Negotiators for United Airlines and two of its labor unions will meet again this weekend in hopes of reaching a contract accord before a federal judge imposes a rewritten agreement that could trigger a ruinous strike.
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It is expected that Judge Eugene Wedoff will resume Monday taking testimony that could last into mid-week. He will then decide whether the contracts between United and members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association should be rewritten. United has said that in an era of spiraling costs and tumbling revenue, it needs the new contracts so it can emerge from bankruptcy protection.
But any abrogated contract, the unions have said, will trigger a strike, one that analysts say would result in liquidation of the storied airline.
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For example, the mechanics association estimates that under the former system, a mechanic who retired at age 60 after 35 years would receive $3,045 monthly. In the revised system, the payment would be $2,173.
The Association of Flight Attendants estimates that a 59-year-old retiree would see a monthly pension fall from $2,185 to $688.
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