US Airways announced today that
all three of its employee groups represented by the International
Association of Machinists (IAM) have ratified cost-savings agreements. The ratification, representing a savings of more than $353 million
annually over the course of five years, covers approximately 8,800 US
Airways mainline employees, including mechanics, utility, fleet service,
stock clerks, and maintenance training specialist workers.

The agreement for the mechanics and related employees was ratified by a 61
percent margin, while fleet service employees ratified by a 62 percent
margin, and the maintenance training specialist agreement was ratified by
a 97 percent margin.

“We have a great deal of respect for our IAM employees, as they were faced
with an enormously difficult decision,” said Jerrold A. Glass, US Airways
senior vice president of employee relations. “While this ratification vote
marks the end of a long and arduous process, it also represents a new
beginning for our company. All employees have made tremendous sacrifices,
and now we will work in unity to improve relations, transform our
business, and emerge as a stronger airline.”

US Airways has ratified cost-savings agreements with all of its labor
groups, including non-unionized employees, totaling over $1.1 billion
annually. US Airways’ labor work groups are represented by the Air Line
Pilots Association (3,074 active employees), Association of Flight
Attendants (5,629 active employees), Communications Workers of America
(5,387 active employees), IAM (8,814 active employees), and Transport
Workers Union (215 active employees). These more than 23,000 unionized
employees contributed more than $1.04 billion in average annual cost
savings to help implement the company’s Transformation Plan.
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