United’s contract with pilots puts Southwest Airlines in the hot seat
While other major carriers have struck industry-leading deals with their pilots, Southwest Airlines’ pilots union says the Dallas-based carrier needs to ramp up contract negotiations before the busy holiday traveling season.
This past weekend, pilots at Chicago-based United Airlines reached an agreement in principle with its company, raising pay by up to 40% over four years. United is the latest of the major airlines to strike a deal with pilots, including Fort Worth-based American Airlines, which reached a deal with the carrier in May.
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American’s tentative agreement proposes about a 21% pay raise for this year on top of back-dated raises going back to 2020 and more increases in years to come. In March, Delta Air Lines pilots approved a new contract that would raise pay by more than 30% over four years.
Union pilots still need to vote to ratify the deals at American and United.
But Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, president Casey Murray said negotiations “aren’t going well.” Last month, the union asked federal labor regulators to be released from mediation with the carrier amid a three-year contract battle, moving one step closer to a strike. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association represents Southwest’s over 9,000 pilots.
“We had mediated sessions last week and the company’s offers were extremely regressive,” Murray said. “We’re further away now than when we filed for release will be an NMB two weeks ago, and it’s just extremely disappointing.”
Southwest had 14 days to respond since the union’s ask for release and has filed comments, Murray said. He anticipates to know more within the next week or so.
The union says the two sides have failed to make any meaningful progress on issues including pay, work rules, pilot fatigue and scheduling, despite oversight from the National Mediation Board to push closer to a deal. In May, Southwest pilots overwhelmingly authorized the union to start preparing for a potential strike. The strike would need the approval of federal regulators and would likely draw intervention from Congress and the White House.
