Northwest Cuts 27,500 Jobs

Northwest planes may be grounded, but the charges and counter charges are flying across the airwaves. Northwest's first layoffs, announced Tuesday, covered 177 workers. Wednesday, an additional 27,500 employees lost their jobs. Northwest said more layoffs may follow.

The affected employees include mechanics, flight attendants, customer service employees, and other ground workers.

"This is a sad day for Northwest Airlines," said Dewayne Tucker, Northwest vice president for human resources.

Early Wednesday, the National Mediation Board called an "exploration meeting" to bring management and union leaders back to the negotiating table to identify areas of flexibility as the pilots' strike entered its fifth day.

Both parties indicated there was room for negotiation in their Tuesday meeting with Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, said mediation board spokesman Jim Armshaw. The purpose of the next session, he said, would be to identify the areas of flexibility.

Armshaw said that National Mediation Board member Maggie Jacobsen was contacting the parties to establish a time and place for what he said was "an exploration meeting, which could then turn into a negotiation session.'"

While Armshaw, stressed that this was not a formal bargaining session, deciding to bring the two parties back to the table was a sign of progress.

Anger and lack of progress over pay and benefit issues have kept the warring factions away from the bargaining table. To jump-start the talks, transportation secretary Rodney Slater summoned representatives from the company and the union to Washington Tuesday.

The governors of Michigan and Minnesota, whose states depend on Northwest, also pushed the two sides to resume talks.

"We'll be glad to hold the key, lock the door, put the food in under the door, and stay there until it's settled," a union official said.

When the pilots walked off the job Saturday morning, the airline shut down. That left thousands of travelers out of luck in Detroit and Minneapolis.

The country's fourth largest carrier is losing millions of dollars every day. One consultant says that's only the beginning of the damage that may come from this strike.

"Has baseball recovered from its strike? The answer is, 'Probably not'," said one public relations consultant. "It stays a long, long time."