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History of Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant Contract 

Chronological history of the Cleardaze Northwest Airlines flight attendant contract forum from the beginning of the contract struggle to the lawsuit filed by Northwest Airlines.

Original Copy: ClearDaze

 

March 14, 2000 10:39 AM

Cleardaze Northwest Airline Flight Attendant Forum History
(Including Forum Postings, Press Releases, Legal Documents)

August 30,1996- Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant Contract becomes amenable according to the rules of the Railway labor Act.

April 23, 1999- Northwest Airlines Stockholders meeting in New York cut short because of disgruntled employees.

May 19,1999- Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant Contract Negotiations Forum Opens under the Http://www.cleardaze.com/nwafaconmtract (URL no longer in existence). After three years of negotiations and very little information coming from the negotiators or the company we are told what has been agreed upon by the IBT union and the Company. The first posting to the forum outlined what was told at a Los Angeles base meeting on May 18, 1999. The premise of the forum was to discuss among the 11,000 members the new tentative contract when it was agreed upon before voting for ratification.

June 5, 1999- Ballots are counted for the Strike Authorization Vote. The vote is 99.4% for Strike Authorization.

Week of June 6, 1999- Local 2000 International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Northwest Airlines sign a Tentative Agreement for the Flight Attendant Group.

Month of June 1999- Dissatisfaction grows with the hearsay sections of the contract. Calls for copies of the Tentative Agreement to be sent to all members go unanswered and the Local 2000 Executive Board agrees 16 copies will be sent to base union offices for 11,000 members to read.

June 17, 1999- Dissatisfaction with the Tentative Agreement and International Brotherhood of Teamsters is noted in the press

Last week of June 1999- Contract placed on the Cleardaze Internet web site for all to download and read.

July 1999- Tentative Agreement is published in a purple phone-book size edition without an Index or Table of Contents to reference. Edition is paid for by Northwest Airlines.

July - August 1999- Tentative Agreement is read, discussed and dissected by Flight Attendant Group for the first time in history prior to signing date. In the past the membership were given "Highlights" of the contract to vote on without full text of contract.

July 12, 1999- Cleardaze LowLights are compiled by a Honolulu group of Flight Attendants and are published on the web site for all to read and counter the "Highlights" that the Union and Company are selling in newswires, mailings to Flight Attendant homes and a doctored video that is sent to all Flight Attendants homes to sell the contract. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters including Ms. Vicki Frankovich and the negotiators go on the road to all bases to sell the Tentative Agreement at Road Shows. Opposition continues to grow throughout the months of July and August. Rumors of being unable to afford a strike come from union officials. The LM-2 (Union filed income and expense report) is published on the Cleardaze web site July 2, 1999 showing dues income of $3,706,243.00 for previous year to dispel rumors of poverty. Road Shows for Japan where thousands can attend are cancelled as opposition grows.

July 9-16,1999-Discussion begin on the ballot process. The process is taken out of the Local unions hands and are eventually handled by the International according to correspondence.

July 29,1999- Ballots start to be received in homes. The are in see through envelopes.

Week of July 30,1999- Barbara Harvey, Local 2000 attorney (and Teamsters for a Democratic Union member) is terminated by the International and Local 2000 board.

July- August 1999- Members of the forum contact politicians and media for assistance with contract campaign. Tension and anxiety continue as discussions on the Tentative Agreement continue.

August 13,1999- The Minneapolis Press reports on the opposition to the Tentative Agreement

August 17,1999- The members of the Contract Action Team (CAT) who have been educating the membership around the system on the contract process all along call for renewal of strength and unity.

August 20,1999- Article in the Teamsters for a Democratic Union newspaper reports on opposition and conflict at Northwest Airlines.

August 25, 2000- The day prior to the ballot counting there were calls for unity and understanding for the future. The web site was going to continue whether the Tentative Agreement was ratified or not.

August 26,1999- Northwest releases press releases on the outcome of the Tentative Agreement vote. Teamster General President release press releases. Airline analysts predict the outcome.

August 26,1999- The Tentative Agreement is Rejected by 2 to 1. 69.1% say No to the Tentative Agreement. The Cleardaze Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant web site has helped to educate the Flight Attendants and bring Unity to the once divided group who are located all over the planet. The unity created on the Internet has given power to a group with education.

August 27, 1999- Predictions were made on the forum that Northwest will not take the rejection lightly are made. Comments were made on the forum as well by Union Officials. The overview of the ballot process which was attended by many of the membership showed incredible interest and unity for the first time at Northwest Airlines for the Flight Attendants.

