In mid-May, Southwest Airlines pilots voted to authorize a strike, making this the fourth pilots union in the United States to do so in recent months. That’s only the first step to actually going on strike, though. The union has now taken the second step, which is more than we’ve seen at any US airline so far. Could Southwest pilots actually go on strike in the coming weeks?!
First let’s cover how pilots voted to authorize a strike, and then we’ll talk about the latest update, which is quite significant.
In this post:
Southwest pilots voted in favor of a strike
In early May, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), which represents Southwest Airlines’ 10,000+ pilots, opened voting for a strike authorization. With this, pilots could vote on whether or not they’d like to see a strike among pilots at the airline.
While the vote was supposed to run through the end of May, voting closed within a week, given the overwhelming participation. 98% of pilots cast votes, and 99% of those pilots voted in favor of authorizing a strike. This followed three years of “stagnant negotiations” for a new contract for pilots (in fairness, the first 18 months of that probably wasn’t a great time to negotiate).
Here’s how SWAPA President Casey Murray described this vote:
“This is a historic day, not only for our pilots, but for Southwest Airlines. The lack of leadership and the unwillingness to address the failures of our organization have led us to this point. Our pilots are tired of apologizing to our passengers on behalf of a company that refuses to place its priorities on its internal and external customers.”
“Today, our Pilots have empowered our Negotiating Committee Chair, Captain Jody Reven, to petition the National Mediation Board to release us to self-help imminently at which time we will follow the process set forth by the Railway Labor Act and continue toward a strike. We want our passengers to understand that we do not take this path lightly and are disheartened that the LUV airline has gotten so far away from the values set forth by Herb Kelleher. We want our customers to be prepared for the path ahead and make arrangements on other carriers so that their plans through the summer and fall are not disrupted.”
As I explained at the time, just because pilots voted in favor of a strike authorization doesn’t mean they’ll actually go on strike.
Rather, Southwest management and the union representing pilots have to follow the procedures of the Railway Labor Act, which includes going to the National Mediation Board, in hopes of coming to a resolution. A strike would only (eventually) be permitted if that process fails. Even then it wouldn’t be immediate, as there would first be a 30-day cooling off period before a strike could occur.
I also can’t help but note how the union is going on quite the tirade against the company on Twitter and other social media platforms. SWAPA even has some thoughts on Southwest’s new brand film… hah.
Southwest pilots request release from National Mediation Board
Today, SWAPA has filed a request with the National Mediation Board, to officially be released from mediation. Essentially that means that negotiations aren’t going anywhere, and pilots want to strike. As the union describes it, union negotiators have become increasingly frustrated with Southwest’s lack of commitment to negotiating in earnest and the pace of productivity during this negotiation cycle.
Here’s how SWAPA President Casey Murray describes this move:
“If released from mediation, our Pilot group will continue down the path afforded to us through the Railway Labor Act (RLA).It is an unfortunate situation that we find ourselves in today, however, our pilots have waited long enough for a contract. We can no longer sit by as our fellow aviators are rewarded with industry leading contracts and watch as we bleed qualified new hires to our competitors. We love our airline, and we are willing to do what it takes to get Southwest back to the airline it once was.”
The union is stating that it hopes that this will cause Southwest’s negotiators to make a stronger commitment and more meaningful preparations for negotiations. However, otherwise the union wants to prepare for a strike, which could happen after this is approved, and there’s a 30-day cooling off period.
The reality is that strikes don’t happen often at airlines in the United States, and we haven’t seen one in over a decade. But hey, there’s always a first, so we’ll see if anything happens here.
What contract are Southwest pilots looking for?
I’ve written in the past about how much airline pilots are paid. For context, you can find Southwest’s current pilot pay scale here. First officers earn anywhere from $84 to $191 per hour, while captains earn anywhere from $241 to $274 per hour. You can add three zeroes to the end of the hourly pay scale to figure out roughly how much airline pilots earn annually.
Delta pilots recently negotiated an industry-leading contract, which will set the benchmark for the industry. As of January 1, 2024, Delta Boeing 737 first officers will be paid anywhere from $113 to $240 per hour, while captains will be paid anywhere from $323 to $352 per hour.
But I imagine that Southwest pilots will want even more than that. Why? Because Delta pilots have the ability to fly larger aircraft (with higher pay scales), while Southwest only flies the 737, so the pay scale should account for the lack of larger aircraft. For example, Delta Airbus A350 first officers will be paid anywhere from $114 to $300 per hour, while captains will be paid anywhere from $402 to $438 per hour.
At some point you have to wonder how sustainable all of these pay scales are. This will disproportionately negatively impact long haul and ultra long haul flights, which require three to four pilots. Paying four pilots these kinds of amounts on a 15 hour flight could materially alter the economics of some flights. Obviously that doesn’t apply to Southwest, though.
Bottom line
In May, Southwest Airlines pilots overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike authorization. 98% of pilots cast votes, and 99% of those pilots voted in favor of a strike. Unfortunately it looks like not much progress has been made since that vote, so the union is now preparing to take the next step.
