Luv2Roam
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MILWAUKEE (AP) - Midwest Express flight attendants announced early Friday that they planned to stage a mass walkout or sporadic strikes as contract negotiations broke off after the deadline.
Catherine Reed, secretary-treasurer of the flight attendants' union, made the announcement at a candlelight vigil outside Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport shortly after the deadline of midnight Thursday.
Reed provided no details on which type of work stoppage would be started by the union's 440 flight attendants for Midwest Express, which is based in suburban Milwaukee.
Carol Skornicka, senior vice president and general counsel for Midwest Express, said early Friday that the parties had ended the negotiations, they remained far apart on financial terms, and there were no plans to resume talks.
She said airline managers had been trained to handle flight attendants' duties and were ready to fill in as needed.
Passengers will be told to show up for their flights but would be "reaccommodated if the flight should have to be canceled," she said.
The average annual salary for a Midwest Express flight attendant is in the low $20,000 range and reaches $36,000 after 16 years of service.
Skornicka said the airline had agreed to changes that would result in 5 percent to 6 percent increases in take-home pay.
She said the union had asked for a 9.5 percent raise that would take effect immediately, and 3 percent raises on the first and second anniversary of the contract.
"We feel we just can't afford, while losing thousands of dollars every day, to pay this employee group what they're demanding," Skornicka said.
The National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., is brokering the negotiations.
The carrier operates a fleet of 35 airplanes and together with its subsidiary, Skyway Airlines, flies to 51 cities. The airline reported in July that it managed a small profit in its second quarter.
Catherine Reed, secretary-treasurer of the flight attendants' union, made the announcement at a candlelight vigil outside Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport shortly after the deadline of midnight Thursday.
Reed provided no details on which type of work stoppage would be started by the union's 440 flight attendants for Midwest Express, which is based in suburban Milwaukee.
Carol Skornicka, senior vice president and general counsel for Midwest Express, said early Friday that the parties had ended the negotiations, they remained far apart on financial terms, and there were no plans to resume talks.
She said airline managers had been trained to handle flight attendants' duties and were ready to fill in as needed.
Passengers will be told to show up for their flights but would be "reaccommodated if the flight should have to be canceled," she said.
The average annual salary for a Midwest Express flight attendant is in the low $20,000 range and reaches $36,000 after 16 years of service.
Skornicka said the airline had agreed to changes that would result in 5 percent to 6 percent increases in take-home pay.
She said the union had asked for a 9.5 percent raise that would take effect immediately, and 3 percent raises on the first and second anniversary of the contract.
"We feel we just can't afford, while losing thousands of dollars every day, to pay this employee group what they're demanding," Skornicka said.
The National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., is brokering the negotiations.
The carrier operates a fleet of 35 airplanes and together with its subsidiary, Skyway Airlines, flies to 51 cities. The airline reported in July that it managed a small profit in its second quarter.
