Southwest Airlines Meteorologists Reach Tentative Contract Deal with Dallas Carrier
Meteorologists at Southwest Airlines reached a tentative agreement on Monday with the Dallas-based carrier.
Southwest’s meteorologists, represented by Transport Workers Union 550, become the ninth employee group to reach a deal with the company. The airline employs about a dozen weather experts.
Unions representing the airline’s three biggest employee groups –pilots, flight attendants and ramp and cargo workers – are still in contract talks or discussions with a federal mediator.
“This agreement rewards our meteorologists for their expertise and many contributions to our business,” said Adam Carlisle, vice president of labor relations at Southwest Airlines in a statement. “I appreciate the hard work from both negotiating teams to reach an agreement for employees to vote on.”
Contract details weren’t disclosed. The union said it will share that information and the voting process with its members.
“The board of TWU 550 would like to thank the negotiating committees of both parties for their hard work and diligence to provide our meteorologists with this tentative agreement,” said union president Brian Brown. “Together, these teams produced a collective bargaining agreement that provides our members with competitive wages, quality of life improvements and vital job security measures that will benefit our professional meteorologists for years to come.”
Southwest is in mediation with Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represents about 18,000 flight attendants, and the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association, which bargains for about 9,000 pilots.
The company is also negotiating with Transport Workers Union Local 555, which represents some 15,000 ramp, operations, provisioning and cargo agents.
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