Teamsters-led group of 170 stock clerks reject contract offer from Southwest Airlines
By APTuesday, February 23, 2010
Teamsters-led clerks at Southwest reject contract
DALLAS — A group of more than 170 stock clerks at Southwest Airlines Co. rejected a contract negotiated with the discount carrier.
Southwest said Tuesday that the contract it negotiated with the Teamsters union, which represents the clerks, would have run until Aug. 16, 2013.
Few details of the proposal were disclosed, although Southwest said in December that the deal included wage and benefit increases in exchange for work-rule changes sought by the company.
It would have been retroactive to 2008, when the clerks’ last contract came up for changes. In the airline industry, labor contracts don’t expire but can be changed at the end of their term.
Southwest chief operating officer Mike Van de Ven said the airline was disappointed by the vote. He said the company resume talks, but he didn’t say when.
Stock clerks manage aircraft parts inventories.
Southwest, Based in Dallas, has about 35,000 employees and has reached successful contracts with several larger workers’ groups including pilots and flight attendants.
