Southwest flight attendants to hold ratification vote on new contract

Southwest Airlines’ flight attendants will follow the carrier’s pilots in holding a ratification vote on a new labour contract. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556, which represents more than 14,000 Southwest flight attendants, said its executive board has decided to move a recently-reached tentative agreement with airline management to rank-and-file flight attendants for a ratification vote. The voting process is being finalised; the vote is expected to take place in October. Like the pilots, who will be voting on whether to ratify a tentative agreement starting Oct 8, rank-and-file Southwest flight attendants rejected a previous tentative agreement in voting last year. Southwest and its flight attendants have been in labour contract negotiations since 2013. <br/>