New flight attendant union leaders oppose NWA labor proposal Liz Fedor, Star Tribune Published June 24, 2003 NWA24 The president of the new flight attendants union at Northwest Airlines said Monday that the union's executive board staunchly opposes labor concessions and will push for a seat on Northwest's board of directors. Guy Meek, interim president of the Professional Flight Attendants Association (PFAA), said in an interview that the five officers "are 100 percent behind 'no concessions.' " In an election that ended Thursday, PFAA activists ousted the Teamsters union by attracting 55 percent of the vote. But the Teamsters, which represented Northwest flight attendants since 1976, are not giving up, and might appeal the election results. The Teamsters are investigating reports of election interference that may be used to force a new election, said Mollie Reiley, Teamsters Local 2000 trustee. The PFAA, an independent union organized solely for Northwest flight attendants, had its first meeting with Northwest executives Monday afternoon, and after the meeting threatened a lawsuit against Northwest. Meek said that Northwest refused to allow payroll deductions of union dues, which is a common practice among other labor unions at the company. "This is a polarizing event," Meek said. "Our flight attendants are not going to accept Northwest's position on this routine, no cost issue." Meek and other PFAA leaders oppose Northwest's request to reduce flight attendant costs by $134 million a year. Northwest delivered that proposal, which includes a 9.8 percent pay cut, to the Teamsters in mid-April as part of a larger effort to cut labor costs by $950 million a year. Meek said the new union will take a formal position on the concession request after it receives the proposal and financial information about the company. "We want our attorneys and the McCormick Advisory Group to look over the numbers," Meek said. The McCormick group, based in New Hampshire, provides consulting services to PFAA and the Northwest mechanics union. PFAA inherited the flight attendant contract negotiated by the Teamsters that runs through mid-2005. Now the new union will press to get the Teamsters seat on the Northwest board of directors. Ray Benning, former director of the Teamsters airline division, holds a seat on the Northwest board along with two other union representatives. Benning could not be reached for comment Monday. When Northwest employees agreed to concessions in 1993, three large unions secured seats on the board -- the Teamsters, the Air Line Pilots Association and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). In 1998, Northwest mechanics, cleaners and custodians voted to pull out of the IAM and join the independent Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA). Despite the withdrawal of those employees, the IAM remains the largest union at Northwest. AMFA did not gain a seat on the Northwest board, but Meek said the AMFA situation is not a precedent. The Teamsters union only represented flight attendants at Northwest. "Our law firm is very firm on the fact that that seat belongs to the flight attendants, because we gave concessions for it," Meek said. "We intend to put a member on the board for the Professional Flight Attendants Association. We will fight for that seat." Northwest spokesman Bill Mellon said Monday the company has no immediate comment on the question of PFAA replacing the Teamsters on the board. Northwest's "legal obligation" regarding union representation on the board is limited to the three unions with seats currently on the board -- IAM, the Teamsters and the pilots union, Mellon said. The board seat is merely one issue that has surfaced since Thursday's election results were announced. The Teamsters' Reiley said her staff is preparing to transfer files to the PFAA. "We're certainly not trying to harm somebody who has a grievance pending," she said, so she's proceeding with plans to give the new union the Teamsters' paperwork on flight attendant business with the company. Meanwhile, a Teamsters attorney is interviewing flight attendants about potential election impropriety. In an e-mail, Reiley informed flight attendants that the Teamsters are discussing whether to make an election appeal to the National Mediation Board. If flight attendants witnessed acts of intimidation or misrepresentation of voting procedures, the Teamsters want them to contact their attorney. "We'll just have to see what comes of it," Reiley said. "It will be a real interesting next couple of weeks." But Meek said he is not worried about the Teamsters' efforts to seek a new election. "Our attorneys already have advised us not to lose sleep over it. 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