Catherwood LibraryILR School

Following yesterday’s announcement of a new tentative concession agreement between the International Association of Machinists and United Air Lines (see yesterday’s WIT), the sentiment among many of the machinists at United is that little has been changed and their best choice remains a “No” vote. Having worked since under a 1993 wage freeze accepted to help save the chronically troubled company, many of the mechanics are sick of management’s mismanagement and have no intention of giving up a belated raise won earlier this year (see WIT for Feb. 19, 2002) and working without a raise from 1993 to 2010. The threat of a United bankruptcy filing that could void their contract (see WIT’s for Sep. 26 and Aug. 27, 2002), holds little weight for the mechanics, who have undergone years of certification training and apprenticeships to become highly skilled and easily employed technical and information workers, many of whom feel a bankruptcy judge could run the company better than management.