Business Notes STRIKES

Job-stress levels in the airline industry eased last week, when three major labor disputes were resolved. Just as 57,800 striking Boeing machinists were heading back to work, 2,250 Eastern Air Lines pilots and 4,400 flight attendants ended a bitter nine-month walkout:

-- Boeing can now get back to speed on its $85 billion backlog of commercial- jet orders. Under the new three-year contract, the machinists will receive 10% wage increases (their prestrike hourly pay range: $8.88 to $18.42) and lump-sum payments totaling 19% of gross pay.

-- When Eastern's pilots and flight attendants walked out in support of striking machinists last March, they helped force the airline into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Their hopes that the U.S. bankruptcy court would impose an acceptable settlement were dashed as the Chapter 11 proceedings dragged on and Eastern hired new nonunion workers to replace the strikers. Last week the pilots and flight attendants gave up. The machinists still pin their hopes on the court.