Alaska Airlines broaches wage cuts with unions SEATTLE (AP) =97 Alaska Airlines has opened talks with representatives of=20 five unions to discuss possible wage cuts as the West Coast regional=20 carrier tries to slash costs and regain profitability. The airline, which=20 has not been profitable for the past three years amid an overall industry=20 slump, wants to reduce expenses by about 15% to 7.25 cents per air seat=20 mile, excluding fuel costs, by 2005, vice president Louis Cancelmi said.=20 Over the past two years, the company has instituted or identified some $100= =20 million in savings but needs concessions from workers to meet the goal, he= =20 said. The company would not specify exactly what concessions it might seek= =20 from unions representing about 8,500 employees, including pilots, flight=20 attendants, mechanics, dispatchers and clerical workers. The company said=20 it would seek the biggest cuts from those whose salaries are significantly= =20 higher than the industry average. Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska=20 Air Group of Seattle, would like to reach agreements with its unionized=20 workers sometime this fall, Cancelmi said. "We want to work collaboratively= =20 with our workers so that we can continue to be the strong growing airline=20 that we have been," he said, adding that the talks have just begun. Tom=20 Lynch, a local official with the Transport Workers Union of America, told=20 the Seattle Post-Intelligencer the move was no surprise. "I thought the=20 company presented its case professionally," Lynch said. "We'll see what=20 happens." Other union leaders were not reachable for comment late Tuesday. *************************************************** 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.carib-link.net/naparima/naps.html TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************