Northwest Flight Attendants Extend CHAOS Deadline; AFA-CWA Gives 10-Day Extension Due to Recent Secu

Contact AFA-CWA: Corey Caldwell, 202-434-0586, or Rick Thornton, 612-669-5279

Washington, DC – In light of the heightened security concerns throughout the airline industry, Northwest Airlines flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), informed the company today that they would extend their deadline to bring CHAOS to the airline by 10 days.  This extension makes the strike deadline effective August 25 at 9:01 pm CDT.

"As safety professionals on the front line of aviation security, we are first and foremost focused on our security duties," said Mollie Reiley, Interim Master Executive Council President.  "Present security concerns take precedence over all other concerns at this time, including our fight for a fair contract and our preparations for CHAOS.  In order to devote our full attention to the immediate security situation, and to reduce the stress level for flight attendants until the initial reaction of the security news subsides, we have decided to extend our strike deadline by 10 days."

CHAOS, or Create Havoc Around Our System™ is AFA-CWA's trademarked strategy of targeted work actions using random, unannounced strikes.  Actual targets are a closely guarded secret.  AFA-CWA maintains that any unilateral change to a collective bargaining agreement under the Railway Labor Act is prohibited and, therefore, triggers the right to strike.

"We must give our immediate attention and vigilance to all safety and security procedures at this time.  However, we renew our commitment to a fair contract and stand ready to engage in CHAOS if Northwest management is unwilling to reach a fair agreement that fully recognizes our role and our value as safety and security professionals," said Reiley.