Southwest reaches a labor agreement with flight attendants, who voted down a previous deal last year
Southwest Airlines has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with union flight attendants. The airline announced the deal Wednesday but did not disclose details of the agreement. Flight attendants have lagged behind pilots in winning pay raises from U.S. airlines. Attendants at Southwest voted down a previous deal in December that would have given them an immediate raise of 20% followed by four annual raises of 3%. Pilots at leading U.S. airlines won new contracts last year that will raise pay by about 40% over five years, but flight attendants have lagged behind in reaching agreements with the carriers. Southwest Airlines has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with union flight attendants, covering about 20,000 attendants at the Dallas-based airline. The agreement comes after attendants voted down a previous deal in December that would have given them an immediate 20% increase in pay, followed by four annual raises of 3%. The attendants are represented by the Transport Workers Union and will vote on the new agreement in a ratification vote. The deal covers approximately 20,300 attendants at Southwest. The airline's vice president of labor relations, Adam Carlisle, said the attendants play a crucial role in safety and passenger service.
Published : 2 months ago by Josh Skluzacek in World
DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with union flight attendants, who have lagged behind pilots in winning pay raises from U.S. carriers.
Details were not released Wednesday about the deal, covering about 20,000 attendants at the Dallas-based airline.
The Southwest attendants rejected a previous deal in December that would have given them an immediate raise of 20% followed by four annual raises of 3%.
The attendants are represented by the Transport Workers Union, which will hold a ratification vote.
Southwest’s vice president of labor relations, Adam Carlisle, said the attendants play a role in safety and passenger service. “I am glad they will have the opportunity to vote on this new agreement,” he said.
Pilots at American, Delta, United and Southwest all approved contracts last year that will raise pay about 40% over five years, but attendants have been unable to reach agreements. Delta Air Lines cabin workers are nonunion and do not bargain over pay and benefits.
The major airlines set records for quarterly revenue last year, as travel rebounded strongly from the pandemic.
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