Also. . .

* Delta Air Lines Inc. said it decided not to grant a voting seat on its board to the union representing its 9,000 pilots in order to maintain the independence of its board. The Air Line Pilots Assn. had requested the seat as it considers whether to approve a marketing alliance between Delta and UAL Corp.’s United Air Lines. Delta needs the union’s approval to proceed with an agreement that allows the two companies to list routes on each other’s computer-reservation systems.

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* US Airways Group Inc. signed a tentative agreement that would be the first Machinists union contract to cover the carrier’s 6,100 baggage handlers and other airport workers. Neither the union nor the company would provide specifics, but a union spokesman said the contract put the workers’ pay at parity with the four largest U.S. carriers and provides the employees with job security for the first time.

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* Exide Corp., the world’s largest maker of car batteries, abandoned an effort to take the debt-laden company private two weeks after proposing a recapitalization, citing shareholder opposition. Its stock plunged in response, closing down $2.69 at $12.81 on the New York Stock Exchange.

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* Textron Inc., maker of auto parts and Cessna airplanes, acquired closely held Datacom Technologies Inc. for an undisclosed cash price to expand its line of tools for electrical contractors. Datacom, a maker of instruments to test computer, telephone and other data networks, has annual sales of $10 million.

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* Property and casualty insurance group Chubb Corp. said it is entering the business of insuring insurers, or reinsurance. The new Chubb Re subsidiary will be led by John Berger, former president of F&G; Re Inc., which was acquired by St. Paul Cos. in April.

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* No new talks were scheduled in the 2-day-old strike by about 35,000 workers at regional telephone company US West Inc., but both sides said the negotiations could resume today or Wednesday. Customers were reporting few difficulties.