The Cincinnatai Enquirer (Ohio), April 10, 2006, Monday

Copyright 2006 The Cincinnati Enquirer
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The Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio)

April 10, 2006 Monday Final Edition

SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. 10A

HEADLINE: Airline staff can 'strike' by stealth

BYLINE: By Alexander Coolidge Enquirer staff writer

BODY:
Work slowdowns, mass sick days have been used
As possible labor strife looms at Delta Air Lines and its subsidiary Comair, the shape of a strike or other work action may look nothing like the Comair pilots strike in 2001.
Given the precarious financial state of both airlines, labor and legal experts say unions may choose to employ disruptive tactics to frustrate company executives rather than cripple operations.
So instead of walking off the job, Comair flight attendants might all call in sick at one particular airport. Or Delta pilots might delay take-offs by doing extra safety checks.
Richard Hurd, a professor of labor studies at Cornell University, said unions might find isolated disruptive actions to be a more attractive option than an all-out walkout.
"These types of tactics are a lower-risk approach because they don't force the other side's hand," he said. "They're an attractive option because they send a message but don't create a take-it-or-leave-it situation."
Hurd noted an American telecom company nearly shut down in the 1990s - but for only 15 minutes - as thousands of its workers took a coffee or bathroom break at exactly the same time one day during stalled negotiations.
"These are creative - the idea is to create enough uncertainty and problems for an employer that they feel pressured to settle," said Hurd. He noted that possible actions at Delta and Comair could include rolling sickouts, in which flight attendants at one airport call in at the same time or pilots slow takeoffs.
Robert Bruno, a labor professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said such tactics were devastating in the so-called "summer of hell."
That was in 2000, when United Airlines pilots grounded scores of flights by "working to rules" that included invoking their contractual right to not work most overtime.
"It created enormous havoc as a number of work hours just evaporated," he said, noting that mechanics in the 1970s for now-defunct Eastern Airlines helped create this model of resistance by diligently following every procedure in their work manuals, plus further slowing down by awaiting instructions for even the most routine work.
"Technically, they didn't strike, they waged guerrilla warfare on the clock," he said. "But they were protected legally and contractually because they were following the rules."
But Neil Bernstein, a labor lawyer and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said flight attendants might have fewer options since they don't fly or repair the aircraft.
"The main leverage the flight attendants have is not showing up," he said, noting federal regulations require them on flights.
But industry watchers say union tactics causing chaos for airlines are not risk-free.
The tactics can be called illegal, forcing unions into court - and exposing union members to the risk of discipline, including firing.
In addition, disruptive tactics antagonize passengers.
"If you choke an airline enough, you'll kill it," said Richard Gritta, an economics professor at University of Portland (Ore.). "It's dangerous slowing operations when the company's in such a delicate position."
E-mail acoolidge@enquirer.com