Mechanics break off talks with airline (Orlando Sentinel)

Mechanics walked away from talks with Northwest Airlines Corp. on Wednesday, accusing the carrier of refusing to bargain. They can strike after 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 20. Northwest, the nation's fourth-largest airline, has vowed to keep flying. Northwest hasn't budged from its original demand for pay cuts of about 25 percent and the right to hire contractors to do more of the work of its mechanics,