Southwest finalizes ground staff deal

It’s taken almost five years of negotiations, but the news that Southwest Airlines has finally signed a satisfactory pay contract with its ground crew will come as a relief to many. In the event, the voting was very close, with workers only narrowly approving the new contract on February 19. Members of the Transport Workers Union Local 555, which represents more than 12,000 ramp, operations, cargo and other ground workers, was the force behind the deal.

The accepted offer includes pay increases of 20% that will be phased in over the five year contract term. However, there are some who feel that the deal hasn’t gone far enough in terms of job security and employee working conditions.