Southwest Reaches Tentative Agreement with Pilots

Southwest Airlines announced a new tentative agreement with the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, the union representing its pilots.  The agreement will be subject to a ratification vote by the union’s membership.

“After four days of intense review and discussion, the board did not endorse or reject the agreement but believes that the ultimate decision should be made by the 8,000-plus members of the union,” the union said in a statement late Thursday.

If the pilots vote in favor of the agreement, it will end more than three years of negotiation.  The agreement will be in force through April 1, 2019 and provides for pay increases over the next four years that the union says will put Southwest pilots in line with those at other major airlines.

The Dallas-based carrier said that the agreement, once ratified, will allow the airline to continue to expand both domestically and internationally.

The ratification vote will take place through November 4, 2015.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)