Southwest Pilot Strike vote May 1st

[mmouse50]

Does anyone think that if Southwest Pilot pilots vote to strike on May 1st that it will cause major flight changes within the organization? I know that they can vote to strike but it still has to go through FAA so nothing will be imminent. But do you see flights being canceled especially non-stop for summer travel?

 

[Jimsig]

I think you are mistaken about it having to go through the FAA. They are a regulatory agency that has nothing to do with labor/management issues just like the FRA doesn't have a say if railroad workers go on strike. Neither have any authority to stop a strike.

Believe it or not union airline pilots fall under the Railway Labor Act and there are many steps that each side must go through before a strike can occur. That means even if they vote to strike they are required to adhere to a 30 day cooling off period. During that time labor and management can continue to negotiate or even go into mediation. Even after that 30 days if no agreement has been made the pilots may continue to fly. Last fall Delta voted to strike but the pilots continued to fly as they felt that negotiations were going well (they finally settled March 1 and never went on strike). Knowing that they have the strike authorization in their back pocket can sometimes be enough to advert a strike for the time being. Congress and the President can also get involved and that would prolong everything as well.