United files court papers to void labor agreements = = = = Monday March 17, 7:28 PM EST = (Adds details, remarks from unions, byline) By David Bailey CHICAGO, March 17 (Reuters) - United Airlines' parent UAL Corp. (UAL) on = Monday asked a U.S. bankruptcy court to let it scrap most existing labor = contracts because attempts to reach long-term cost-cuts with union worker= s have thus far failed. United, the No. 2 U.S. air carrier, also said it may have to ask all work= ers for at least another 9 percent in temporary wage cuts to offset a dro= p in revenue ahead of a possible U.S. war with Iraq if it cannot find som= e relief within 30 days. Union leaders had anticipated the filing, but said they were still dismay= ed, calling negotiated agreements best for all parties. United had set a = Monday deadline to reach permanent deals with unions. = United, which filed the largest ever airline bankruptcy Dec. 9, has said = it needs to cut labor costs by $2.56 billion a year to meet the terms of = its special bankruptcy financing. It has been negotiating with labor grou= ps on permanent cost cuts for months and talks remain a priority, United = said. Most unions in January agreed to temporary pay cuts, which have saved Uni= ted about $70 million a month. A judge ordered interim pay cuts for the m= achinists, the only union that did not agree to a voluntary deal. The airline asked the court to make those interim wage cuts permanent and= plans to seek changes to benefits packages, work rules and job security = provisions. United also said it has reached a tentative agreement with me= teorologists for permanent cuts and left them out of the motion. "Between now and May 1st, we will continue to negotiate around the clock = in the belief that we can reach consensual agreements with all of our uni= on groups and render a ruling from the court unnecessary," United Chief E= xecutive Glenn Tilton said in a statement. Tilton also said United would do everything possible to avoid asking work= ers for additional temporary pay cuts to deal with a recent drop in booki= ngs. However, United said it needs to respond immediately to the drop in booki= ngs and the cut may be necessary if it cannot find sufficient relief with= in 30 days. United and other airlines are seeking federal war-time relief= and aid and United also said it intends to approach lenders. FILING EXPECTED Bankrupt US Airways Group (UAWGQ) filed a similar motion to void its unio= n agreements, which falls under Section 1113 of the bankruptcy code, but = was able to reach and ratify voluntary deals before taking that step. "We are extremely dismayed by the company's 1113(c) proposal," Paul White= ford, head of the pilots' union at United, said in a statement. "Our cont= ract is the product of 52 years of good-faith collective bargaining. To s= eek to wipe out this contract by the stroke of a judge's pen is dishearte= ning." Pilots, the highest-paid workers at United, are working under temporary p= ay cuts of 29 percent. Flight attendants, among United's lowest-paid workers, also expressed fru= stration with Monday's filing. The flight attendants are working under 9 = percent interim pay cuts, and several weeks ago the group proposed more t= han $1 billion in wage cuts and other cost savings over the next six year= s. "United's 1113 motion goes far beyond what is needed to successfully rest= ructure in an attempt to gut our contract, and places an inordinate burde= n on the flight attendants," said Greg Davidowitch, head of the United br= anch of the Association of Flight Attendants. Judge Eugene Wedoff imposed 13 percent temporary pay cuts on machinists t= o May 1, while smaller unions for flight dispatchers and meteorologists t= ook 13 percent pay cuts. (Additional reporting by Meredith Grossman Dubne= r) = =A92003 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS