AIRLINES

Alaska Air Union Rejects Pact: Alaska Airline’s biggest union has rejected the company’s latest contract proposal and authorized a strike if further talks do not produce a settlement. Members of the International Assn. of Machinists District 143, representing 3,000 of the carrier’s 7,000 employees in Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington, have been working without a contract since 1988. Talks are to resume Sunday at the end of a 30-day cooling-off period. The proposal rejected by the union was for a four-year agreement freezing wages for all but mechanics. The company also proposed a reduced wage scale for new hires. The union is seeking a three-year pact with 4% wage hikes and cost of living adjustments across the board.