In these days of airline union unrest in the headlines, this look at the underpinnings of Southwest Airline’s flight attendants’ union provides an enlightening view of the birth and growth of a successful airline union that has worked together with management to create legendary customer service and a profitable airline.
Of course, Southwest and its unions don’t always agree, but for the most part Southwest, with one of the most heavily unionized workforces in the airline industry manages to make a profit and field an upbeat workforce.
American Airlines is currently having problems with their flight attendants who are threatening to strike. We all remember the United pilots’ strike. Last week Lufthansa pilots stopped flying for a day. French air traffic controllers limited their work for about a week. Greek controllers shut dowm most of the flights in and out of their country. And, now, British Airways is facing a flight attendant strike that may happen at any time.
Over the last decade, as other flight attendant unions have seen their numbers shrink, TWU Local 556, Southwest’s flight attendant union, has doubled in size.
It all started when the small group of original members wanted to change their required hot pants uniforms. Today, they are nearly 10,000 strong and are the highest paid flight attendants of any domestic carrier.
Resulting from a simple request for written work rules back in the days when smoking was permitted on the aircraft, and hot pants were the required uniform, Southwest Airlines flight attendants today are the highest paid flight attendants of any domestic carrier.
The union took on other issues such as ending the practice where flight attendants were required to share rooms on layovers, and fighting for the right of men to work as flight attendants. All the while the union negotiated work rules that gave flight attendants security, while also giving the company enough flexibility to become the envy of the commercial aviation industry.
“Our union started out with just 54 women who pushed for better working conditions and better pay 35 years ago,” said TWU Local 556 President Thom McDaniel. In many ways, these flight attendants are the keepers of the Southwest spirit since they are the front-line workers who deal with passengers doing everything from helping with check-in, boarding and inflight issues. The Southwest flight attendants are among the first to protest cuts in passenger service and keep management focused on the customer experience.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
