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UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines, and its pilots union appeared in U.S. District Court in Chicago Wednesday, as the airline seeks a preliminary injunction against its pilots, alleging an illegal "sickout" in July.

The Chicago airline asked Judge Joan Lefkow to stop pilots from taking unnecessary sick days, as well as other actions that could further disrupt passenger service and cause financial harm to the airline.

The hearing, which on Wednesday included testimony from Pete McDonald, United's chief administrative officer, could last for several days, as a number of witnesses are called to testify for each side.

United and the union, which represents 6,500 pilots, are at loggerheads, even as the U.S. airline industry is braced to lose billions of dollars this year due to sky-high fuel prices and a weak economy.

Last month, United -- the nation's second-largest airline by passenger traffic -- sued the Air Line Pilots Association, alleging that four union pilots organized a protest of United's plan to save money by cutting unprofitable flights and laying off 950 pilots. United also accused the union of discouraging pilots from volunteering for overtime.

A planned work slowdown is illegal under the federal labor laws that govern airlines. The UAL suit alleges that an illegal action resulted in an unusually high number of United pilots calling in sick in July, which forced the airline to cancel 329 flights between July 19 and July 27. That cost the airline $8.3 million in revenue and $3.9 million in operating profit, United said.

Lawyers for the pilots union argued Wednesday that, since the alleged pilot sickout hasn't continued this month, an emergency injunction from the court isn't necessary.

Some pilots and other United employees are angry about the company's three-year reorganization in bankruptcy that led to pay cuts for employees and a loss of retirement pensions and other benefits. ALPA has been pushing to open its contract for new negotiations. The company has said it is ready to begin negotiating in April of next year.

Write to Ann Keeton at ann.keeton@dowjones.com¹

Category: Business |

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