The Union Threatens To Picket Southwest During Winter Travel High Season
On August 30th, The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association filed a complaint in federal court, declaring that the carrier implemented an "emergency extended time off" program, changed schedules and modified prescription drug and retirement benefits without first consulting or bargaining with the association, in violation of federal labor law. The union represents 9,000 pilots. The “emergency extended time off” policy gave pilots the option to take time off without pay during the pandemic. The union added Southwest began leading some pilots into mandatory quarantine without pay starting December 2020 and continuing into Summer 2021.