With parent company Delta Air Lines trying to keep its flight attendants from becoming unionized, its Erlanger-based regional subsidiary Comair is having its own struggles.

        The airline is still in negotiations with its approximately 600-member flight attendant union to craft a first contract after more than three years, with the latest set of talks scheduled for Monday.

        The first set of talks since before Comair's pilots went on an 89-day strike and shut down the nation's third-largest regional carrier were held last month in Orlando, Fla.

        Comair's flight attendants are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with union officials saying they won an organizing election in 1996. Both union and company officials say negotiations on a first contract began in December 1998.

        The National Mediation Board — the Washington-based organization that oversees labor issues in the airline and railroad industries — began overseeing the talks in May 2000 at the request of both sides.

        According to Teamsters business representative Ken Barnes, the biggest issue is scheduling, and creating a scheduling system for a first contract is a major reason why talks have gone on for so long.

        “It usually doesn't take this long, but I think we're moving along pretty well now,” Mr. Barnes said.

        Comair spokeswoman Meghan Glynn would not discuss what the sticking points in the negotiations are.

        “We are making progress with our flight attendants and the group that represents them,” Ms. Glynn said.

        Starting flight attendants make a little less than $20 per flight hour, and Mr. Barnes said the union is seeking to raise that to the levels of other regional carriers.

        “Comair is one of the biggest and most profitable regional carriers, so we want to be above” the others, Mr. Barnes said.

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