The union has filed a request with the National Mediation Board (NMB) to be officially released from mediation. If that were to happen, pilots could eventually go on strike. Like I said, this hasn’t happened in a very long time in the United States, so it’s anyone’s guess if that’s what this comes down to.
Do you think we could see Southwest pilots go on strike?
NotMyName you comment shows you have zero knowledge of aviation. The specialized skills it takes to fly a 737, 767, 787 are exactly the same. A 767 flying from Los Angeles to Honolulu verse a 737 requires zero difference in skill.
To NotMyName: Southwest pilots are NOT less skilled just because they fly 737's. Every pilot is highly trained for the plane he/she flies. One plane is not that much more difficult to fly that another plane. Your analogy does not apply in this situation.
Why is there reasoning pointing to higher pay for less skilled? flights? Am I reading that correctly? They want the same pay flying smaller aircraft as pilots who actually do pilot larger aircraft?
What type of logic is that? If that's correct, then it's absurd. That would be like medical personnel at level 5 hospitals or clinics out in the middle of nowhere, who frankly don't have the specialization/experience required for more complex cases,...
Why is there reasoning pointing to higher pay for less skilled? flights? Am I reading that correctly? They want the same pay flying smaller aircraft as pilots who actually do pilot larger aircraft?
What type of logic is that? If that's correct, then it's absurd. That would be like medical personnel at level 5 hospitals or clinics out in the middle of nowhere, who frankly don't have the specialization/experience required for more complex cases, to get paid the same as those professionals in Level 1 facilities that actually do provide the experience/education/specialization necessary to do the job.
Wouldn't we all love to get paid the same for doing less skilled/specialized work as those that actually do.
Your comment is very ignorantly said. Your analogy of level 1 and level 5 hospitals are not remotely a comparison. But, I’ll try and play along. Arguably, the smaller aircraft makes more takeoffs and landings, since the larger airplane flies long distance. The inherited risk involved for the smaller aircraft is much higher, and by your own argument, the smaller aircraft would be closer aligned to a level 1 hospital. It is well documented, the...
Your comment is very ignorantly said. Your analogy of level 1 and level 5 hospitals are not remotely a comparison. But, I’ll try and play along. Arguably, the smaller aircraft makes more takeoffs and landings, since the larger airplane flies long distance. The inherited risk involved for the smaller aircraft is much higher, and by your own argument, the smaller aircraft would be closer aligned to a level 1 hospital. It is well documented, the smaller aircraft has more risk involved, and therefore demands more skill, therefore more pay. Don’t let the adjective of “small” conjure up another adjective meaning “insignificant”. The skill/specialized work is identical. If you will, call an airplane a “widget.” If the widgets earn the same revenues, how is your explanation because one is a smaller widget, it demands less respect or pay? If an identical hat has one famous logo as one that has an unknown logo, which one will generate more earnings? In this case the widget is logo, one is huge and one is insignificant. Do your homework.
The RLA gives the US President the authority to cancel any strike and force the striking group back to work and then the president will convene a board to develop an agreement. Go lookup the AA pilot strike in 1997. The disruption to the economy would be immense because of the proposed strike.
The Railway Labor Act which governs airline labor negotiations includes very clear steps in the process for getting a labor contract. When mediation does not obtain the goals necessary, EITHER SIDE can ask for an end to that process which includes the right to strike by labor or the right to lock out labor by the company.
WN pilots have long obtained total compensation as good as or better than their legacy carrier peers but...
The Railway Labor Act which governs airline labor negotiations includes very clear steps in the process for getting a labor contract. When mediation does not obtain the goals necessary, EITHER SIDE can ask for an end to that process which includes the right to strike by labor or the right to lock out labor by the company.
WN pilots have long obtained total compensation as good as or better than their legacy carrier peers but that has changed and WN pilots have every right to expect that the company will do its part to narrow that gap.
And the growing labor costs are hurting low cost carriers which do not have the ability to generate the revenue which the big 3 global carriers can generate through their premium services on domestic and longhaul international routes. Regional carriers and low cost carriers including B6 and NK cannot keep their pilot workforces staffed including to levels necessary to grow the airlines.
If Delta achieved anything w/ its massive pay raise, it made sure it will have the people to grow at the expense of other airlines.
And let's not also forget that there is a deepening shortage of aircraft mechanics who are highly skilled and paid and flight attendant unions are also looking for hefty pay raise; none of the big 3 has matched DL's pay raises for its flight attendants including boarding pay.
Yes, LUV pilots are justified in asking to be released from mediation. If LUV wants to have a future for the company that Herb built, they have to figure out how to continue the premium pay tradition that it has maintained for its workforce for decade.
Oh please oh please oh please let them get released, wait 30 days, and strike! The wanton hubris spewing from the palace at Love Field needs to have consequences for once.
Delay the release about a week and I'll be fine with it, Hawaii with the kids is coming up and I'd hate to cancel it...