Southwest Airlines flight attendants union OKs strike

A union representing Southwest Airlines flight attendants voted to authorize a strike Tuesday, after the members rejected a contract deal put forward by the union in December.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556 announced that 98 percent of its members voted to authorize a strike, the first strike authorization in its history. The union represents more than 15,000 Southwest flight attendants across 11 different bases.

“98% YES sends a strong message of solidarity. We will do whatever it takes to get a Contract that recognizes our contributions to the success of our co.,” the union wrote in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

Members of TWU Local 556 rejected a contract reached by their union and Southwest last month, The Associated Press reported. The contract was struck down in a vote, with 64 percent of members opposing it.

“We will go back to the table to achieve the collective bargaining agreement that meets the needs of the hardest-working flight attendants in the industry,” Lyn Montgomery, the union president, said in a statement at the time.

Southwest said in a statement to The Hill that it will continue to work toward another agreement.

“TWU 556’s authorization vote does not affect Southwest’s operation or our ability to take care of our Customers. We reached an industry-leading Tentative Agreement with TWU 556 in October, and we will work on next steps to continue mediation and reach another agreement,” the statement read.

The Associated Press contributed.