The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), representing over 10,000 Southwest Airlines pilots, has decided to seek a strike authorization vote after the tragic Christmas 2022 meltdown. SWAPA President Captain Casey Murray said today the vote is the first strike authorization vote in the history of Southwest Airlines and will start May 1.

“It was the lack of discussion or commitment by our leadership team to rectify these issues for our passengers and our pilots that drove us to make the decision to carry forward on this path afforded to us by the Railway Labor Act."

Why the Strike Authorization Vote?

As per the above announcement video, SWAPA leaders are very distraught over the pace of negotiations and the recent meltdown. The current pilot's contract with Southwest Airlines has gone 869 days since being "amendable" or expired past its original intended term.

Although the Railway Labor Act governing US airline labor relations has a lengthy process before the pilots can strike, a strike authorization vote will allow union leadership to call a strike as soon as legally possible. In addition, the strike authorization vote publicly shows what percentage of the SWAPA members support SWAPA leaders, thereby putting pressure on Southwest Airlines' management to be more receptive to union demands.

SWAPA President Casey Murray attended a negotiation session between SWAPA and airline management facilitated by a federal mediator. In Murray's opinion, there was "no impetus" to get to a contract.

According to Murray, there was also a "visual recoil" by management when SWAPA brought up the meltdown in which the airline canceled 16,700 flights between December 21-31. The holiday chaos is projected to cost Southwest Airlines almost a billion dollars. This response deeply troubled SWAPA leaders, accelerating their strike authorization vote plans.

In the above podcast, SWAPA leaders bemoaned the tragic loss of public trust in the airline. Though Southwest seems hesitant to accept responsibility publicly, management has attempted to apologize to passengers with points and compensation for expenses.

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"Saving the heart of Southwest Airlines"

Furthermore, in an interview with Simple Flying, Murray clarified that the holiday disruptions showed "the failure is company-wide."

The failure shows that Southwest Airlines needs to invest in:

• Information technology (IT)
• Infrastructure
• People
• Changing processes

Ultimately to Murray, the strike authorization vote is about preventing further mass disruptions.

"This isn't negotiating. This is more saving the heart of Southwest Airlines. We're offering them solutions. Otherwise we're not going to survive. The continuing meltdowns tell the story."

Management response

Southwest Airlines management has responded to the SWAPA strike authorization vote to The Dallas Morning News. Southwest Airlines Vice President of Labor Relations Adam Carlisle said,

“The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association’s call for an authorization vote does not affect Southwest’s operation or our ability to take care of our customers. We will continue to follow the process outlined in the Railway Labor Act and work, under the assistance of the National Mediation Board, toward reaching an agreement that rewards our pilots and places them competitively in the industry.”

In the book "Leading From Heart," Gary Kelly said,

"A lot of our competitors would get distracted with a new shiny object and go chase these things, but Herb was very content to focus on the basic things: taking care of our Employees and offering our Customers great service."

Why start voting on May 1?

Why open the strike authorization ballot on May 1? According to Murray,

"We believe that May 1 provides a date that allows our union time to prepare and gives our customers time to book elsewhere so that they can have confidence that their summer vacations, honeymoons, and family outings are assured.”

The vote will be counted at the end of May. Meanwhile, negotiations with a mediator will restart on January 24.

How long until things are fixed?

Southwest's founder Herb Kelleher was quoted in "Leading With Heart: Living and Working the Southwest Way" saying,

"When an issue comes up, we don't say we're going to study it for two and a half years."

What are your impressions? Please share with civility in the comments.

Source: The Dallas Morning News

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  Southwest Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  WN/SWA

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dallas Love Field, Denver International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Houston Hobby Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Midway International Airport, Oakland International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1967

  CEO:

  Robert Jordan

  Country:

  United States