United States low-cost airline Southwest Airlines has had its dispatchers and facilities maintenance technicians approve the latest collective bargaining agreement.

Represented by the Transport Workers Union Local 550 (TWU 550), the agreement will cover more than 450 Flight Dispatchers, Assistant Dispatchers, Flight Superintendents, Dispatch Specialists, and Dispatch ATC Specialists for the airline, and future negotiations will be able to take place from June 1st, 2027. Southwest Airlines released this statement:

“Our Dispatch Employees provide immense value to our organization, and this new collective bargaining agreement will give them industry-competitive pay and several quality of life enhancements, while also adding work rule efficiencies for Southwest.”

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

Technicians also approve

Maintenance Technicians, who were represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), have also agreed in their latest negotiations, which will cover more than 50 staff. Further negotiations for this agreement can recommence on November 16th, 2027. In a statement from the airline, Adam Carlisle, Southwest's vice president of labor relations, commented on both parties and their announcements:

"We have now ratified agreements with five of our union-represented workgroups within the past four months.

“Our Facilities Maintenance Technicians do a great job maintaining our Southwest facilities across the system, and I am pleased we’re able to recognize their work with a new contract that offers pay increases and quality of life enhancements.”

Photo: Jeramey Lende | Shutterstock

Discussions since October

Involved parties have been in discussion regarding the new collective agreement since October 2022. Five union-represented workgroups for airline technicians voted in favor of the deal. As noted by the statement released by the airline, recognizing their work and including pay increases will ensure improved quality of life for Southwest employees.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Pilots vote to strike

As reported on Simple Flying earlier, The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), which represents more than 10,000 Southwest Airlines pilots, has decided to seek a strike authorization vote as a partial result of the shocking Christmas 2022 meltdown. SWAPA President Captain Casey Murray commented that the vote is the first strike authorization vote in the history of Southwest Airlines and will start May 1st.

As noted in interviews with Simple Flying, SWAPA President Casey Murray pinpointed that the holiday disruptions showed "the failure is company-wide." The strike authorization vote protects against future mass disruptions and highlights the investment needed in IT, Infrastructure, people, and updated processes. Releasing the statement:

"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."

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.”

Sources: PRNewswire, Dallas Morning News