Southwest Airlines And Its Dispatchers End Mediation And Announce Tentative Agreement

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May 16, 2012, 06:25 ET

DALLAS, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) 550, representing the carrier's more than 180 Dispatchers, announced today that the two parties have reached a tentative agreement. The tentative agreement is for a new, five-year contract through November 2014, and will be presented to all Southwest Dispatchers pending a final review and approval from the TWU 550 Board of Directors. The current contract became amendable in November 2009.

In early 2011, the Carrier sought assistance from the National Mediation Board (NMB) through the mediation process as defined by the Railway Labor Act. Both Southwest and TWU 550 would like to thank the NMB for its role in reaching this current tentative agreement.

"I am extremely proud of both negotiation teams and their dedication in accomplishing this important task," said Matt Hafner, Southwest Airlines Vice President of the Operations Coordination Center (OCC), which includes the Dispatchers. "This tentative agreement represents hours of hard work and I'm pleased to say is mutually beneficial for not only our hard-working Dispatchers, but also the entire Company, our Customers, and our Shareholders during this challenging economic time in the airline industry."

In the upcoming weeks, the TWU 550 membership will be given the full details of the agreement and have the opportunity to vote on ratification.

Southwest Airlines continues to differentiate itself from other low-fare carriers — offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service. Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded and has acquired AirTran Airways, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co. Southwest serves 73 cities in 38 states and remains one of the most honored airlines in the world known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet. To read more about how Southwest is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit southwest.com/cares to read the Southwest Airlines One Report™. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has more than 39,000 Employees.

www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines