Eastern’s unions will try to block the carrier’s sale.

A renewed union effort to block the carrier’s buyout by Texas Air Corp. was called “a lot of smoke” by one airline official. Eastern’s three labor unions said they agreed to fund an employee stock ownership plan and negotiate with an outside investor to help wrest control of the company from Houston-based Texas Air, which owns more than 51% of the carrier’s stock. The Transport Workers Union, International Assn. of Machinists and the Airline Pilots Assn. said they also have agreed to file a lawsuit to block a scheduled Nov. 25 Eastern stockholders meeting. It was scheduled to formally approve the Texas Air takeover.