CHICAGO – At least 100 uniformed United Airlines pilots demonstrated Thursday outside the carrier’s new downtown headquarters, renewing their protest over what they say is excessive pay for the top executives of parent UAL Corp.

The pilots and other United employees have been staging periodic protests since last year to object to the tens of millions of dollars of stock and option awards granted to top UAL managers after employees took substantial pay cuts in bankruptcy. CEO Glenn Tilton received compensation worth $39.7 million in 2006.

Pilots carried out “informational picketing” on the sidewalk in front of UAL’s headquarters building facing the Chicago River. The company previously was based in Elk Grove Village, near O’Hare International Airport.

“We’re trying to bring attention to the fact that after all the years in bankruptcy and all the struggles with shared sacrifice, management has basically left out the employees,” said pilots’ union spokesman Herb Hunter.

“They’ve taken huge raises, contract extensions and huge bonuses, and we’re told that ‘your contract stands through 2009.’ We feel that everybody on the property gave and everybody made it work,” he said.

United has said it has no intention of reopening labor contracts that it negotiated with its employees.

“What is really important for stability for our employees is that we’ve made United a financially sound, competitive company able to make significant investments in products, services and infrastructure,” spokeswoman Jean Medina said. “We have an excellent future ahead of us.”