Okay, if you were surprised by this move, raise your hand.

Just as I thought.

Late Tuesday Northwest Airlines asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper to prevent any kind of strike or concerted job action against the airline by the Association of Flight Attendants.

AFA has already notified the airline that it intends to strike, or engage in sporadic targeted strikes against the airline, as soon as 10 p.m EDT., Aug. 15. This move came not too long after Northwest terminated the flight attendants’ current contract Tuesday and imposed new terms that go back to the defeated Mar. 1 tentative agreement between the airline and the PFAA.

We’re into unknown legal waters here folks.

No one is really sure if a strike against the airline would be legal of not. While the Railway Labor Act permits a walkout by airline workers after mediation fails to resolve a dispute — we’ve never actually seen this particular situation in the airline industry before.

AFA contends workers cannot be forced to work under terms they did not agree to. Northwest says it has a right to impose those terms, and that any job action by the flight attendants is forbidden by the Railway Labor Act.

Next Wednesday Judge Gropper will hear arguments from both sides on the airline’s request.

I’d love to be in that courtroom.