Airline Workers Wages And Salaries

Pan Am Corp., parent company of the nation's eighth-largest airline, said Tuesday that it expects union agreement soon on a package of wage and benefit cuts and that it will replace some top executives if the plan is approved. The announcement appeared to be a victory for the airline's unions, which have refused to grant the company deep contract concessions while Chairman C. Edward Acker remains in charge.

The people who staff the pre-boarding metal detectors and X-ray machines at airports have a tough, tedious job trying to make sure that weapons aren't smuggled onto an airplane. They must withstand the noise and conversation of harried passengers and concentrate for 30-minute stretches on a black-and-white monitor that is filled with odd-looking, ever-changing images that reveal the contents of each bag.