At the end of October, more than two dozen people working on the ground at Duluth International Airport have been told to expect they will no longer be employees of Northwest Airlines.
The bankrupt carrier plans to outsource the 25 jobs -- likely to Mesaba Airlines -- as part of its effort to slash expenses, according to Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn.
Dean Breest, a spokesman for Northwest, said he could not confirm or talk about any specific changes in staffing at Duluth International Airport. However, he did issue a statement:
"As a result of Northwest's company-wide effort to reduce annual labor costs by $1.4 billion and its ratified agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents ground operations employees at the airline, the number of airport locations staffed with Northwest employees will be reduced."
The company went on to say the change should not affect Northwest's flight schedule, and that customers will see no alteration in the check-in procedure. The airline also offered assurances that the change will "have no effect on Northwest's commitment to safety, reliability or customer service."
Airport employees, however, could see some big changes.
Oberstar said that when Northwest outsources the work formerly done by its employees, the new service provider will most likely offer lower pay and benefits and may choose to hire new people for the posts. He said the new provider also might cut staffing, to the detriment of passengers.
Copyright 2005 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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