The Militant - January 30, 2006 -- On the Picket Line

Vol. 70/No. 4 January 30, 2006

On the Picket Line

Northwest asks court
to void union contracts
With the strike by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association against Northwest Airlines now in its fifth month, the company is asking a bankruptcy court judge on January 17 to approve breaking its contracts with unions representing pilots, flight attendants, and ground workers. Northwest, which filed for bankruptcy protection in September, is demanding $750 million in concessions from these unions. The Professional Flight Attendants Association, which has 9,600 members at Northwest, has threatened to strike if its contract is voided.

—Brian Williams

Construction workers
in Australia win back pay
SYDNEY, Australia—Twenty workers employed by D3 General Contracting won back wages, holiday pay, and severance pay from Northpac Constructions at the end of November. The unionists, members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), lost their jobs in mid-October and had not been paid since early that month when D3 General Contracting went bankrupt. CFMEU members picketed several Northpac sites, winning widespread solidarity for their fight and forcing the company to back down. Most of these workers who had been employed by Northpac were Maoris from New Zealand.

—Bob Aiken

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