August 28, 1999-Northwest Stock takes a hit on the market after news of the rejection.

August 29, 1999- The President of Local 2000 and head negotiator, Billie Davenport and Vice President of Local 2000, Alex Habib begin vacation for several weeks.

September 1, 1999- Cleardaze opens a live chat room for the membership to get real time discussions going on contract process.

Month of September 1999 - Discussion on the forum is about lack of leadership and direction of the contract campaign. Members call for resignation and a new union. The Local 2000 leadership blame the opposition to the Tentative Agreement and on September 16,1999 the Contract Action Team (CAT) is disbanded. The all volunteer education and information source of unity is discharged.

September 21, 1999- Almost one month after the Tentative Agreement had been rejected the union leadership had not provided direction or answers to the membership on where they were to proceed with the contract campaign. There was some indication that a survey would be done of the Flight Attendants.

September 22, 1999- Three members of the Negotiations Committee are replaced. Not all voluntarily. Very little information comes from the leadership as has been the problem of the past and causes unrest among the Flight Attendants. Anonymous posters to the forum begin postings under the pseudonyms of "Johnny and Jerry" and others including "Enquiring Minded FA". These postings talk about NWA executives, operations, a holiday flu season and other distractions other than the contract campaign.

Month of October 1999 Discussion on the forum calls for action and leadership and to resume the negotiations process. There is also talk about mergers , hazardous material being found on airplanes, strikes, and some for illegal action in December. There is also cautionary postings about the upcoming Y2K problems. The number of hits for the Cleardaze Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant web site has grown to over 1 million in just over 4 months. The union leadership also unveils there plans for future action on the forum with Secretary Treasurer Danny Campbell posting.

Month of November 1999- The Cleardaze Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant web site has now grown to the extent that it has now become a monster in size with the volume of daily postings. The moderator of the web site took a family vacation to Europe (full fare on USAir) from October 20, 1999 until November 2, 1999. While away there were persons on the forum claiming to be others and false rumors of the web site closing and charging a fee prevail. On October 31, 1999 there is also a call for illegal action by someone calling themselves the Rank and File Team. There are also suggestions to make the web site password protected to limit the posters to Northwest Flight Attendants only on the world wide web. The moderator lacks the ability to limit the web site to password users and is against restricting the free speech even if it has its downside. During the month of November the web site became unmanageable and it was decided by the creators of the web site Kevin Griffin and Randy Amiscaray because of the imposters and calls for illegal actions by some of the imposters that the web site should close down and revamp. On November 11, 1999 I posted a letter to the Flight Attendants stating the site would be shut down and reopened at a later date due to imposters and unmanageability. The Cleardaze Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant web site was shut down. In the process of removing the web site from the world wide web and the server 9Net Ave approximately two weeks of postings were lost and not able to be backed up and saved. The last posting saved was on November 6,1999.

December 5,1999 - The new Cleardaze Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant Contract web site on the URL (Universal Resource Locater) on the world wide web at http://www.cleardaze.com/NWAFlightAttendants\forum1. The first posting welcomed all to a new location.

December 8, 1999- On December 8,1999 talks between Northwest Airlines and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters were suspended. A posting to the forum by the Moderator is done to notify the Flight Attendants that a sheriffs officer has been several times to the residence of Kevin Griffin and trying to serve a subpoena (Kevin is in Seattle working). The subpoena is never served. A news reporter from the Pacific Business News has also called to ask about the lawsuit involving Cleardaze Web Hosting. Later in the month the subpoena is found at the Federal Court House with the "Complaint". It is filed in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit State of Hawaii Civil NO. 99-4465-12 and is a defamation suit. The Complaint is Northwest Airlines, Inc. vs. John Does 1-20; Jane Does 1-20; Doe Corporations 1-20; Doe Partnerships 1-20 and Doe Entities 1-20.

December 13, 1999- The poster using the anonymous name of Johnny and Jerry once again returns to posting. This time it is a warning to Kevin about going to jail. Johnny and Jerry is sent an email to a Hot mail address he received telling Johnny and Jerry that the suit Kevin is now involved in is a defamation suit looking for "Johnny and Jerry" and the "Enquiring Minded FA". Kevin suggests Johnny and Jerry get legal counsel. Kevin never hears back from Johnny and Jerry again. It turns out later that the Johnny and Jerry poster was Dwight Gibson, a Flight Attendant in Detroit who had done work for the union on their computer systems. In January Dwight turned himself in and was let off the hook with an apology to the defamed executive.

