Union Accuses Airline Of Denying Rights To Employees Returning From Military Service

A National Guard and Reserve official has told Northwest Airlines it may be violating the law by denying rights to employees returning from military leave, according to Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) Local 33, serving Northwest and Mesaba Airlines.

A letter sent last week from Ryan Wedlund, the National Guard and Reserve's ombudsman for employer support, to Northwest's labor relations department urged the company to "consider paying incentive pay to employees who, but for their military duty, would have had the option to receive this pay."

The letter said that "denying employees returning from military service the incentive option...is likely a violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act," and this "undermines the fundamental principle that an employee should not be disadvantaged by military service."

According to AMFA Local 33 President Jim Atkinson, a number of Northwest mechanics received layoff notices while on military leaves-of-absence in Iraq and other locations.

Had these employees not been serving in the military, they would have had the option of either using seniority to "bump" employees with less tenure, or refusing to bump junior employees and instead being laid off with eight weeks of incentive pay.

"By the time these veterans returned from Iraq, however, in many cases the junior employees in their job categories had also been laid off. The veterans were left without jobs and without incentive pay to help tide them over," Atkinson said.

"These Minnesotans lost their jobs while they were serving their country and in harm's way.

The least Northwest Airlines can do is to give them the incentive pay the law entitles them to," Atkinson said.

FMI: www.nwa.com