Things are not getting any better at Northwest. Just last week, it seemed like the union was caving in, deciding to let members vote on a company proposal which would only let 500 members of the 4,400 strikers go back to work. In my humble opinion, you can’t conclude anything good from a deal that leaves almost 90 percent of the strikers out in the cold.

Today, comes the report below from the Wall Street Journal that the company’s contract offer will not be put to a membership vote because of changes the company made in the language of the deal. If anyone knows some more details, clue us in–but this still feels very messy.

Northwest Union
Declines to Allow
A Contract Vote
By SUSAN CAREY
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 21, 2005

The striking mechanics union at Northwest Airlines has put itself back in limbo.

Late Thursday night, the union decided not to put the company’s latest contract offer to a membership vote after all, claiming that Northwest added language in the return-to-work agreement that violates the union’s constitution.

A week ago, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association decided to put Northwest’s current contract offer to a vote of the 4,400 strikers, after twice declining to put previous and less onerous offers to the group. If approved, the latest offer would have opened up only about 500 positions to union members, and the rest would have gotten four weeks of severance pay.

The union went on strike Aug. 20. Since then, Northwest has permanently hired more than 500 of the 1,200 replacement technicians it brought to keep it flying through the strike, and has outsourced many other jobs to third-party vendors.

The company, based in Eagan, Minn., said it voluntarily suspended its hiring of replacement workers a week ago but resumed hiring Friday because AMFA didn’t begin distributing the proposal for a ratification vote. “We are disappointed that for a third time, AMFA leadership chose not to provide their membership with the opportunity to vote on Northwest’s proposal,” the company said.

Jim Young, the union’s chief negotiator, said AMFA changed its mind after Northwest “inserted a last-minute, bombshell paragraph” into the back-to-work agreement that would have “abrogated AMFA’s basic authority as a union to govern itself and its members on internal union matters.” So AMFA will remain on strike, he said in a bulletin to members. The union says about 70 members have crossed the picket lines and gone back to work. Northwest won’t say how many have returned….” [more of the story at the Journal’s subscription site]