Month of December, 1999- The discussions on the forum call for contacting the media, politicians, the National Mediation Board for assistance. A public awareness campaign is initiated. There is also discussion on meetings to discuss strategy using a HAVOC Campaign in the event a strike takes place. Educational seminars are to take place around the country. Informational picketing was planned by the local 2000 Executive Board around the country at major cities. Plans for legal actions were discussed on the forum in December as well as Y2K and discussions of calling in sick over the Y2K. Northwest joins other airlines in canceling flights over the millennium.

December 31,1999- January 1, 2000- There are a number of cancellations due to Y2K, sick calls, pilot shortages, a well predicted flu season. Some crews met at airplane arrivals refuse to work overtime.

January 5, 2000- 3:21 AM January 5, 2000 East coast time (10:21PM January 4, 1999 in Honolulu) Kevin Griffin, the Moderator of the web site makes a posting upon learning of the second lawsuit. In five hours from the time Kevin learns of the lawsuit Northwest Airlines and their attorneys will be in court in Minnesota filing a lawsuit against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 2000, and individuals within the union who were volunteer Contract Action Team coordinators, Ted Reeves- a web site publisher of the web site "Independent Local 2000 News", and Kevin Griffin, publisher and Moderator of the web site forum for Northwest Airlines Flight Attendants. Most of the individual plaintiffs including Kevin Griffin and Ted Reeves were not served until after the TRO hearing was over and the TRO issued, and thus they had no opportunity to call the Court's attention to their own non-participation in the activity sought to be enjoined or to the absence of evidence showing their involvement, not to speak of their non-involvement. Northwest and their attorneys knowing full well that the defendants named cannot be present in court proceed to get a Temporary Restraining Order. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and their attorneys attend court. The 19 defendants of Local 2000 including the executive Board are represented in court by Miller , O'Brien and, Bloom attorneys at law in Minneapolis. The Temporary Restraining Order was extended on January 6, 2000.

The Month of January, 2000- Discussion on the forum turns to the lawsuit and the effects it has on all Flight Attendants. Hector Adler, Northwest VP for In-flight Service sends a letter to all Flight Attendants explaining Northwest actions. Northwest Airlines and their management proceed to call in to Minneapolis anyone who called in sick during the month of December for inquisitions. The postings to the forum decrease and the postings with names backing them almost become non existent. Readership is still up as are visits to the site.

January 10, 2000- A posting on the forum claims that naked photos of a Flight Attendant will soon be coming on the web site.

January 11, 2000- Judge Donovan Frank orders more negotiations and talks. Judge Donovan Franks order states. Kevin Griffin, Moderator of the Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant web site reminds the readers of the judges order and asks for compliance and assistance.

January 12, 2000 and January 14, 2000 -Kevin Griffin receives legal subpoenas and documents from Briggs and Morgan Northwest Attorneys via Federal express. The subpoenas were supposedly sent out January 7, 2000. Subpoena for January 26, 2000.

January 13, 2000- Judge Donovan Frank is told by the National Mediation Board that he has no jurisdiction over the negotiations between Northwest Airlines and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The letter to judge Donovan Frank from the National Mediation Board is placed on the forum and states. The Judge pulls back on the Order. Order on Defendznts

January 15, 2000- Once again the threats of the naked photos is posted to the web site. Moderator reminds the poster in a posting that what he/she is doing is illegal and should be stopped. The Moderator is able to trace the poster as far as a firewall using the Neotrace computer IP tracing program. The Moderator is contacted by the brother of the Flight Attendant who is being threatened with exposure for assistance. The brother is told of the IP address and is told to contact authorities as they know the identity of the poster. Due to the judges order nothing on the web site is permitted to be deleted and the brother and Flight Attendant are informed of this as well.

January 23, 2000- Depositions are scheduled with defendants but the time and dates are not known to the individual defendants. The International Brotherhood Attorneys Miller, O'Brien and Bloom have had little or no contact with the IBT represented defendants.

January 25, 2000- The press release from the Minneapolis Star Tribune discusses the negotiations and Northwest labor problems. The blame for the lack of progress is throughout. The leadership of Local 2000 blame a minority of Flight Attendants for the delays.

January 31, 2000- It is noted in the forum that people posting are not leaving their names. A legal brief (Memorandum In Support of Mandamus or Summary Reversal) has been filed by the attorneys for Kevin Griffin and Ted Reeves.

February 1, 2000- Public Citizens release press release stating that a federal district court violated the First Amendment rights of two Northwest Airlines flight attendants by forbidding them from engaging in certain speech-related activities -- an order that could require them to censor their Web sites, according to papers filed Tuesday by Public Citizen in federal appellate court..

