In Fact... He Didn't Show Up For Work Monday

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 04.18.06 1200 EST: In the continuing drama involving Delta regional subsidiary Comair and its efforts to force concessions on its approximately 1,000 flight attendants, here's where we stand right now: neither side is talking to each other at the moment, as both sides await Judge Adlai Hardin Jr.'s ruling on the airline's request to impose $8.9 million in annual cuts on flight attendants.

And speaking of that ruling, Hardin was supposed to decide on that Monday -- but the day passed without any word from the judge's office. In fact, according to Hardin's assistant, Claire Logue Togher, the judge did not come into his office Monday.

Togher told the Cincinnati Enquirer she wasn't sure when Hardin would rule on the matter.

As was reported in Aero-News, the judge was originally expected to rule on Comair's request April 10 -- but decided to postpone the ruling one week after Comair management and representatives of the local branch of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters -- which represents Comair's flight attendants -- asked for more time to negotiate.

Those extended talks broke off April 13... and both sides are now reported to be waiting for Hardin's decision, before they make their next moves.

That means Hardin has an unenviable task ahead of him... for should he rule in Comair's favor, the airline would likely impose its cuts on flight attendants... and the flight attendants would likely strike the carrier immediately afterward.

Whether flight attendants would launch a full strike, or a series of rotating "sick-outs", remains to be seen.

Connie Slayback, president of the nearly 1,000-member local union, told the Enquirer she expects a ruling could take a week or more, even though Monday was the deadline.

"If this was going to happen, it would've happened today," Slayback said. "He's going to make us stew a little bit, I think."

FMI: www.comair.com, www.teamsters.org