American Airlines, TWU to hold week of intensive contract talks

"We agree that we want to get a deal," she said. "We've narrowed the issues, but we're going to try to work hard and put our heads together for a dedicated, intensive period of time and see if we can close the gap on the remaining issues."

TWU international vice president Dennis Burchette, the union's system coordinator at American, sent a letter to the airline Oct. 10 proposing the super negotiations Dec. 1-8 for its joint committee, which represents fleet service clerks, stores employees, simulator technicians and instructors

Ms. McLallen said the two sides may move the starting date since negotiators could have a difficult time traveling at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.

Before formal contract talks began last fall, the two sides tried to work out a fast deal to replace the current contract, which became amendable May 1.

In a second attempt in May, the company made a two-year proposal that gave the TWU members a couple of lump-sum payments but no pay rate increases. American sought work-rule concessions, the right to replace some TWU workers with contract labor and other provisions that the union wouldn't accept.

In the May offer, American insisted that all TWU negotiating units, including those representing mechanics and dispatchers, accept the deal, including the ones represented by the joint committee.

Negotiators for some units were willing to send the agreement to a membership vote, but other negotiators contended it wasn't good enough to vote on.

This time, Ms. McLallen said, American is not requiring that all seven TWU negotiating units accept an agreement together.