United union schedules vote on strike

By Dave Carpenter
Associated Press

CHICAGO — The union representing 15,000 United Airlines mechanics and related employees scheduled a Dec. 13 strike vote yesterday in hopes of strengthening its negotiating position in a 2-year-old contract standoff.

Approval would authorize a strike at the nation's second-biggest airline when legally allowable — after Feb. 21.

The two sides are halfway through a federally mandated 30-day countdown toward a possible strike after the failure of talks. But the Bush administration has said it will extend that process as soon as the countdown expires on Dec. 21, to avoid a walkout during the heavily traveled holidays.

A presidential emergency board would then have another 60 days to try to settle the contract dispute before a strike could take place.

No talks have been held since the countdown began.

"The countdown and threat of a strike is meant to require both parties to bargain in earnest," said chief union negotiator Scotty Ford, president of District 141-M of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. "However, United has opted to withdraw all proposals and is hoping to delay negotiations further by lobbying for a presidential emergency board."

The mechanics have not received a raise since 1994 and are seeking industry-leading pay. But United, which already was suffering through its worst year ever due to a falloff in business travel, has withdrawn its contract offer and says any immediate raise is impossible in light of the devastating financial blow dealt by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

A separate set of contract talks involving 30,000 United ramp and public-contact workers also is stalled, with negotiations scheduled to resume Jan. 8.