Tentative deal would boost pay for 8,000 Southwest workers
Airline workers are pushing for better pay in the midst of a travel recovery
DALLAS (AP) — More than 8,000 customer-service workers at Southwest Airlines would get raises of 16% to 25% over four years under a tentative contract, according to their union, a sign of cost pressures facing airlines in a tight labor market.
The agreement announced Monday faces a ratification vote, however, and the same workers rejected a previous deal that union leaders negotiated in May.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said the new deal has better terms than the rejected agreement and would put people who work at Southwest ticket counters and airport gates at the top of the industry’s pay scale.
Under the agreement, a top-scale customer-service representative would get a 13.1% raise upon ratification and 25.1% over four years. The rejected deal would have given them a 17.5% raise over that period. The union said less-senior workers would receive slightly smaller raises but more than under the May proposal.
