US Airways flight attendants reject contract

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Flight attendants at US Airways Group Inc. narrowly rejected a new contract on Thursday that would have given them their first combined labor deal since the airline's 2005 merger with America West.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said 51 percent of votes were against the tentative agreement.

The union said the agreement included pay raises and job protection, but the rejection means flight attendants "declared management didn't dig deep enough."

This is the second time US Airways flight attendants have rejected a tentative agreement. In March, three quarters of voting flight attendants rejected a previous deal.

The combined airline has still had to schedule pilots and flight attendants separately based on which airline they came from, because they each have separate union contracts.

The flight attendants' union, which has separate units for the pre-merger America West and US Airways groups, said it will meet to determine its next step after the most recent rejection.

Shares of the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline fell 6 cents to $10.44 in afternoon trading. Its shares are down 28 percent from a 52-week high of $14.51 on July 13.