CHICAGO, July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United Airlines and the International Association of Machinists (IAM) today announced that they have come to an agreement on an opportunity for eligible customer service and ramp employees to voluntarily separate from the company. The program will be available for up to 400 customer service and ramp employees.
Employees who are at least 45 years old and have at least 15 years of service with the company as of September 7, 2008 will be eligible to participate. Participants will be entitled to severance payments based on years of service and retiree travel benefits.
"As we move forward with our previously announced capacity reductions, this agreement with the IAM will assist us in mitigating the impact of involuntary furloughs on our IAM employees," said Scott Dolan, senior vice president - Airport Operations and Cargo for United.
United will continue to explore viable alternatives to furloughs as a result of capacity reductions with all unions representing its employees.
About United
United Airlines operates more than 3,200* flights a day on United and United Express to more than 200 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States. United also is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides connections for our customers to 965 destinations in 162 countries worldwide. United's 55,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's Web site at united.com.
*Based on United's flight schedule between Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2008.
