Dear IAM District Lodge 142 Members at Southwest Airlines,
Happy New Year to everyone. We wanted to update you on the negotiations process at Southwest Airlines and what you can expect.
After the recent Tentative Agreement was announced late last year, the process of ratification followed. Southwest membership voted overwhelmingly to reject the tentative agreement. After the tentative agreement was rejected, District Lodge 142 posted an electronic survey that was available online to all members. This survey was intended to reach out and let the membership voice their opinion on why the Tentative Agreement was rejected.
The survey was open until December 31, 2021 and after closing the survey, we took some time to review issues that voiced by the membership. The next step in this process was to contact the mediator assigned to the negotiations by the National Mediation Board, which we have done over the last few weeks. The mediator has asked that we look at scheduling a Zoom call with him and our entire Negotiating Committee, which we are in the process of coordinating.
Most likely, the mediator has or will also reach out to the company to discuss next steps. After discussions with the union and the company, the mediator will decide if and when the parties get back to the negotiating table to address issues that may help achieve an agreement. This process can move quickly or can become cumbersome and drag on over time. It depends on the issues put forth by the parties and the willingness to resolve them.
We are sure you are also aware of new leadership at the company. We were pleased to see the following quotes from Bob Jordan, the new CEO of Southwest Airlines:
“We had people who’ve worked a mandatory eight Saturdays in a row. I thank them for doing that, and I say ‘My apologies that we put you and your family in that situation.’ And now it’s my job to do something about it.”
Jordan also expressed the importance of investing in employees, saying:
“The (last) 21 months have been tough on people, so I want 2022 to be a year where we really invest in our employees, love on our employees, and then get back to being consistently profitable.”
We would hope that the people the company has at the negotiating table would share the same viewpoints, but that is currently not the case.
Once we have details as to what direction the mediator decides, we will communicate our next steps. In the meantime, it is important that our voice is collectively heard as one voice, and that you support your negotiating team as they prepare for next steps.
Please click here for more detail on the mediation process.
In solidarity,
Kenny Champagne
General Chair
April Butler
General Chair
Carrie Leslie
General Chair
