Germany’s Lufthansa, union reach pay deal for ground staff

BERLIN (AP) — Lufthansa and a union representing its ground staff in Germany have reached a deal to end a pay dispute, a week after a one-day strike that forced the airline to cancel more than 1,000 flights. The deal reached Thursday between Lufthansa and the ver.di service workers’ union, covering some 20,000 staff in various ground operations, entails one-time payments of 200 euros ($203) each backdated to July 1. It also foresees an increase in monthly basic salaries of 2.5% — or at least 125 euros per employee — effective Jan. 1 and another 2.5% from July 1 next year. The deal is valid for 18 months.