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Show ation & tate Page 5 February 17, 1999 Editor: Mike Sherwood jeromeinfowest.com American Airlines Resumes Negotiations With Pilots Tribune Media Services quick agreement on the current feud, future upheaval could be After a weekend of courtin store unless both sides can room wrangling, leaders of Fort build better relations in the long Worth-base- d Airlines American term, analysts said. and its pilots union resumed "Neither side trusts the negotiations Monday, trying to other side, and they're each trysettle the wage and job security to the other," said ing dispute that prompted last Peter Capelli, a management week's wildcat strike. professor at the University of And operations for the carriWharton School er were almost back to normal Pennsylvania's of Business. "And once you go Monday as the immediate effects down that path of distrust, and of a pilot sickout petered out. think you have to play hardball, Only about 300 flights were canit just gets worse and worse and celed, down from 563 on Sunday. worse," Only a few dozen cancellations As of late Monday afterare expected Tuesday. noon, only about 30 Tuesday But underlying the new six Wednesday flights flights, peace is a deeper, longer-runnin- g and one Thursday flight had streak of hostility and susbeen cancelled. picion between American and its "We're looking forward to pilots. Though the carrier has about normal operations," just said it wants to improve employAmerican spokesman A1 Becker ee relations, analysts said the said. strike and subsequent court American is also preparing hearings didn't help that goal. for a Wednesday hearing in fed Even if negotiators reach a out-mac- eral court, where a judge is expected to levy damages against the union. Becker declined to say what American's damages are, though the carrier has said it has lost sales of more than $40 million. Analyst estimates run up to twice that amount. Meanwhile, the pilots union was preparing to put up a $10 million bond due Tuesday, one ordered by the federal judge who sent pilots back to work on Saturday. American is also plotting how to win back customer support, Mr. Becker said, but he did not know if the carrier would try a fare sale. American decided Monday to pay commissions to travel agents who booked tickets that were later refunded because of the sickout. Commissions usually aren't paid on refunded tickets. Regarding the negotiations. spokesmen for both sides said there was no progress to report as of late afternoon Monday. If no quick agreement is reached, the pilots union could follow several options under the Railway Labor Act, the federal law that governs airline workers. Those include filing a grievance, or seeking arbitration or mediation. But union spokesman Drew Engelke said "we're not inclined to arbitrate or adjudicate on scope... it will be settled at the negotiating table." The federal law says a mediator must declare that talks have reached an impasse before a legal strike can be called. American and its pilots last reached that point in 1997, when a Valentine's Day strike was halted by an order from President Clinton just minutes after it began. Several analysts pointed out Monday that the issues being Orthodox Jews Protest in Jerusalem identity as a Jewish nation but also a democratic, multicultural one, and how that battle of church and state is spilling into this year's early elections for control of the government. Security has been increased for MinSupreme Court judges, and Justice istry officials are investigating incitement charges against some Orthodox leaders. Police reported that a death threat had been received by Yossi Sarid, a leader of g Meretz Party that helped the the rally. organize Until late Saturday, top Israeli officials went to extraordinary lengths to persuade Orthodox leaders to cancel the rally. Israeli President Ezer Weizman had pleaded with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, leader of the Orthodox Shas Party, at his home. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who counts Orthodox supporters among his coalition partners, said he had succeeded only in securing promises that the rally would include prayers rather than political speeches and banners. He argued that Israel is facing a "kulturkampf," or cultur- In competing shows of strength certain to sharpen Israel's conflict over faith, freedom and lifestyle, a quarter of a million Orthodox Jews rallied through downtown streets Sunday as thousands of nonreligious Israelis demonstrated against them nearby. The black-cla- d Orthodox, known as the Haredim or. "God fearing," assembled for a prayer vigil to protest the Israeli Supreme Court and its recent rulings limiting their rabbis' pervasive control over religious life, lightening work restrictions on the sabbath and exposing Orthodox Bible students to the army draft. While the Orthodox bobbed in unison to prayers piped through loudspeakers, tens of thousands of Israelis held a protest of their own a few blocks away, decrying what they called an attempt by the religious minority to subvert the court and Israeli democracy and impose their beliefs on others. "It's really democracy versus theocracy," said Debbie Tor, an industrial designer with an Israeli flag over her shoulder at the rally. "They don't believe in democracy but they are trying to use our democratic tools to achieve their nt goals." The protests highlighted Israel's strug The Testament John Grisham A story that mixes left-win- al war. "If we go the way of polarization, extremism, we simply harm the texture of our life. And I believe that only through talk and calm can we maintain the unity of the people," Netanyahu told Israel Radio before the rally. -- New Release gle over its Tribune Media Services fought out now are, broadly speaking, the same issues that were being fought over then both times in a tense labor atmosphere. But to improve relations would buck not only American's recent history, but that of the broader airline industry, said Capelli, the Wharton professor. In part, that's because many airlines won concessions from pilots during bad economic times in the early 1990s. Now that profits are back up, pilots are demanding benefits, he said. Tense relations are also promoted by what Capelli called the lack of competition in the airline industry. Even if an airline's strike disrupts customers, he said, the fliers havelittle choice but to return to the same airline in hub cities where one carrier dominates - such as American at Dallas. That removes a big incentive to keep the peace. 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