Southwest Airlines Pilots Vote Overwhelmingly to Authorize Strike Ahead of Summer Travel Season

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are parked on the tarmac after being grounded, at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, Calif., on March 28, 2019. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images

Southwest Airlines pilots are set to go on strike ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer travel season.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) announced the move on May 11, noting that 99 percent of union members who took part in a vote on the matter opted to authorize a strike.

Turnout was around 98 percent, the union, which represents more than 10,000 pilots of Southwest Airlines, said.

Initially, a vote on strikes was scheduled to run through the end of May, but the union said that Southwest Airlines pilots had voted overwhelmingly to make “their voices heard about the operational disasters and the lack of progress after three-plus years of stagnant negotiations.”

“This is a historic day, not only for our pilots, but for Southwest Airlines,” said SWAPA President Casey Murray in a statement. “The lack of leadership and the unwillingness to address the failures of our organization have led us to this point. Our pilots are tired of apologizing to our passengers on behalf of a company that refuses to place its priorities on its internal and external customers.”

Murray continued, “Today, our Pilots have empowered our Negotiating Committee Chair, Captain Jody Reven, to petition the National Mediation Board to release us to self-help imminently at which time we will follow the process set forth by the Railway Labor Act and continue toward a strike.”

The union noted that pilots at the Dallas, Texas-headquartered airline did not make the decision lightly, adding that they are “disheartened” that the airline has “gotten so far away from the values” set forth by its co-founder, Herb Kelleher.

Southwest Airlines passengers check in at Midway Airport in Chicago, Ill., in a file photo. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Strikes Will Not Impact Operations

It added that customers should be prepared “for the path ahead” and make arrangements with other carriers so that their summer and fall travel plans are not disrupted.

In a separate statement, Southwest Airlines said the vote result will not impact its scheduled operations, adding that it is well-staffed and prepared ahead of the summer.

The airline also noted that a strike can only occur after multiple steps in the Railway Labor Act (pdf) collective bargaining process are exhausted.

Under that act, carriers and employees must exert every reasonable effort to settle all disputes and complete time-consuming mandatory dispute resolution procedures such as undergoing mediation with the National Mediation Board.

The act is designed to ensure that interruption to interstate commerce is avoided and disputes between carriers and their employee are resolved promptly.

Southwest Airlines said that the majority of agreements between the airline and pilots are reached through direct negotiations or mediation, and 99 percent of mediation cases since 1980 have resulted in agreements between the parties.

“Our negotiating team continues to bargain in good faith and work toward reaching a new agreement to reward our Pilots,” said Adam Carlisle, vice president Labor Relations at Southwest Airlines. “This anticipated authorization vote result does not change our commitment to the negotiation process, and we look forward to continuing discussions with SWAPA at the negotiating table.”

An American Airlines plane on the tarmac in a file photo. Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images

American Airlines Pilots Vote to Strike

Southwest Airlines and the union have been negotiating over a new contract for more than three years, although the May 11 announcement marks the first time in the airline’s 51-year history that its pilots have taken such a vote.

During negotiations, the union has been pushing for increased pay and changes to scheduling work rules as well as technology improvements in order to keep up with other carriers and provide passengers with “the level of service they expect,” according to SWAPA.

The airline has faced growing scrutiny in the past over operational issues that arose during a severe winter storm over the Christmas holiday season which led to more than 16,700 canceled flights.

Southwest Airlines initially blamed severe weather and problems with its scheduling system—which have plagued the airline for years—for the thousands of flight cancellations, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg later said that the delays were actually “due to circumstances within the airline’s control.”

The latest strike vote comes shortly after the union representing American Airlines pilots announced that its members overwhelmingly approved a strike.

Pilots at that airline are negotiating for increased salaries and better working conditions.

American Airlines told The Epoch Times in a statement that it remains “confident that an agreement … is within reach and can be finalized quickly.”