AMR fires opening shot in court battle with workers

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Airlines defended its plan to abandon its union contracts on Monday as its workers picketed outside a Manhattan court house, in the first day of a high-profile court battle over the bankrupt airline's labor deals. The company's parent, AMR Corp, told a judge at a hearing on its request to abrogate its union contracts, that it cannot survive without major concessions. Jack Gallagher, an attorney for AMR, said the company needs 20 percent across-the-board reductions in employee costs, half of which must come from employee benefits. ...