Mesaba Aviation Inc. delayed its planned pay cuts for workers early Thursday as it continued negotiations with its pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. Mesaba has permission from a bankruptcy judge to impose cuts that would slice 17.5 percent of its labor costs, with pay cuts for workers ranging from 6 percent to 11 percent. Some pilots, who make about $45,000 a year, are taking larger cuts because they're also being shifted to smaller aircraft as Mesaba's fleet shrinks.
See "Mesaba delays pay cuts as talks continue with unions", Joshua Freed, Chicago Tribune, October 25, 2006