June 23 (UPI) -- Southwest Airlines and the union representing its mechanics, instructors and maintenance controllers, say they have reached a tentative labor agreement.
Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association President Brett Oestreich welcomed the tentative agreement.
"The AMFA negotiating committee has reached a tentative agreement with Southwest Airlines that, if ratified by membership, will elevate the Southwest Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) to industry-leading compensation. AMFA's goal and objective is to protect work, raise standards, and increase recognition for AMTs and related professionals," Oestreich said in a statement Friday.
Southwest Airlines' Vice President Labor Relations, Adam Carlisle, also welcomed the agreement.
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"Our mechanics and related employees work around the clock to safely maintain our aircraft, and we reached a tentative agreement that rewards them and helps Southwest maintain an efficient operation," said Carlisle.
Details of the agreement, which covers about 2,800 employees, have yet to be released. Union members will have to vote in favor of the agreement for it to go into effect.
In December, Southwest Airlines experienced severe service interruptions due to winter storms that resulted in the company cancelling about 70% of flights. Though other airlines experienced interruptions, Southwest cancelations accounted for the majority of cancelations nationwide.
Staff shortages and systemic issues prevented Southwest from rebooking flights as effectively as other airlines.
The cancelations are believed to have caused a $380 million financial loss in the first quarter.
"The majority of this impact was driven by a negative revenue impact of approximately $325 million, as a result of cancellations of holiday return travel and a deceleration in bookings for January and February 2023 travel," Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement at the time.
