But the intervention of the White House last week, in effect extending the strike deadline by 60 days to mid-May, suggests the sides remain pretty far apart in labor negotiations, with little hope that an end to the impasse is near. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association seeks a wage scale higher than any airline's current scale, so much higher it would vault mechanics' pay to about that of some pilots. AMFA may get its inspiration from pilots at United Air Lines , which last year signed a contract giving pilots a pay leap beyond colleagues at other carriers. To reach its new wage rate, AMFA needs to surmount federal mediation efforts and a Presidential Emergency Board, authorized last week, so it could strike Northwest.
Many mechanics think so.
Like pilots, they must be licensed. Their work is crucial to safety. But AMFA's agenda isn't just to win industry-leading pay at Northwest. Winning an industry-changing contract at Northwest would be a big selling point in future representation battles. An AMFA win at Northwest also would likely set a pattern for mechanics at other unions, meaning a big rise in costs for the industry.