American Airlines Unions side with Northwest flight attendants

The three unions at American Airlines say they support Northwest Airlines Corp. flight attendants, who have threatened to strike as soon as Friday night.

The Allied Pilots Association, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants and the Transport Workers Union issued a joint statement saying the new contract proposed by Northwest Airlines’ (Pink Sheets: NWACQ) management was nonconsensual and contained steep pay cuts and significant work rule changes.

“As we await a ruling today by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York regarding whether the flight attendants will be permitted to proceed with their planned work stoppages, we would like to express our support for the flight attendants’ efforts to resist the imposition of a new contract against their will and we urge Northwest Airlines’ management to reconsider its actions,” the unions said. “A consensual resolution to this impasse is in the best interests of all concerned.”

Fort Worth-based Allied Pilots Association represents the 13,000 pilots of American Airlines, including 2,890 pilots on furlough. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants represents more than 22,620 American flight attendants, including 4,084 furloughed attendants. The Transport Workers Union represents nearly 125,000 workers in the transportation industries, including 55,000 workers in the airline and government service industries.

American Airlines, which is owned by Fort Worth-based AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) is the nation’s largest passenger carrier.

Web sites: www.alliedpilots.org, www.apfa.org, www.twuatd.org