30-day 'cooling-off' period issued to prohibit strike by United Airline mechanics

WASHINGTON - A 30-day &#34;cooling-off&#34; period was issued Sunday to prevent a strike by disgruntled United Airlines mechanics. <br> <br> In a brief statement issued by the White House, President Bush said he &#34;remains concerned about the effect an airline strike could have on the traveling public and on the economy.&#34; <br> <br> He urged the two sides to continue to work at resolving their ongoing dispute. <br> <br> A Presidential Emergency Board appointed in the labor dispute between United and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers sent a fact-finding report to the White House on Sunday. <br> <br> With the issuance of the report, the cooling-off period takes effect under provisions of the National Railway Labor Act. <br> <br> United, which tends to carry a high proportion of business and overseas travelers, was hard hit by the travel slowdown after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and has been losing some $15 million a day, the report said. <br> <br> The board report said that while United makes a compelling case for its employees to share in the concessions needed to enable the airline to survive, United&#39;s argument falls short of supporting the position that the mechanics should receive no immediate pay increase. <br> <br> &#34;The IAM-represented mechanics ... have shown since at least 1994 their willingness to support the carrier where it counts, in their paychecks,&#34; the report stated. <br> <br> The report said that if United is to survive wage concessions will likely be necessary from the airline&#39;s employees, but they must be spread evenly across the board. <br> <br> &#34;The difficulty with the company&#39;s initial bargaining position, however, is that it places the brunt of this formidable task on the shoulders of the machinists ...,&#34; the report said. <br> <br> Before concessions can be addressed, the report said, the base lines or starting point of all employee groups should be similar. <br> <br> Earlier this month, a federal judge refused to block a presidential order that would prevent a walkout by United&#39;s 15,000 mechanics. <br> <br> Bush intervened in December at the request of federal mediators to prohibit a strike and created the emergency board to help break a two-year contract stalemate. <br> <br> A spokesman for the union said Sunday&#39;s development was another step in a lengthy process and not unexpected. He said the union had not seen the report. <br> <br> &#34;We have been negotiating almost around the clock since last Tuesday. There had been some expectation of a settlement before the report was issued but differences remain and there was no deal,&#34; said the spokesman, Frank Larkin. <br> <br> United Airlines did not return calls for comment. <br> <br> <br>