Mesaba reaches deal with attendants

Talks continue with the mechanics union as the regional carrier strives to secure deals with three big unions.

Liz Fedor, Star Tribune
October 30, 2006

On the heels of a pilots' deal, Mesaba Airlines and its flight attendants union announced Sunday that they have reached a tentative agreement that allows the bankrupt carrier to reduce its labor costs.

Now, Mesaba lacks only a deal with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA). Management and mechanics union negotiators resumed talks late Sunday.

The flight attendants' pact "provides the right economic relief for the company, yet preserves a livelihood for our flight attendants," Tim Evenson, president of the Mesaba flight attendants union, said Sunday.

Currently, the average annual pay for a Mesaba flight attendant is about $24,000.

Details of the attendants' tentative agreement were not released Sunday. The union's executive council will meet Tuesday to review the deal.

Evenson said he expects that body will send the agreement out for ratification by the membership and voting should be concluded by late November.

Mesaba originally sought concessions last December, so it has been a long and arduous road for Mesaba and its unions to achieve tentative agreements.

A week ago, Mesaba was granted an injunction by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Gregory Kishel to block any strikes by the regional carrier's pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. Previously, Kishel gave Mesaba the authority to void its labor contracts and impose labor cost cuts of 17.5 percent on the three work groups.

Despite that legal authority, Evenson said that Mesaba did not hold all of the leverage in negotiations.

"The company finally came to the realization that imposed terms would be very harmful to the restructuring and the recovery of the company," Evenson said. If Mesaba had forced its three large unions to work under imposed terms, he added, "We believe there would have been a mass exodus of employees from unionized labor as well as nonunionized labor at Mesaba."

Eagan-based Mesaba employs 3,170 people and operates regional flights for Northwest Airlines to 88 cities. In a statement, Mesaba President John Spanjers thanked the flight attendants for their hard work in marathon negotiations that resulted in a deal.

"We've always felt that both sides have been committed to the company's survival," Mesaba spokeswoman Elizabeth Costello said Sunday. In the face of an impending cash crisis, she said, "We've reached deals that support the company's plan to emerge successfully from bankruptcy."

Liz Fedor • 612-673-7709 • lfedor@startribune.com