Southwest Airlines announced that its Pilots have rejected the tentative contract agreement that Union and Company negotiators reached in September. According to the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, 62 percent of Pilots who cast ballots voted against the deal.
“Everyone who worked on this agreement wanted to ensure that it recognized Southwest Pilots for the role they play in the Company’s success,” said Vice President of Flight Operations Craig Drew. “Although our efforts failed to produce an agreement, we will continue working until we have a contract that meets the needs of our Pilots and the Company.”
The Negotiating Committees will resume discussions subject to the schedule and guidance of the National Mediation Board (NMB). The Company expects mediated discussions to resume in the spring of 2016.
Southwest Pilots will continue working under their existing contract until a new agreement is reached. Union and Company negotiators have been in contract discussions for more than three years and in mediated talks since November 2014.
