FAA seeks a truce in dispute between Southwest and key union

The FAA on Friday warned Southwest and its mechanics union that their bitter fight could hurt the airline's safety programme. The FAA's top safety official sent a terse letter to the airline and the union saying that a breakdown in their relationship raises concern. He urged both sides to cooperate in complying with FAA safety standards. However, the dispute appeared to escalate Friday. The leader of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association said his union filed a defamation lawsuit against Southwest and the airline's COO. It was the union's response to Southwest, which sued AMFA last week in federal district court in Dallas over what it claims is an illegal work slowdown aimed at pressuring Southwest during bitter contract negotiations. Southwest charges that mechanics are writing up minor maintenance items, leading to a surge in the number of planes taken out of service for repairs. It said write-ups include missing seat row numbers and other cosmetic flaws. The airline has been cancelling flights each day because the number of grounded planes has jumped from the normal 14 per day to as many as 62 one day in February, according to Southwest's lawsuit. Union officials charge that Southwest pressures mechanics to overlook safety issues in managers' zeal to keep planes flying.<br/>