The Big Question for Northwest Airlines Execs

The New York Times reports that executives at Northwest Airlines are trying to squeeze the pay of its employees, claiming the company is in severe financial straits. That might be believable, until you read down a few paragraphs to a key section, which those same executives have no explanation for.

With workers now striking the Times notes:

"In the last several months, the airline had spent more than $100 million to hire and train 1,500 substitutes, many of them licensed mechanics who had worked at other airlines. The airline had also hired and trained 1,100 substitute flight attendants, in case their union stages a sympathy strike."

Here's the simple question (that the media, of course, hasn't asked): If the company is supposedly in such severe financial straits that worker pay cuts are required, how do these executives have $100 million of company money to throw around for anti-union activities?

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