With a strike deadline set for Wednesday (See WIT for Feb. 14, 2002), and ticket sales dropping as travelers switch to other airlines in order to avoid potential strike delays and cancellations, the International Association of Machinists has reported progress in its contract negotiations with United Airlines. In a message to its UAL membership on Saturday, the union said that since resuming negotiations at an undisclosed location on Friday it had addressed all outstanding issues with UAL?s bargaining team and that talks were proceeding in the right direction. While management will not comment on the negotiations themselves, they informed employees last week that they have retained a bankruptcy lawyer in preparation for the possibility of a strike---a move dismissed by the union as a bargaining trick.
See "Machinists Union Sees Progress in United Talks", Bloomberg News, Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2002