The union for pilots at Southwest Airlines is asking federal labor regulators to be released from mediation with the carrier amid a three-year contract battle, moving one step closer to a strike at the nation’s largest domestic airline.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association 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.
Only seven weeks ago, Southwest pilots overwhelmingly authorized the union to start preparing for a potential strike, a step that moves the airline closer to a shutdown, although it is still many steps away from that happening and would need the approval of federal regulators and would likely draw intervention from Congress and the White House.
