Southwest flight attendants authorize potential walkout

The union representing Southwest Airlines' flight attendants voted to give leaders the ability to call a strike, a step toward a possible walkout if talks falter in federal mediation. The authorization was approved by more than 98% of voting members of the Transport Workers Union of America Local 556, which represents about 21,000 Southwest flight attendants. Until a new contract is ratified, members are working under pay scales and rules that were part of a 2016 agreement. While the vote doesn’t mean the union will strike immediately, it clears the way for a walkout if one is allowed by the National Mediation Board following a multiphase process outlined in the Railway Labor Act, which governs airline-union relations. Other unions have taken similar action to authorize strikes, including one representing Southwest’s pilots and another for American Airlines Group Inc.’s flight attendants.<br/>