesaba Pilots have been working under a=20 seven-year concessionary contract which was signed in 1996 and gave the=20 airline the flexibility it needed to grow and prosper, Wychor said. Mesaba= =20 remains in a healthy financial position, he said. The company reported net= =20 earnings of $4.3 million for the last fiscal year, which ended March 31,=20 2003. Mesaba, one of the largest regional carriers in the United States,=20 operates connecting flights for Northwest Airlines, serving 106 cities as a= =20 Northwest Airlink partner. *************************************************** 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/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.natalielaughlin.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************