More than 11,000 Southwest Airlines pilots will vote over the next month on a tentative agreement with the company that increases compensation and retirement benefits for those employees.
“We know that the last few years have been difficult for our pilots as well as our customers, but we believe that this TA rewards our pilots as well as improving reliability for our passengers,” said Capt. Casey Murray, the president of Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), in a news release. “Our membership has fought for almost four years to reach an agreement with Southwest Airlines. They now have the opportunity to evaluate this deal and cast their vote accordingly.”
The agreement extends through December 2028 and provides “significant gains in compensation, with pay rate increases over the next four years. The deal also includes improvements to work rules and flying schedules, better disability coverage, and increases to retirement benefits.”
It comes more than a month after SWAPA opened a regional strike center at 1450 Empire Central, on which The Dallas Express reported, and it was the closest the work group had come to striking. In September 2022, SWAPA filed for mediation, and airline officials and mediators met weekly for months.
SWAPA and Southwest have had a strained relationship for years, as aviation news source Simply Flying has reported. According to the outlet, the pilots have a track record of criticizing the work culture and the airline’s willingness — or lack thereof — to negotiate in good faith.
But SWAPA’s board of directors believes the tentative agreement “achieves the goals of the pilot group, provides security for their families and rewards their industry-leading productivity,” according to its Wednesday release.
In a corresponding statement, Adam Carlisle, vice president of labor relations at Southwest Airlines, agreed.
“Our pilots are exemplary aviators, and this agreement would give them industry-leading pay rates and numerous quality-of-life enhancements, while also providing opportunities for operational efficiencies,” he said. “I thank both negotiating committees and the National Mediation Board for their hard work to achieve this milestone, and I am glad our Pilots will get to vote on this agreement soon.”
Southwest is headquartered in Dallas. The carrier employs about 72,000 workers and operates more than 4,000 flights each day during peak travel times.
