POLAR AIR CARGO PILOTS CAN STRIKE IN OCTOBER

   The Air Line Pilots Association said on Friday that federal mediators
have given the cockpit crew members of Polar Air Cargo the freedom to
strike the airline, beginning on Oct. 2.
   Contract negotiations between Polar, the U.S.-based all-cargo airline,
and its air crews have stalled. The National Mediation Board has imposed a
30-day cooling off period, after which ALPA will be free to pursue
self-help measures.
   "We’re not announcing, or even predicting a strike, but given the
company’s contemptuous treatment of us, I think our members have just about run out of patience," said Capt. Dennis Brooks, chairman of the Polar Air Cargo crew members’ Master Executive Council at ALPA.
   ALPA allotted $2 million to the Polar crew members in July "in order to
provide a war chest," Brooks said.
   Polar began negotiating a contract with its air crews in 1997. The
contract talks went to the NMB in April last year. Key disagreements exist
over Polar’s lack of a pension plan and what the pilots say is the need for
better scheduling practices at the airline.
   A strike would be devastating to Polar, which desperately needs to
upgrade an aging fleet of early version B747 freighters. The airline
suffered heavy financial losses due to the poor economic conditions in Asia
last year.