Had Been Scheduled To Vote Friday On Voiding Contracts

US Bankruptcy Court judge Allan Gropper has granted a stay of execution, of sorts, in the ongoing battle between Northwest Airlines and its pilots and flight attendants.

The judge was originally expected to rule Friday on whether the bankrupt carrier would be allowed to void its existing contracts with pilots and flight attendants -- but the judge now says he won't make that ruling until February 24.

That gives all parties involved an extra week to work out their difficulties and reach a deal, and to possibly avert a crippling strike that could spell the end of employee pensions... and Northwest Airlines itself.

"We appreciate Judge Gropper giving the parties additional time to work out their differences," a Northwest spokesman told Reuters.

If Judge Gropper rules next week that Northwest can dump the contracts, the carrier would be free to impose new restrictions on its employees. In turn, the move would also likely be the last straw as workers vote to determine if they should strike the beleaguered carrier, which went into Chapter 11 last September.

Representatives with the Air Line Pilots Association and Professional Flight Attendants Association say their members are prepared to strike should the judge allow Northwest to void their contracts.

"Although our goal is to reach a consensual agreement with [Northwest] management, we must be prepared to defend our jobs and our profession, if necessary," Northwest ALPA chapter chairman Mark McClain said in a message to members last week.

The Seattle Times reports Northwest would ask the judge to bar the unions from walking out on their jobs, should the court rule in its favor.

Such a move would be uncharted territory for all parties involved... as workers at other bankrupt airlines have threatened to strike, but have always ultimately made deals. Northwest says any strike would be illegal, as the workers haven't followed the pre-strike procedures laid out by the Railway Labor Act.

"How can you be ordered to work when you don't have a contract?" asked ALPA president Duane Woerth to the Orlando Sentinel.

Is it just us... or does that NOT sound like the language of diplomacy?

FMI: www.alpa.org, www.pfaa.com, www.nwa.com