Faced with a shrinking airline industry in an era of high oil prices, Northwest Airlines pilots took a major step forward Tuesday to improve their financial position under a merger with Delta Air Lines. After marathon bargaining sessions that began about a week ago, Northwest and Delta pilots forged a deal with Delta management. The agreement takes them back to a point they reached in February, when they also had negotiated a contract on pay scales and benefits. But that agreement vanished after the pilots failed to settle the contentious issue of merging the two pilots' lists on seniority, which determines the aircraft that pilots fly and how much they earn over their careers.
See "Northwest, Delta pilots reach deal with airline", Liz Fedor, Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 24, 2008