Southwest Airlines pilots vote to authorize strike as they push for pay raises in new contract

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Southwest Airlines pilots vote to authorize strike as they push for pay raises in new contract

May 11, 2023

DALLAS (AP) — Pilots at Southwest Airlines voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, their union said Thursday, a move that is unlikely to lead to a walkout in the near future but is designed to put more pressure on the airline during contract negotiations.

The union said 99% of members who took part voted to authorize a strike, and turnout was 98%.

Southwest said the vote has no effect on its operations.

“We are staffed and prepared to welcome travelers for their summer travel plans,” the airline said in a statement.

The outcome of the vote was widely expected after a similar result at American Airlines, but it doesn’t mean that a strike is imminent. Under U.S. law, airline workers can’t legally strike unless federal mediators decide that further negotiations are pointless. Even then, the president and Congress can block a strike.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-pilots-strike-vote-129275b94a6882a9a350d924be01adcd

[mn9driver]

1. Strike votes in the airline and rail industries mean little.

They are a way to “send a message” to management, but what exactly that message is, isn’t clear since actual strikes are almost impossible due to the Railway Labor Act.

Organized labor in this country has few rights compared to other free, developed countries. And in the Transportation industry, labor has no rights at all.