Release #UAL-041216
December 16, 2004

United Pilot Leaders Accept, Endorse Tentative Agreement with Company

ROSEMONT, ILL. December 16, 2004--The United Master Executive Council, the governing body of the United Chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, today accepted the tentative agreement between ALPA and United Airlines with its unanimous recommendation that the agreement be ratified.

The MEC took this action in lieu of accepting the Company’s Section 1113 term sheet. The MEC concluded that a negotiated settlement - not a litigated outcome - best serves the careers of United’s 6,400 pilots.

"Following the Restructuring Agreement in May 2003, which brought dramatic wage cuts and changes to our work rules, the last thing we wanted was the prospect of another round of concessionary negotiations," UAL-MEC Chairman Mark Bathurst said. “The realities of the airline industry require decisive action to take United out of bankruptcy, and the MEC has taken that action today.

“We were faced with a tough choice: negotiate with the Company to reach a consensual agreement that would inevitably involve further concessions, or proceed in the bankruptcy court where we faced a dangerous risk of an imposed, and totally unacceptable, outcome.” Bathurst added, “The MEC, following careful study and analysis, determined that the responsible approach to protect our careers is to enter into a consensual agreement with the Company.”

 

The Tentative Agreement will now be submitted to the full pilot group for a ratification vote.

 

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Contacts

 

Dave Kelly
847/292-1708              
Captain Herb Hunter
954/757-4067                    
Captain Steve Derebey
815/341-4629