United Airlines has announced that mechanics represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) have ratified a new labour agreement with the company.

“This is another important step which benefits our co-workers and contributes to the future success of United,” said Jim Keenan, senior vice president of technical operations for United.

“We now turn our attention to a joint agreement for all United and Continental mechanics, and are committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to the company and fair to our employees.”

The new agreement covers approximately 5,500 United mechanics.

The company and the IBT will soon commence negotiations for a joint collective bargaining agreement for mechanics at both the United and Continental subsidiaries.

Continental mechanics represented by the IBT ratified their collective bargaining agreement in November of 2010.