Unhappy with Contract Negotiations, 99% of SWA Aviators Approve Strike

Southwest Airlines pilots voted "overwhelmingly" in favor of authorizing a strike, with 98% of the base turning out to cast their ballot behind the issue.

Only 1% voted against the strike, which shows where the pilots' heads are at this point in the negotiation process. The authorization won't, like so many exciting-sounding votes, result in an actual walk out, but may help to push the company in one direction or another as Southwest pilots hunt for better contract terms.

“This is a historic day, not only for our pilots, but for Southwest Airlines,” said SWAPA President Casey Murray. “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. We want our passengers to understand that we do not take this path lightly and are disheartened that the LUV airline has gotten so far away from the values set forth by Herb Kelleher. We want our customers to be prepared for the path ahead and make arrangements on other carriers so that their plans through the summer and fall are not disrupted.”

FMI: www.swapa.org