Southwest Airlines’ ramp, operations, provisioning, and cargo agents have approved a new five-year labor contract, the airline announced Thursday.
The contract covers 18,000 workers who are represented by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 555.
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Driving the news: The new contract includes a wage rate of $38 per hour at the top of the wage scale, which is 6.6% above United Airlines’ current leading rate.
- Under the new agreement, workers can reach the top of the pay scale after 10 years of service instead of 11 years.
- In recent years, various unions representing Southwest Airlines’ pilots, flight attendants, and maintenance workers have been pushing for higher wages, better scheduling, and other benefits.
- Southwest Airlines has already ratified contracts with ten worker groups since October 2022.
- Earlier this year, the airline reached a deal with its pilots, offering approximately a 50% pay raise over a five-year period.
- The union representing nearly 20,000 of Southwest’s flight attendants also recently reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract after two prior attempts failed.
