American Airlines Pilots Vote to Strike, Southwest Pilots May Follow

President of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association Casey Murray testifies during a hearing before Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee at Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Feb. 9, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Southwest Airlines pilots began casting strike-authorization votes on Monday, the same day that the American Airlines pilots union announced its members voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike.

It comes despite American Airlines stating that it is close to resolving disputed contract issues with its 15,000 pilots.

The outcome of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) vote will be revealed after voting for its 10,000 members concludes on May 31.

This is the first time in Southwest’s 51-year history that pilots have taken such a vote.

Even if either company’s pilots do walk off the job, it won’t happen for many months.

Aviation expert Jay Ratliff told The Epoch Times, “It’s never an immediate ‘we vote to strike today; tomorrow, everything’s toast.’”

Federal laws governing airlines require many steps between a strike-authorization vote and an actual labor strike.

By taking such a vote, the unions are “simply sending the message that ‘we’re serious and let us show you how serious we are,’” Ratliff said.

Bad Blood ‘Boiling’

As to whether the labor management issues at both airlines can be resolved, Ratliff said, “I’m much more confident with American Airlines than I am with Southwest because there’s such bad blood there that’s been boiling.”

Southwest’s culture has shifted from an employee-centric operation to a top-down, profit-oriented management style, so “this is not the Southwest of old, and it’s soured quite a few employees,” Ratliff said.

Delta Airlines pilots picket for a new contract at Terminal 4 in JFK International Airport in New York City on Sept. 1, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The company declined to comment on Ratliff’s characterizations, but it released a statement calling SWAPA’s strike-authorization vote “a contract-negotiating tactic, one that has been used by several airline unions within the last twelve months.”

Delta Air Lines pilots voted to strike last fall. But in March, the pilots ratified a contract with a 30 percent pay hike.

However, compared to Delta or any other airline, Southwest faces unique challenges with its pilots’ union, Ratliff said.

Meltdowns and Money

In addition to resentment over the cultural shift, Southwest’s pilots are angry over the company’s refusal to act on years-old concerns about the airline’s outdated computer systems causing “mini-meltdowns.”

In December 2022, a major meltdown caused Southwest to cancel nearly 17,000 flights and cost the airline $800 million as of January. Last month, the airline said it lost another $325 million during the first quarter, primarily from post-meltdown fallout.

A Southwest Airlines airplane comes in for a landing at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on May 12, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Now the airline is pledging to invest “a tremendous amount of money” to fix those issues, Ratliff said, and the pilots believe the airline should also invest in its staff.

SWAPA’s contract talks have been ongoing for three years.

The union protested against the company’s stock buybacks in early December 2022, weeks before the meltdown. SWAPA warned the company in January that a strike vote would be set for May unless contract negotiations proved fruitful.

Considering that backdrop at Southwest, Ratliff said: “I’m not going to quickly say, ‘Oh, there will never be a strike between the pilots and management.’ Because it’s such a toxic environment between the two groups, I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.”

Differing Perspectives

SWAPA President Capt. Casey Murray accused the company of showing “no willingness to address some of the issues that impact not only our pilots but our customers as well, such as scheduling work rules and technology improvements.”

“The lack of discussion or commitment by our leadership team to rectify these issues for our passengers and our pilots are driving us to carry forward on this path,” Murray said in a May 1 news release.

But Adam Carlisle, Southwest’s vice president of labor relations, said negotiations would resume this week. “We'll keep working with the assistance of the National Mediation Board to reach an agreement that rewards our pilots and places them competitively in the industry,” he said in a company statement.

The company further explained: “The Railway Labor Act outlines specific processes we must follow in negotiations ... The mediators are responsible for scheduling the dates and locations of negotiations, as well as what items are discussed.”

Mediators have been involved in the negotiations since October 2022.

Stronger Intervention Expected

Despite his concerns about Southwest’s labor-management climate, Ratliff says in recent years, “every single time we’ve seen a strike vote, the cooler minds prevail.”

If either American or Southwest continues toward an actual strike, Ratliff predicted, “You are going to see the government a lot more involved.”

Federal officials “understand that the airline industry is an important component to the economic engine,” he said.

Ratliff said that leaders will take every step possible to prevent pilots from striking. That’s especially true after U.S. demand for air travel finally rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic slump.

“The last thing the government wants to do is have passengers suffer through more grief and turmoil than what we’ve already had,” Ratliff said.