Delta shareholders okay NWA merger

Delta Air Lines shareholders give the go-ahead to the company's purchase of Northwest Airlines by approving the issuance of new stock as part of the transaction.

Thursday's vote came at a meeting near Atlanta. Earlier in the day, Northwest shareholders approved the combination during a meeting in New York.

The deal still requires Justice Department approval.

Meanwhile, A top official of the machinists' union said Thursday that customers, employees and shareholders of Northwest and Delta will be hurt if the two airlines complete their deal to create the world's largest carrier.

Robert Roach Jr. says the two airlines have different corporate cultures and mismatched aircraft fleets.

Shareholders of both airlines voted Thursday to approve the combination.

Roach says combining the two work forces would require solving issues including workers' union representation, job security, pensions and seniority at the combined company.

He says mergers won't help troubled airlines -- most U.S. carriers lost money in the first half of this year as they battled high fuel costs -- and he called for more government regulation of the industry.

(The Associated Press)

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