Breaking news..Southwest TWU pickets at FLL, 15 other airports

The picketing is in response to concerns that contract proposals from the airline will compromise the company’s customer service, according to a news release.

The TWU Local 555 bargaining committee, representing more than 9,400 ground crew workers at Southwest, began negotiations for a new agreement in July 2011. However, talks have stalled due to management demands that would negatively impact customer service and impose unnecessary concessions on members of Local 555, according to a news release.
“Southwest Airlines is widely recognized as one of the most successful airlines in the industry, with 40 straight years of profitability,” TWU Local President Charles Cerf said in a statement. “Our members, who are the most productive airline workers in the industry, play a huge role in the company’s success. The work of ramp, operations, provisioning and freight agents is crucial to flight safety, timely departures and to providing our passengers with Southwest Airlines’ legendary customer service.”

This is a developing story. All SWA employees please feel free to comment. Picketing "Spring Break" week will negatively impact the company..:o

Update..Picketing in SEA and other airports today....

Union president Charles Cerf said a prime issue was that the airline proposes to replace up to 20 percent of its members with temporary or contract workers as attrition occurs. The 9,400 union members nationally are Southwest employees.
“Outsourcing work to people who only indirectly work for Southwest Airlines won’t give the same high quality of customer service that we provide,” Cerf said in a telephone interview.
A spokesman for the airline said the company would not comment on the outsourcing issue. But he said that the airline was actively participating in negotiations and that it supported its employees’ rights to express themselves.

Cerf said the union had been negotiating for a new agreement since July 2011, and many members had not received a raise since then.

Read more here: Union workers air complaints with Southwest Airlines - KansasCity.com