Despite United Airlines CEO John Creighton Jr.?s Wednesday claim that unions and management at United have made significant progress towards an agreement on wage concessions as part of a recovery plan, the International Association of Machinists (IAM) announced yesterday that it does not see concessions as necessary. IAM officials have made it clear that while they will meet with management if so requested, they will not recommend participation in the recovery plan to their 36,000 members at United. The secretary-treasurer of the flight attendants? union at United has made similar statements, and even disputes Mr. Creighton?s statement on Wednesday that all unions at United had been giving proposals on concessions---none of which bodes well for United?s possible application for federal loan guarantees.
See EDWARD WONG, The New York Times, June 13, 2002