THE LAW: Union insists on right to strike; others far from certain - BY JENNIFER BJORHUS, St. Paul Pioneer Press
A decision either way would have repercussions for labor relations throughout the industry, labor and airline bankruptcy experts say. If Northwest wins the court order, it would be a crushing blow for airline unions and could send a negative message beyond the industry about worker rights, some labor experts say, depending on the language of the order.
"The right to form a union and right to strike are fundamental in any democratic society," said labor economist Harley Shaiken of the University of California, Berkeley. "It's the most important weapon labor has. If that's lifted for a broad group of workers, it potentially diminishes democracy, not just the specifics of one labor management dispute."