Southwest Airlines flight attendants claim they have reached a “breaking point” and are asking Southwest to stop using “emergency” grounds to deny benefits and increase workloads.
At Breaking Point, Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Claim To Be “Weary, Exhausted, Frustrated and Forgotten”
TWU Local 556, which represents 15,000 Southwest flight attendants, sent a letter to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly outlining a number of grievances:
Flight Attendants are weary, exhausted, frustrated and forgotten. Some of us – far too many of us – are sick. Many of us are making choices that can have grave impact to our jobs, our Customers and our Company. And all of us are trying to keep the jobs we love, keep our Customers happy, and keep our carrier in the air.
In order to remedy the grievances, the union is calling for a number of concrete steps:
- Immediately terminate Southwest’s use of “Emergency Sick Call Procedures”
- Southwest has been operating under a self-imposed state of emergency since the pandemic began, which limits the ability for flight attendants to call in sick (it is much more difficult because additional verification is required and employees face sanction for too many sick days). With staffing limited and pressure high, flight attendants feel compelled to come in even if they are feeling ill.
- Stop adding additional pairings into the system
- With flight attendants already spread too thin, unions want to see schedule reductions, not more flight added, since there are not enough flight attendants to work them.
- End extended duty days and reschedules
- Due to “operational needs” flight attendants often find their work schedule shuffled at the last minute, which causes stress, longer duty days, and may pose a safety risk when flight attendants are asked to work up to 18-hour duty days
- Improve working conditions
- The union says “no food and no rest is no way to treat the best.” It wants better hotel accommodations, food, and transportation.
- “Protect us—and help us protect ourselves”
- Flight attendants should be given the benefit of the doubt in air rage incidents (glue anyone?)
Flight attendants claim they have given much to the company and now the company should start giving back.
“The pervasive sentiment in our membership is that there is no interest in protecting the well-being of the single most customer-facing department in this company. We refuse to continue to be treated like our safety and our ability to perform our duties is an afterthought.”
Southwest has not formally responded to the note. TWU Local 556 has also launched a social media campaign with images like this:
CONCLUSION
Flight attendants argue they have been overworked during the pandemic and are spread far too thin. The union is calling for better schedules, more generous sick leave, meals, hotels, and transportation. But as Southwest Airlines warns it will not achieve profit this quarter even with federal assistance, it is unlikely we will see any big changes to the way in which the largest domestic airline in the USA is run.
image: Southwest Airlines
Dont like your job? Quit. there’s plenty of jobs available . if enough people quit, the company will make changes.
That’s how the real world works.
While the video link below is not about Southwest, think about being on a flight where the Flight Attendant says after a 14 hour duty day, including a 4-hour delay where she or he did not get paid. Do you want them telling you how to get off after at work 18 hours?
Even worse when they had 3 meals of pretzels and peanuts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU5lvyC4clQ
I assume you think that unions are a bad thing. In most cases they are are the only reason you are safe traveling.
Came to say exactly that. Never flew SW and never will. Life is too short to fight for seats with other customers. Same thing for the employees, why go to work at a job you hate? So sick of lazy people.
Thanks for yr opinion but the real world of service industry occupations doesn’t work like that. Ask any health care worker, particularly nurses, Nurses are quitting in massive numbers, in response to the stresses & lack of support by upper mgmnt. Ultimately this is significantly contributing to the present collapse of the US hospital systems in parts of the country. The CEOs of the hospital chains don’t care. The flight attendants deserve a better quality of work life. 18-hr work days? Get yentzed.
No one is being forced to work at Southwest. Sounds like union agitprop.
Unions gonna union.
I love Southwest largely because of the humor and caring of staff who make the flights relaxing and fun. On my last flight a week ago, my husband was served “a half cup” of coffee, literally. The attendant cut the cup in half. it was hilarious and so good for everyone’s frazzled Covid nerves. On another trip the attendant poured a giant plastic bag of pretzels over my head, equally hilarious. This warmth and wittiness is what makes Southwest the BEST so I hope that despite struggling bottom lines, the CEO and CFO take into consideration the exceptional talents and skills of those in the aisles. I sure do.
Thanks,
MLH
Let the stupid comments begin! Wait, too late…
The union is asking for the sun and the moon, knowing that whatever they want will be vastly watered down in real life. Their gripes are valid if a bit overblown in this instance.
I don’t think any of there request are unreasonable but I’m shocked none of this is included in their current contract work rules.
I ‘m not a flight attendant or work for an airline but I have friends who are flight attendants for both Delta and United Airlines. United can’t force their flight attendants to work 18 hour days or limit sick calls it is part of their work rules and Delta’s work rules for their flight attendants isn’t nearly as generous at United’s contract but Delta does not make their flight attendants work 18 hour days. Also if a flight attendant is on reserve they get the leftovers or go where the company needs them to go. If Southwest is moving line holders from their bid line or extending their bid line to cover additional flying that is wrong.
My sister worked for Southwest many years ago. It was like that even then. Especially if you were a ‘Junior’, a new employee. You were on call 7 days a week. If they needed you, you would get a phone call at any time. And then they had about 10 minutes to get dressed and the drive to Sacramento Airport. You could say no to them twice. After that they clip your wings. She loved the job but when her son was born it became to difficult and she had to quit.
Sorry to break it to you Dale, but none of what your sister did sounds correct. Legally can not be on call 7 days a week, and Sacramento Airport isn’t even a SW base.
I bet I can tell which candidate each commenter voted for in the last election. Paper thin….
Stress being on call? Cry me a river, I have been working in that atmosphere for over 15 years. Can’t handle the “stress” quit
Americans are so rude, loud, and argumentative. I hate flying in this country, too. So much. more pleasant to be in Mexico or Europe.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that anyone who works in travel today is being strung out by management. As long as the workers work, management couldn’t care less. I have been anti-union all my life, but it’s situations like this that hark back in history and make me realize how valuable a union can be. Hopefully James will come back to explain the relevancy of his comment about Americans being rude, loud and argumentative.