Why, when and where American Airlines, Southwest airlines workers are picketing this week

Two D-FW airline work groups are picketing this week after stalled negotiations have left them without a contract.

On Wednesday, American Airlines’ flight attendants, represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, will hold a series of informational pickets across 12 bases in the country, including DFW International Airport. American’s more than 26,000 flight attendants recently voted for a strike, although it would take a few more legal steps to actually conduct a strike under the Railway Labor Act, and will share results of the vote at the picket.

The flight attendants union filed for federal mediation in March with the National Mediation Board, for the contract that they started discussions on in 2019. If approved, the strike authorization vote would allow the union to call a strike, but only after getting the go-ahead from the National Mediation Board. Strike authorization votes don’t necessarily mean a strike will happen, but are used in union negotiations to ramp up pressure.

“Labor Day should take on a whole new meaning for American Airlines management this year,” said Julie Hedrick, the union’s national president in a release. “It’s long past time for significant increases in compensation and improvements to our working conditions. We are ready to bring these negotiations to a close, or we may be ready to strike.”

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which represents more than 10,000 pilots at Southwest Airlines, will be conducting its first-ever multi-base informational picket on Thursday at Baltimore-Washington, Los Angeles International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Houston Hobby and Chicago-Midway airports. Southwest is the last in line to strike a deal with its pilots, after pilot contracts have passed at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and most recently, American. The union and the Dallas-based carrier have been in contract negotiations for more than three years, and filed for federal mediation in September 2022.

“Our pilots deserve a contract that befits the most productive pilots in the industry, and we have been attempting to get Southwest to realize that their delay in reaching an agreement is causing irreparable harm not just to our pilots, but to the airline itself,” said Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association. “We are willing to take the RLA process all the way to its conclusion to ensure that our airline and our pilots have secure futures.”

The union’s members voted 99% in favor of a strike back in May, and pilots are ready to strike upon release from the National Mediation Board.

Picketing efforts typically come after long months of contract negotiations, when labor unions need to add public pressure and exposure to talks. Ahead of the Labor Day travel weekend, which is expected to bring in thousands of passengers to D-FW, airline unions are taking advantage of the added end-of-summer traffic at airports.