Southwest sues mechanics in labour dispute

Southwest sued its mechanics’ union late Thursday for what the airline claimed was an illegal work slowdown that grounded planes and has resulted in as many as 100 flight cancellations a day since mid-February. The carrier said its mechanics had taken an unusually high number of planes out of service in recent weeks, a move seen as a negotiating tactic in a contract dispute. Negotiations most recently broke down over how much maintenance the airline would be allowed to outsource. Last month, mechanics pulled as many as 62 planes from service in one day, resulting in schedule disruptions across Southwest’s network, according to the lawsuit. By comparison, the airline said, it expects to have about 14 planes out of service on an average day, and can operate a normal schedule with as many as 35 grounded aircraft, out of a fleet of 752. The mechanics, who are members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, have cited safety concerns as the reason for taking the aircraft out of service. The airline argued in its suit that many of the planes had been taken out of commission for relatively minor issues that did not affect their ability to fly. The union’s national director issued a statement last week denying that the mechanics were improperly grounding aircraft.<br/>