United Mechanics Poised to Strike; Bush Vows to Block
United Airlines’ mechanics are poised to strike the nation’s second-largest carrier late tonight just as the hectic Christmas travel season begins. But President Bush is vowing to immediately block the walkout.
The strike by the 15,000 mechanics would start at 9:01 p.m. PST, though the union representing the workers, the International Assn. of Machinists, and the airline anticipate that the job action will be thwarted by the White House.
“We fully expect that’s going to happen,” said United spokesman Chris Brathwaite. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer has said the Bush administration will block a strike at any major U.S. carrier that would disrupt “the American people’s right to travel.” United, a unit of UAL Corp., likewise is urging travelers to continue booking flights without fear of disruption because Bush has said he’ll convene a seldom-used Presidential Emergency Board that would study the labor dispute during a 60-day review.
The mechanics would have to stay on the job while the panel weighs arguments from both sides and offers recommendations. “We’re preparing to make a presentation to the board if and when it’s convened,” said IAM spokesman Joe Tiberi. Former President Clinton took similar action in 1997, when the pilots of AMR Corp.’s American Airlines called a strike on the eve of the Presidents Day holiday weekend.
No new contract talks between United and the mechanics union are scheduled, Tiberi said. If United’s mechanics were allowed to strike, the effect on the travel industry could be enormous, especially at Los Angeles International Airport where United is the largest operator, handling about 20% of the airport’s passengers.
About 2 million people overall are expected to fly on U.S. airlines on Friday and Saturday as part of the Christmas travel flurry, says the industry’s trade group, the Air Transport Assn. A disruption at United--which has more than 1,600 flights daily--probably would cause delays and cancellations that would have ripple effects. Even if a walkout is averted, the mechanics’ willingness to strike underscores the deep problems facing United, which is scrambling to cut costs and stem massive losses amid the downturn in travel after Sept. 11.
There is pressure on all of United’s unions for pay concessions to help United weather the sharp downturn in air travel. But the workers are reluctant to take any cuts until John Creighton Jr., United’s new chief executive, takes other actions. The mechanics also haven’t had a pay raise in six years, because they and most other United employees gave up higher pay in exchange for stock in UAL, which is now 55% owned by its work force. The IAM, which also represents another 30,000 ground employees at United, owns about 20% of the company’s shares.
On Wednesday, UAL shares fell 54 cents to close at $13.15 on the New York Stock Exchange.
