By Karren Mills
AP Business Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — President Bush yesterday blocked any mechanics strike against Northwest Airlines for at least 60 days, citing the need to protect the economy and "the hardworking people of America'' from travel disruptions.
The mechanics had threatened to walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. EST Monday when a 30-day cooling-off period was to expire, affecting flights across the United States and abroad.
Northwest, based in Eagan, Minn., carried 59 million passengers last year and has more than 2,600 daily flights, with major hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Memphis, Tenn., as well as Amsterdam and Tokyo.
"It's important for our economy, but more important, it's important for the hardworking people of America, to make sure air service is not disrupted,'' the president said during a visit to Sioux Falls, S.D. He had said previously that he would intervene to stop any strike at Northwest.
Bush's order establishes an emergency board that has 30 days to propose a settlement. It then gives the parties another 30 days to resolve the dispute. If that fails, Congress could impose a settlement.
The mechanics union was unhappy with the move, which came as negotiations continued in Washington with the help of federal mediators.
"It's horrible news,'' said Steve MacFarlane, president of Local 33 of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents about 10,000 Northwest mechanics, cleaners and custodians.
"(Bush) is basically saying that we will never be able to withhold our labor as leverage against our employer,'' he said. "To have the federal government tell you that you cannot walk off the job without its permission is extremely distasteful.''
McFarlane said the union would halt its strike preparations.
"There's no sense in our wasting our resources and our members' time fighting for something that the president has taken away from us,'' he said.
McFarlane also dismissed Bush's 60-day order as meaningless.
"If we can take President Bush at his word, May 12 doesn't mean anything either. He has clearly stated that he is not going to allow an airline to go on strike in the year 2001.''
The airline welcomed the president's intervention.
"President Bush's appointment of a Presidential Emergency Board ensures that our customers can continue to make their travel plans on Northwest Airlines with confidence,'' said Robert Brodin, Northwest's senior vice president for labor relations.
Northwest will accept the contract terms recommended by the emergency board if the parties do not reach a settlement before then, Brodin said.
Bush also said he is prepared to take similar action if other airlines and their unions fail to resolve contract disputes. The nation's three largest airlines, American, Delta and United, also are in the midst of contract negotiations, with strikes possible.
"I intend to take the necessary steps to prevent airline strikes from happening this year,'' Bush said.
Remaining sticking points in the dispute at Northwest, which goes back 4 1/2 years, are wages, retirement and back pay, MacFarlane said.
The union is asking for wages of up to $36 an hour for senior airline mechanics, up from the current $26.50 an hour, MacFarlane said. Northwest is offering $31 an hour.
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