Continental Airlines sued the Air Line Pilots Assn.

The lawsuit accuses the union of trying to disrupt flight schedules by encouraging striking pilots to apply for jobs they do not intend to accept. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Houston a week and a half after the union authorized 1,450 pilots, who have been on strike for nearly two years, to bid for their old positions at Continental. Continental is seeking a court injunction to stop ALPA’s leadership from “coercing” the pilots into submitting applications. The union immediately denied the accusations. More than 500 striking pilots have submitted requests to return to work, the carrier said.