NEW YORK (Reuters) - US Airways Group Inc. (U.N) has proposed that its pilots absorb $595 million of the $1 billion in labor costs it plans to cut every year, the Wall Street Journal reported on its online edition Friday.þþCiting the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the Journal said the union leadership on Thursday authorized its negotiators to begin voluntary talks with the country's sixth biggest airline on a concession package.þþLast week, Arlington, Virginia-based US Airways, which lost more than $1.2 billion last year and is losing a battle against the drastic drop in air travel that followed September 11, asked its employees, suppliers and lenders to come up with about $1.2 billion in concessions annually to lighten its cost structure.þþEarlier this week, the company met separately with ALPA and the Association of Flight Attendants to spell out the scope of the desired cost cuts for each of those groups, the Journal said.þþThe publications said that US Airways is scheduled to meet on Friday with the Machinists union for the same purpose. ALPA and US Airways representatives could not be reached for comment.þ
Source: NY Times
