Pilots at Southwest Airlines are asking the federal government for help in settling stalled contract negotiations with the Dallas-based air carrier, saying the two sides have “not made significant progress” in more than two years of talks.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said Wednesday that it needs federal intervention from the National Mediation Board to resolve the most contentious sections of contract negotiations with the company, including pay, benefits, retirement and scheduling.
While the union and its 8,300 pilots are prohibited from going on strike without going through a series of steps overseen by federal labor regulators, it does move the airline one step closer to a contract impasse that could eventually result in a walkout.
“With rising rates of fatigue, operational failures, and a growing pilot shortage, Southwest Airlines needs to secure a contract with its pilots sooner rather than later,” the union said in a statement.
The union for Southwest Airlines flight attendants, TWU Local 556, asked for similar aid from the National Mediation Board in July after their own two-year battle for a new contract.
Filing for mediation moves oversight of the talks to federally appointed helpers who help guide discussions and make recommendations to bring the two sides closer together. However, federal mediation has rarely resulted in an immediate deal between airlines and unions. But it has helped sparring parties come closer to a deal.
Despite hiring thousands of employees to get up to pre-pandemic levels of service, Southwest has struggled to reach new contracts with groups representing thousands of workers as demands for pay and scheduling have changed.
Customer service agents, aircraft cleaners, dispatchers and other groups are all without contracts after years of talks and even after a handful of failed votes by union members.
The biggest dispute from pilots is scheduling, which the union says is making the job difficult, tiring and unattractive to members. Union President Casey Murray said that far too many pilots are placed on reserve, or on call and that they should be given more freedom to make their own schedules.
But Southwest, along with other carriers, has struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels of delays and cancellations. There have been stretches of mass cancellations going back to spring 2021, although Southwest has improved its performance in recent months.
Still, pilots and flight attendants say delays and cancellations caused by overscheduling and poor planning are causing an increase in tired crew members.
American Airlines pilots and flight attendants are also in negotiations with the Fort Worth-based carrier, citing similar issues over scheduling and fatigue.
“Southwest is eager to continue moving negotiations forward with the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association so we can reward our pilots and continue to attract great people,” Adam Carlisle, Southwest’s vice president of labor relations, said in a statement. “As the negotiation process nears its third year, including a 13 months-long pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mediation will be beneficial to guide and facilitate our discussions.”
