Summary
- In a surprising twist, the Southwest Airlines flight attendant union rejected the tentative agreement reached with management, highlighting ongoing dissatisfaction.
- The rejected contract offered a 20% pay raise starting in 2024 and three% annual raises in the next years, but union members were hoping for more.
- While there isn’t a risk of a strike or work stoppage in the course of the holiday season, mediated negotiations will proceed, and the union may eventually request release from mediation.
In a surprising turn of events, the Southwest Airlines flight attendants rejected the tentative agreement its union, TWU 556, and Southwest Airlines management reached. Now, the 2 parties will return to mediated negotiations until one files for release from mediation.
“Not going to heal the hurt”
After years of negotiations, occasional information picketing, and a tentative agreement (TA) in October, one would consider Transport Staff Union (TWU) Local 556 would ratify the TA. But no, 64% of flight attendants voted against the proposed deal. In a December 8 statement, TWU 556 President Lyn Montgomery said,
“After five long years of negotiations, which have included fighting each pay cuts and furloughs, enduring historic operational failures, and dealing without raises to combat inflation or compensate for the extensive duties our members must perform, the flight attendants of Southwest Airlines have made it clear that this proposed contract is just not going to heal the hurt. We’ll return to the table to realize the collective bargaining agreement that meets the needs of the hardest-working flight attendants within the industry.”
One should note that the contract, in line with CNBC, offered a 20% pay raise starting in January 2024 and a 3% annual raise in 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028. TWU 556 leaders considered the rise to start out at 36% and be higher paid than Delta Air Lines.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Easy Flying
TWU 556, already in 2021, voiced concerns about working conditions, similar to an increase in unruly passengers and scheduling. Then there’s the historic December 2022 meltdown, where a small bonus was issued. Still, TWU President Montgomery said that giving the bonuses “
The Vice President of Labor Relations at Southwest Airlines, Adam Carlisle, shared with the Dallas Morning News, Southwest Airlines’ perspective,
“We’re upset the industry-leading agreement reached between the negotiating committees was not ratified. Our flight attendants will proceed to be covered under their current contract, and we’ll await next steps from the National Mediation Board and TWU 556.”
No risk of a Southwest Airlines strike until 2024
For those with holiday plans, rest assured that there isn’t a risk of a legal strike, work-to-rule, work stoppage, or another form of “self-help” by Southwest Airlines flight attendants. In response to the Railway Labor Act, the union first has to request release from mediated talks, and provided that that release is granted is there a 30-day cooling-off period. Thirty days from December 8 is January 7, so the specter of any airline having a vacation strike has passed.
Please see below for a more detailed take a look at the road to strike motion.
Graphic: Southwest Airlines
As mentioned above, Southwest Airlines prepared a chart on the negotiating process, with more steps to go. One may also review the Easy Flying guide to how US airline labor negotiations are carried out.
Meanwhile, how is SWAPA doing?
Any conversation about Southwest Airlines’ labor relations must include checking in on the pilot union. SWAPA tweeted out on December 7,
It is mostly felt that SWAPA is near landing a tentative agreement that the pilot members can ratify, and scheduling is one among the critical issues to resolve before a TA for SWAPA members to approve. Earlier this 12 months, SWAPA historically became the primary union in Southwest Airlines’ history to authorize its board of directors to call a strike if negotiations collapse.
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