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The National Mediation Board said that passenger service agents at American Airlines voted against unionizing after an election that concluded yesterday, Reuters reported. Of the 5,954 workers who cast a vote, 3,052 voted for no union, compared with 2,891 who voted in favor of the Communications Workers of America, according to results from the National Mediation Board, which conducted the election from Dec. 4 to Jan. 15. There were 7,792 people eligible to vote, a spokeswoman for the U.S. agency said. The worker group includes airport agents and reservations representatives. They are the only employee group at American not unionized.

Pinnacle Airlines pilots overwhelmingly approved a concessionary contract that the company said was key to its survival, the Memphis (Tenn.)Commercial Appeal reported today. The Air Line Pilots Association said that of the more than 86 percent of eligible pilots casting ballots, 85 percent of pilots voted in favor of the agreement. The new seven-year agreement includes, among other cuts, a 9 percent reduction in pay for all pilots plus longevity caps to all pay scales which will further cut the pay of more than half of Pinnacle’s pilots by as much as another 16 percent. In addition to almost 25 percent pay cuts, the deal also increases health care costs for all pilots while reducing pilot retirement benefits by more than 50 percent for Pinnacle’s most senior pilots.

American Airlines parent AMR Corp. asked a court on Friday for more time to file a restructuring plan as part of its exit from bankruptcy, Reuters reported. American wants to submit the plan on April 1, twenty days later than the current March 11 deadline, the company said in a court filing. It would be the fifth extension granted to the company since it filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2011. The case is AMR Corp., 11-15463, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York.

AMR Corp., the bankrupt parent of American Airlines, says that its value has "significantly appreciated" and there may be value for shareholders, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. AMR, which is considering a merger with US Airways Group Inc., notified the Office of the U.S. Trustee of the development in a Jan. 3 letter filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "Depending upon the ultimate strategic alternative adopted and pursued, there exists a reasonable possibility that there may be value for AMR equity holders," AMR attorney Harvey Miller wrote.

The chief executive of American Airlines' parent said yesterday that his company is just a "matter of weeks" away from concluding its evaluation of the potential benefits, costs and risks of a proposed merger with US Airways Group Inc. as a way out of bankruptcy court, the Wall Street Journal reported today. In a memo to employees, AMR Corp. Chairman and CEO Tom Horton cited a proposed memorandum of understanding that the union representing American Airlines' pilots reached this weekend, which would govern the way they would be integrated with US Airways' pilots should a merger occur. Horton said that discussions with the US Airways pilots and with other unions at both companies also are in progress. AMR will review the proposed memorandum of understanding with its pilots union and other factors to make "an informed decision about whether a merger should be pursued," Horton said.

In a step that potentially could ease the way for a merger of American Airlines parent AMR Corp. and US Airways Group Inc., the board of American's pilots union approved an interim labor framework should the two carriers proceed with a combination to take AMR out of bankruptcy court protection, the Wall Street Journal reported today. After three weeks of confidential negotiations overseen by AMR's creditors committee, the Allied Pilots Association board on Saturday voted 11-5 in favor of a proposed accord, the union said, though terms were not disclosed. The proposal requires the assent of the other parties to the talks, including both carriers and US Airways' pilot union.

Hawker Beechcraft Inc., which plans to exit bankruptcy protection under the control of a group of hedge funds that includes Bain Capital's Sankaty Advisors, is jettisoning two underfunded pension plans covering thousands of nonunion workers and retirees, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The Kansas-based aircraft manufacturer, which hopes to exit bankruptcy protection in the first quarter of next year, also said that it struck a deal with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) to retain a third "hourly" plan covering more than 8,200 current and former union workers. In court papers filed on Feb. 21, Hawker said that it was terminating its so-called salaried and base pension plans covering nearly 9,500 employees and retirees as part of a comprehensive deal with the PBGC and the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers, the union representing its hourly workers.

AMR Corp.'s American Airlines won court approval for a new contract with its pilots union, a deal that cuts labor costs and boosts the airline's effort to exit bankruptcy protection, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. The agreement, approved at a hearing yesterday by Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane, comes after American secured new contracts with unions representing flight attendants and mechanics as part of its restructuring. Judge Lane said that the agreement with the Allied Pilots Association is a significant step to resolving the bankruptcy case that began more than a year ago and helps achieve “long-term viability” for the airline.

Journal Register Co.'s sale plans have elicited protests from parties, including the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC), which said it is taking aim at the company's "rushed" efforts to auction off its assets, Dow Jones DBR Small Cap reported yesterday. The newspaper publisher is aiming for an auction next month and calling for rival bids of at least $122.15 million to be submitted by Jan. 18. In court papers, PBGC said that the proposal "does not facilitate a competitive auction process that maximizes value to the debtors' estate." Instead, the "rushed schedule" could deter would-be buyers from throwing their hats into the ring, it said. Journal Register wants to hold its auction on Jan. 23 with a sale hearing on Jan. 25. PBGC said it is particularly concerned that the proposed marketing period would fall over the holidays, further complicating parties' efforts to "adequately develop a competitive bid during that time period." A judge is set to consider signing off on the bid rules at a hearing on Thursday. This is Journal Register's second trip through bankruptcy in recent years.