United, union to keep talking in quest for pact
CHICAGO — Negotiations between United Airlines and its flight attendants will continue after they failed to settle on a unified contract last week, both groups said this week.
The National Mediation Board asked United and the flight attendants to meet next week to “resolve any outstanding language issues in preparation for one final mediation session,” the Association of Flight Attendants said in a statement on its website.
That mediation session is scheduled for the week of June 20, said the association, which represents 24,000 United employees.
“We remain committed to bringing this negotiation to a successful close,” United said in a notice on a website devoted to contract negotiations.
The ongoing discussions mean shareholders may see a picket line as they head to United’s annual meeting at its downtown Chicago head- quarters on Wednesday. The Association of Flight Attendants urged members to press for an agreement on a new contract in a statement on the group’s website on Saturday.
The flight attendants union is the last major employee group without a joint contract after the merger of United and Houston-based Continental Airlines in 2010. Flight attendants from those airlines still operate under different work rules.
United employees including airport workers, security officers and other staffers ratified a new contract in April that will increase pay by about 30 percent over five years, raise pension benefits and halt outsourcing of some union jobs. The airline also recently negotiated separate deals with its pilots and dispatchers.