UPDATE 1-Strike ballots sent to UAL flight attendants-union
Thu Dec 2, 2004 12:54 PM ET
(Recasts lede; adds details, changes dateline, previous CHICAGO)
NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The Association of Flight Attendants on Thursday mailed 21,000 strike authorization ballots to flight attendants at United Airlines, setting the stage for a work stoppage if the bankrupt airline repeals a collective bargaining agreement with the union.
Strike ballots are also being prepared for flight attendants at ATA Holdings (ATAHQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research) and Hawaiian Airlines (HA.A: Quote, Profile, Research) , the AFA said. In the event of a strike at United, a secondary strike may occur at other carriers, it said.
UAL Corp. (UALAQ.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) , United Airlines' parent company, a week earlier asked an Illinois bankruptcy judge to let it reject labor contracts with its six unions if it fails to extract an additional $725 million of annual savings from its employees by January.
The No. 2 U.S. carrier, which has been in bankruptcy since December 2002, also asked for permission to remove any requirement in collective bargaining agreements that the carrier maintain defined benefit pension plans.
reuters.com |
