Southwest Airways may keep away from a possible strike with its pilot union after reaching a tentative deal valued at greater than $12 billion over 5 years.
After a 12 months of mediation, contract negotiations between Southwest Airways and its pilot union are nearing completion.
The Southwest Airways Pilots Affiliation (SWAPA) has introduced that it has reached an interim settlement with the airline, with a union-wide vote scheduled for January 22, 2023.
The interim settlement may finish three years of negotiations
The final contract between Southwest and SWAPA expired in 2020, with little progress on a brand new contract. The union held a strike vote in Might 2023, which led to the 2 sides getting into into mediation by September.
Reuters stories that the brand new contract is valued at $12 billion by December 2028. Whereas SWAPA didn’t present last numbers in its press launch, the union famous that the settlement “gives vital compensation good points, with wage will increase over the subsequent 4 years.” The brand new settlement additionally gives for “enhancements in work guidelines and flight schedules, higher incapacity protection and will increase in pensions.”
“Our membership has fought for practically 4 years to succeed in an settlement with Southwest Airways,” SWAPA President Capt. Casey Murray stated in a press launch. “They now have a possibility to guage this deal and solid their vote accordingly.”
The transfer comes as unions put growing stress on airways to safe contracts in a post-Covid world. In November, American Airways flight attendants requested the Nationwide Mediation Board for permission to strike, claiming their negotiations with the service have been deadlocked. Earlier in December, the Flight Attendants Affiliation-CWA, which represents Alaska Airways flight attendants, referred to as for a vote to approve the strike. Alaska Airways says it’s working with the union on an interim settlement.