Mesaba Still Talking with Unions

Talks between Mesaba Aviation Inc. and its unions continued on Thursday, long after the management of the feeder for Northwest Airlines Corp. allowed its deadline for making a deal to expire.

Mesaba could have scrapped labor contracts and imposed pay cuts on its union workers early Thursday. But it said it would hold off on that because of the negotiations, which lasted all night Wednesday.

Both sides declined to characterize the talks.

Mesaba spokeswoman Elizabeth Costello said the airline's goal is to reach consensual agreements with its pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. She said no new deadline has been set for the unions to make a deal.

Pilot's union spokesman Kris Pierson said roughly 150 workers rallied at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis on Thursday to protest the bankruptcy judge's rulings that let Mesaba impose pay cuts and blocked strikes. Rallies were also planned in Detroit and Memphis.

Mesaba, a unit of MAIR Holdings Inc., has said it needs to cut its labor costs so it can compete for Northwest's regional flying. It filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2005, about a month after Northwest, its largest customer, did the same thing.

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