Southwest Airlines flight attendants vote in favour of strike authorisation

Southwest Airlines flight attendants, represented by Transport Workers Union Local 556, have voted in favour of a strike authorisation. If an agreement is not reached with the airline, the union could request a 30-day cooling-off period, after which the over 21,000 Southwest Airlines flight attendants would be free to strike. Flight attendants have been working without a contract for five years after their last contract expired in October 2018. The union rejected a previous deal by Southwest in December 2023 which would have offered an immediate pay hike of 20% and an additional 36% increase over the five years of