A union representing Comair flight attendants on Monday asked a bankruptcy judge to stop the Delta Air Lines Inc. subsidiary from imposing new contract terms without more negotiations.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said the regional air carrier seeks disproportionate concessions from its 970 attendants and that it wants more time to reach a deal.
"The flight attendants wish to bring their dispute with Comair to an end," the union wrote in a written argument filed Monday. "They have proposed significant cost savings while preserving essential job protections. Comair, however, continues to press its demand for unreasonable and disproportionate concessions."
Judge Adlai Hardin heard the case in a two-day hearing last week at bankruptcy court in White Plains, N.Y. The judge will decide whether the company can impose new terms as it restructures itself in an attempt to exit bankruptcy. Last week, Hardin said he wanted a quick resolution.
The deadline for the company to file its own closing statement is Tuesday.
The flight attendants have said they would strike if the company voids their labor contract. But the union president, Connie Slayback, said Monday, "I think it's a little early to begin looking in that direction."
Slayback said the company has indicated it is still interested in reaching a consensual agreement. "That said, all the strike preparations are complete," she said.
The two sides have engaged in more than six months of negotiations.
In April, Hardin rejected Comair's request for permission to impose its terms on the attendants, citing the company's lack of flexibility on the total value of the concessions.
Comair's latest proposal softens the wage cuts and seeks further work rules changes, the company has said. The airline is proposing $7.9 million in concessions, led by a 7.5 percent reduction in average pay.
The union has proposed a 7 percent wage reduction, asserting that the proposed plan for $7.9 million in cuts was actually worth $10 million.
The flight attendants contract is the last to be renegotiated among the bankrupt airline's unions.
But last week, Comair said its agreements with pilots and mechanics - which cannot take effect until all unions agree on terms - would need to be renegotiated. The deals depended on the company achieving cost savings by a target date that will be missed, a company spokeswoman said.
Comair Inc., based in the Cincinnati suburb of Erlanger, Ky., operates 850 flights to 108 cities on a daily basis. The wholly owned subsidiary of Delta filed for bankruptcy protection along with its parent company in September.
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