USAir, Mechanics Meet in Effort to Head Off Strike

Union mechanics met Sunday with USAir Group Inc. management to try to avert a strike threatened for today that would be a first for the struggling airline.

The International Assn. of Machinists rejected a new contract offer over the weekend that required cuts in pay and benefits for its 8,300 mechanics.

It said union members would strike at 7 a.m. today unless it made progress in top-level talks with management Sunday in Washington or reached a settlement.

USAir spokesman John Bronson had no immediate comment Sunday on the progress of those negotiations, which were being held with a federal mediator. Union representatives were not available.

USAir, the nation’s sixth-largest airline, has emergency plans to keep its 2,700 daily flights operating even if mechanics walk off the job, Bronson said.

USAir’s shuttle and commuter flights will not be affected, he said, and the company does not expect other airline unions to walk out.

A strike could harm the airline in a fiercely competitive industry where many companies are fighting to survive in the face of a continued weak economic environment.

USAir has lost more than $675 million over the past two years and is relying on government approval of a British Airways plan to inject $750 million into the company to revive its long-term prospects.

The company said it can use licensed supervisors and other personnel to clean, service and repair airplanes, adding that safety would not be sacrificed.

The rejected contract offer was similar to one accepted by USAir pilots.

Management has said that stock options and profit sharing would offset pay and benefit cuts.