Mesaba Aviation has requested that the National Mediation Board (NMB) issue a proffer of arbitration in Mesaba Aviation's contract negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), if the two parties fail to reach an agreement during the mediated sessions scheduled for Dec. 2-4 in Minneapolis.

"We remain hopeful that we can reach a negotiated agreement and we will take that goal with us to the bargaining table next week," said John Spanjers, president and chief operating officer of Mesaba Aviation. "If, however, we are unable to reach an agreement next week, we believe we have reached the point where a proffer request presents the best possibility for reaching a deal acceptable to both parties and that allows Mesaba to remain competitive."

ALPA, which represents Mesaba's 850 pilots, previously made a similar request to the NMB. If the NMB issues a proffer of arbitration, an arbitrator could make a binding decision on the two sides' proposals. If either side rejects the proffer, the NMB could then release the parties into a 30-day cooling-off period, at the end of which ALPA could call a strike if no settlement has been reached.

Mesaba Aviation, Inc., d/b/a Mesaba Airlines, operates as a Northwest Jet Airlink and Northwest Airlink partner under service agreements with Northwest Airlines. Currently, Mesaba Aviation serves 114 cities in 30 states and Canada from Northwest's and Mesaba Aviation's three major hubs: Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Memphis. Mesaba Aviation operates an advanced fleet of 103 regional jet and jet-prop aircraft, consisting of the 69 passenger Avro RJ85 and the 30-34 passenger Saab SF340.

FMI: www.mesaba.com