Southwest pilot accord in jeopardy after new Delta agreement

Southwest Airlines' tentative labour agreement with its pilots, reached after more than four years of negotiations, may be in danger now that Delta has a pending deal that would pay its aviators more. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association is seeking to reopen some sections of an accord reached Aug. 29 and has requested a meeting with CEO Gary Kelly, union President Jon Weaks said Monday. “It is better for all parties to negotiate this now and have a clean tentative agreement process and a conclusion,” Weaks told pilots in an e-mail Monday. “There is a lot of mutual incentive for the company and SWAPA to fine-tune the current TA for changing industry dynamics and the needs of both parties.” Pilots at major US airlines typically seek industry-leading pay in contract talks, and Southwest’s union said it had succeeded in that goal before the Delta agreement on Friday. For Southwest, securing a contract settles questions about rising labor costs and will enable the carrier to use improved compensation as a recruiting tool. Southwest currently doesn’t have a follow-up meeting set with the union, Bob Hughes, an airline spokesman, said.<br/>