Act Daily News
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The union representing Southwest Airlines pilots is taking early steps towards a attainable strike, citing the airline’s Christmas journey meltdown among the many issues.
“Three years in the negotiating room, very little progress, a Christmas meltdown that has just defined what all of our problems are have led us to this decision,” Casey Murray, a Southwest captain and president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, stated.
The union management is asking for a strike authorization vote, an early step in direction of a attainable strike. It stated the vote might start in May, a timeline that might “give our customers time to book elsewhere so that they may have confidence in their summer vacations, honeymoons, and family outings.”
The union’s vice chairman, Michael Santoro, referred to as it “a tool to wake up management.”
The union additionally stated it’s asking Southwest for “gratitude pay to compensate our Pilots who suffered through the meltdown.”
The airline instructed Act Daily News that the union’s assertion “does not affect Southwest’s operation or our ability to take care of our Customer.”
“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,” stated Adam Carlisle, an airline vice chairman. He stated mediated negotiations resume subsequent week.