American Airlines Sues Mechanics to Avoid More Delays, Cancellations

American Airlines has filed a lawsuit against its mechanics unions after the carrier claims workers purposely took a long time to repair planes in order to cause delays and cancellations.

According to The Associated Press, representatives from American filed the lawsuit Monday in a Fort Worth court against the Transport Workers Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, both of which represent the airline’s mechanics.

The carrier claims the mechanics are part of an illegal work slowdown that started in February with the intention of gaining leverage in contract talks, including taking an unusually long time to repair planes and refusing to work overtime.

American is asking the federal judge hearing the case to stop the activity, which has reportedly caused 644 unplanned canceled flights and 270 delays of two hours or more. The airline said the slowdown will impact 3,400 passengers a day if the issues aren’t remedied.

As American and the airline industry prepares for the rush of summer travelers starting Memorial Day weekend, officials believe nearly 2,200 flight cancellations and delays are possible with a total of 300,000 passengers being affected.