=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2004/07/28/f= inancial1314EDT0154.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, July 28, 2004 (AP) Northwest pilots say they'll take lower pay to fly smaller jets (07-28) 10:14 PDT MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Union pilots for Northwest Airlines said they are willing to accept lower pay in exchange for flying 70-seat regional jets that the Eagan-based carrier wants to add to its fleet. The Northwest branch of the Air Line Pilots Association said its proposal would preserve jobs while helping Northwest stay competitive. Northwest declined to comment on the union proposal Wednesday and has not offered a counterproposal. Northwest has long desired to add the aircraft, figuring the planes are ideally sized for certain routes, the pilots' union said. "What they want is 70-seaters," said Curt Kruse, pilot and spokesman for the Northwest ALPA branch. But Northwest has not added the planes because its current contract with pilots would require the airline to pay the planes' pilots much more than other carriers pay pilots of like-sized planes. Northwest's pilots, who are in the midst of negotiating a new contract, want to cut a deal instead of allowing regional airlines to fly the jets for Northwest. "Our first choice would be to have Northwest pilots fly 70-seat jets without compromising any pay or benefits," the union said in a newsletter sent to members. "Unfortunately, we do not believe it is possible to do this and still generate competitive 70-seat pilot costs." The deal would give jobs to laid-off Northwest pilots and improve the airline's competitiveness, the union said. Northwest pilots who have been laid off would have first claim to flying the 70-seat planes. About 800 pilots are on furlough. Northwest is paying the typical DC-9 captain about $191 an hour and the typical first officer $88 an hour, according to the union. Most Northwest pilots fly 75 to 80 hours a month and are only paid when their planes are in the air. But for the smaller, 70-seat planes, the wages are typically lower. American Airlines' American Eagle, for example, pays most captains of its 70-seaters about $85 an hour; first officers are paid about $35 per hour. Northwest is seeking nearly $1 billion in annual wage and other labor savings from its pilots and other employees. The pilots have concluded they need to help the airline cut its labor costs, though the union and airline remain far apart on the details. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004 AP