Lufthansa faces ground crew strike

Lufthansa faces a major strike by ground crews and others starting Monday after the union said that its members voted overwhelmingly to support a mass walkout. The ver.di union, which represents some 52,000 Lufthansa workers, said Friday that nearly 91 percent of its members had voted for the strike in two weeks of balloting. Talks with the airline collapsed July 10. Ver.di had sought a pay raise of 9.8 percent this year and rejected Lufthansa's offer of a 6.7 percent raise spread through February 2010, plus a one-time bonus. "This is a clear signal," said Erhard Ott, ver.di's national director. "With a convincing showing, the employees proved that they're ready to fight for their demands." Today in Business with Reuters Ver.di said the strike could start Monday and would affect all areas - catering and cargo, as well as... [read full story]