By Karen Jacobs
Jan 28 (Reuters) - The Transport Workers Union of America,
which represents ground workers at American Airlines, said on
Monday it has reached an agreement with US Airways Group Inc and
AMR Corp that would grant immediate raises of 4.3 percent for
its members should a merger of the two carriers take place.
The wage increase is spelled out in a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) reached over the past month with
representatives of senior management at US Airways and American
Airlines.
The memo requires court approval and would take effect
should the court approve a merger of plan of reorganization for
American, which sought Chapter 11 protection in November 2011,
the union said.
The TWU represents more than 20,000 workers at American
Airlines, including flight simulator technicians, fleet service
clerks, dispatchers, ground school instructors and maintenance
control technicians. TWU members approved concessionary
contracts with American Airlines last year.
Terms of the MOU call for TWU worker groups to continue to
operate under American collective bargaining agreements. The
memo also outlines the process under which a combined seniority
list would be developed should US Airways and American merge.
US Airways and AMR are in the final stages of negotiating a
merger, with final price and management structure still to be
resolved, people familiar with the matter said last week. AMR's
board is meeting on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the latest
developments in the talks, the people said.
A combined American-US Airways would have revenue of $38.69
billion based on 2012 figures, in front of current world No. 1
United Continental Holdings Inc, which had revenue of $37.15
billion last year.
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