Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane yesterday declined to rule on a pilots' appeal to preserve their old labor agreement, meaning the airline can continue making work changes while the two sides continue contract talks, Reuters reported. Judge Lane ruled last month that the airline, the operating unit of AMR Corp, could reject the previous labor agreement, which had been under negotiation since 2006. The union appealed the decision and it has asked the court to stop the airline from making changes while the appeal is pending, arguing that the changes cause "irreparable harm" to members. Judge Lane did not set a date for a ruling on the issue.
