After contract talks with American Airlines Inc. recessed without a deal Wednesday night, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said it will ask the National Mediation Board to start the legal process that could lead to a strike.

The union said the company walked out of NMB-mediated talks Wednesday evening without responding to the union’s last proposal. It said it will ask the NMB to start a 30-day cooling-off period, after which the union could walk off their jobs.

“Now, with no other options on the table, management has forced us to take the next step necessary to get the contract we have worked so hard for,” union president Laura Glading said.

American spokeswoman Missy Latham said the union’s claim that American walked out was “categorically untrue” and said the airline looks forward to further negotiations.

(Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/)