United, union agreement OK'd

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- After more than two years of negotiations, United Airlines and union workers approved several labor agreements that will grant pay increases to nearly 25,000 ground workers, the airline and the union announced Saturday.

United Airlines CEO Jack Creighton welcomed the move as a major step toward the airline's recovery.

"Only through the cooperative efforts of all of us at United can we return to our rightful place as the leader in the airline industry," he said.

United Airlines and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ratified the agreement -- tentatively reached last month -- after an all-day vote Friday.

The employees covered by the agreement include airline reservation agents, ramp workers, security guards and food service workers, among many others. Some workers will receive raises of $7 an hour.

According to Randy Canale, the union's district president and lead negotiator, many of the United employees took heavy pay cuts in 1994 to keep their jobs and prevent the airlines breakup.

"These IAM members can now move beyond the years of sacrifice that marked their employment at United during the past 8 years," he said.

The agreements will be signed on Tuesday.