February 3, 2000- Kevin Griffin is ordered by the court and Judge Arthur Boylan to turn over computers today to Ernst & Young employees for inspection. Gary Helton is to turn over his computers to Ernst & Young in Los Angeles today. Kevin posts an advice posting to all who are having their computers searched throughout the system. The advice I post comes from Jeffrey Fischbach of Second Wave Information Systems, a computer forensic specialist in Los Angeles, California. The Ernst & Young representatives arrive at Ted Reeves home to pull his computers apart. James O. Holley of the National Computer Forensics Lab in Viennna, Virginia and Jose Granado, CISSP of the Network Assessment Leader, eSecurity Solutions in Houston, Texas flew over to their Ernst & Young office in Honolulu to copy Kevin's computers. The computer search and copying took from 11AM on February 3, 2000 until approximately 4AM on February 4, 2000. The process was filmed for approximately 8 hours by Randy Amiscaray. Process was delayed due to a conference call made by James Holley to John Gallagher( NWA Attorney) in Washington over the procedure agreed to by Mr. Gallagher. The process agreed to in an email where CDs of the Hard Drives would be created prior to the search and copying was not done and was discussed on the conference call with Barbara Harvey, James Holley, Jeff Fischbach and Kevin. James Holley said the search would be completed in twenty four hours and then the results of the keyword search would be sent to Barbara Harvey and Paul Levy to examine for twenty four hours before they would be sent to Northwest Attorneys. (Eight days later Paul Levy started getting the results of the search.).

February 6, 2000- Northwest Airlines and Teamsters officials reached an agreement that suspended legal action against the union and halted the discovering proceedings against 19 of the 21 individuals named in the lawsuit—all officials in the local union. The individual defendants were not consulted on the settlement. The temporary settlement does not apply to Kevin Griffin and Ted Reeve, who were not even invited to the settlement talks.

February 7, 2000- Kevin posts the weeks events on the Internet for all to read the proceedings of the week.

February 8, 2000-Minneapolis Star Tribune does a story on the computer searches. The article mentions the location of the Cleardaze Northwest Airlines web site and the general public respond with calling for a boycott of the Airline. There is a court order by Judge Arthur Boylan to have Kevin Griffin trace posters who Northwest Airlines believes are trying to encourage more work disruptions. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act provides that no "person...providing an electronic communication service to the public shall divulge to any person or entity the contents of a communication" that is stored or maintained on that service." . The magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan has decided that Kevin and his attorneys do not have standing to object to the subpoena to 9NetAve's records (the host server of the web site). Therefore, the newest escalation in the Discovery War, Northwest Airlines will now be allowed to go through the 9Net Ave server to try and track down individuals who have posted here in the forum whether anonymously or by using their name. 9NetAve records as well as America Online records are both subpoenaed and turned over to Northwest Airlines. The public outcry continues on the web site and discussion questions the involvement of Walter Mondale former Vice President on the Board of Directors and the rest of the Board..

February 11, 2000- World Socialists report on the computer searches.

February 14, 2000-The TRO is dissolved against Kevin griffin and Ted Reeves. The settlement that had been agreed to by Northwest and Local 2000 of the International Brotherhood of Teamster has been violated by Northwest as Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Thornton admitted to continuing the searches of the hard drives. I was scheduled for a deposition today at 9 AM in the offices of Briggs and Morgan but the days events changed upon arrival.

Month of February, 2000- Discussion in the forum covers topics concerning the contract, the lawsuit, air rage, maintenance, the airline industry pay comparisons, internal union politics, union dues increase, USAir contract woes, the Ernst & Young violations of the court order, informational leafleting, the public outcry concerning the computer searches and more..

March, 2000-Discussion on the forum continues to be about the contract, internal union politics, the stock continuing to fall to 16 and 3/8, safety issues, sky rage, union dues, upper management quitting, the LowLights, racial discrimination tactics by the union executive board, Northwest making money, the hazardous materials that Northwest had incidents on recently, the informational picketing to get the attention of Walter Mondale and Vice President Al Gore, the Flight Attendant Tobacco Lawsuit, the Flight Attendants who were fired over the New Years alleged sickout, tracing IP addresses, Danny Campbell- Secretary Treasurer, the upcoming Northwest Airlines Stockholders meeting, and numerous other topics.

March 3, 2000- Press release is filed over Judge Arthur Boylan violating Privacy rights with Ernst & Young.

March 13, 2000- The Teamsters For A Democratic Union reports on the Privacy issue at Northwest Airlines.

March 14, 2000- The World Socialist Web site reports on the privacy case.



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