Catherwood LibraryILR School

Negotiators for United Airlines (UAL) and the International Association of Machinists (IAM) reached a tentative agreement yesterday on a contract for United?s 13,000 aircraft mechanics only 36 hours before the union?s strike deadline---which has now been extended to March 7 to allow for a March 5 vote on the contract by the membership. The agreement was unanimously endorsed by the IAM?s negotiating team, and a statement by United CEO John Creighton indicated that the company had acquiesced to most of the union?s demands in order to move ahead with bargaining over short term concessions by unionized employees to help UAL through is current financial dilemma. In addition to the thirty-seven percent raise recommended by the Presidential Emergency Board (See WIT for Feb. 13, 2002), the five year contract increases retroactive pay by approximately thirty-percent, moves up the start date of retroactive payments, requires that United join the IAM in applying to the federal government for a release to strike in five years if negotiations for the next contract deadlock, and will not require the mechanics to automatically mirror short term concessions won from other unions at United.