United, Maintenance Union Pause Contract Talks

United Airlines and its maintenance workers' union have paused talks on a new contract after American Airlines tentatively agreed to a wage increase.

United said in an online message to employees that it met with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for the last two weeks and made headway on healthcare, sick time and hours of service.

The message said the company offered significant pay increases, but a deal that the Teamsters reached on Wednesday with American Airlines "reset the market."

United is assessing how that deal, which increased pay for American's passenger service agents, affected industry wages, the message said. It will reconvene talks with the Teamsters in two weeks.

The pause reflects the company's challenge in reaching deals and integrating its workforce since United and Continental merged in 2010. Each still has its own contracts with flight attendants and maintenance technicians.

The Teamsters union represents 9,000 maintenance technicians and related workers at United, it said.

"Delta and American are setting the pace, and United is dragging its feet," Teamsters negotiator Clacy Griswold said in a news release. "We hoped to see a change in the airline’s attitude toward its workers under the new leadership of CEO Oscar Munoz, but that has yet to be seen."

Last month, Munoz took the helm of the second-largest US airline by capacity. Chief executive Jeff Smisek resigned because of internal and federal investigations into the carrier's relationship with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Munoz has called a summit of United's union leaders for October 15 and has made a point since taking the job of listening to customers and meeting workers to hear their feedback on the airline.