United F/As Accept Contract, Mechanics Reach Deal

Flight attendants at United Airlines have voted to ratify a new five-year contract, and the union representing maintenance technicians has reached an agreement in principle on a new contract.

The flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, approved the contract after a vote that 90 percent participated in, with 53 percent voting to ratify the agreement.

The five-year deal includes double digit pay increases, job security provisions, improves healthcare, protects retirement and increases flexibility, United said in a statement.

“Thanks to today’s vote, I am proud to say that so far this year we’ve ratified new agreements covering more than 65,000 of our employees,” Oscar Munoz, United's chief executive said in a statement.

The agreement is an important step towards integrating United and Continental as all flight attendants will be covered by a single contract for the first time.

United also announced it had reached an agreement in principle for a joint contract covering the company's 9,000 maintenance technicians and related employees.

The deal, announced jointly with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, will go out to a vote after the two sides complete the final wording.

"Upon ratification, this will be the first time in almost a decade that all United work groups will have labour contracts in place," CEO Munoz said.

Both agreements were reached with assistance from the National Mediation Board.