It's Another Step Towards a Strike. June 29, 2023, at 2:22 p.m. DALLAS (AP) — The pilots' union at Southwest Airlines is asking federal mediators to open the way for a strike, saying that big differences remain over pay and other items despite three years of bargaining over a new contract.
People Also Ask
Although the pilots union has voted to authorize a strike, the airline points out that, “Southwest's Pilots are not on strike, and the vote result has no impact on our scheduled operations. We are staffed and prepared to welcome travelers for their summer travel plans”.
The airline recently reached a deal with pilots that gives them a 21 percent raise and a 46 percent raise by 2027. The strike vote is largely symbolic because there are many steps that have to take place before an actual strike can happen.
American Airlines Flight Attendants picket in Dallas as they prepare to go on strike, August 30, 2023. Flight attendants at American Airlines voted overwhelmingly to authorize union leaders to call for a strike, a move designed to put pressure on the carrier during negotiations over pay raises.
Southwest's pilots are very unhappy with their employer. Southwest Airlines pilots want to strike. They voted in favor of doing so and asked to be released from federal contract mediation with the airline after a year of being unable to reach a new contract.
After trying for a year to reach a new contract. Southwest Airlines pilots have voted to strike and asked to be released from federal contract mediation with the airline. The overall negotiations have gone on for more than three years and the airline's pilots have not been shy about their frustration with the process.
They can train about 1,500 to 1,800 pilots a year, Headley said. But since the industry is short about 17,000 pilots right now, we can't catch up that quick, he said. Because of the current staffing shortage, commercial airlines have cut back flights to smaller regional airports.
For instance, Southwest Airlines pilots earn an average annual salary of $222,000. However, some Southwest pilots earn as much as $549,000. Similarly, United Airlines pilots earn an average of $205,000. The average Delta Airlines pilot earns $192,000 with top-earners making $526,000.
Traditionally a pilot at a regional airline might start out earning less than $50,000 per year, but get hired on by a major airline and that goes up quickly into the six figures, and well over $300,000 for senior captains flying widebody aircraft overseas. Some earn over $400,000.
If airlines cancel a flight for any reason, passengers are legally entitled to a full refund, including for ticket price, taxes, baggage fees, extra charges and ancillary fees. Travelers must receive that refund within seven business days if they paid by credit card, and within 20 days if by cash or check.
But none of those union members will be allowed to go on strike anytime soon — if at all — under the labor law that applies to airline workers. That law is the Railway Labor Act, which, despite he name, covers both rail workers and airline employees.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) considers a flight to be delayed when it is 15 minutes later than its scheduled time. A cancellation occurs when the airline does not operate the flight at all for a certain reason.