Also. . .

* Flight attendants for America West, who have been flying four years without a contract, voted to authorize a strike that potentially could disrupt the busy Christmas travel season. Nearly all members of the Assn. of Flight Attendants local that represents them voted to authorize a strike. However, America West said flight attendants will not be legally authorized to strike during the holidays and assured customers they should be “completely comfortable” booking travel on the airline. A federal mediator met with the two sides this week and two more sessions are scheduled. The vote allows the union to request that the National Mediation Board release it from mediations, setting the stage for a 30-day cooling-off period before a strike could be authorized.

* Seattle-based Immunex Corp., a biotechnology company majority owned by drug maker American Home Products Corp., won Food and Drug Administration approval to sell the drug Enbrel for treating patients with moderate to severe forms of rheumatoid arthritis.

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* The National Assn. of Securities Dealers and the American Stock Exchange said they completed their merger. The new organization, to be called the Nasdaq-Amex Market Group, will have 6,178 listed companies, with a combined market value of $2.2 trillion. The NYSE, the world’s largest stock market, has 3,090 listings, with a market value totaling $11.6 trillion.

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* ServiceMaster Co. agreed to buy LandCare USA Inc. for more than $165 million and combine it with its TruGreen-ChemLawn subsidiary to create the largest U.S. commercial landscaping company. ServiceMaster also will assume $100 million in debt.