Southwest Stock Clerks Vote Down Second Tentative Agreement

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Dec 14, 2010, 04:59 ET

HUMBLE, Texas, Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stock clerks at Southwest Airlines represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have voted down, for the second time, a tentative agreement that was reached between the union and the company.

Votes were counted today and 56 percent of the unit voted against the agreement, versus 44 percent of the unit who voted in favor of it.

In February of this year, the same group voted against an earlier tentative agreement negotiated between Southwest Airlines and the Teamsters Union.

"This is the second tentative agreement that was voted down primarily because of the company's action during the vote," said Robert Rasch, chief negotiator and President of Teamsters Local 19. "After the tentative agreement was reached, we found out that the company was stocking parts in areas they had previously agreed not to stock in. This has raised questions about the company's trustworthiness and caused the members to question other language that was changed in the tentative agreement."

The agreement covered 170 stock clerks at the Dallas-based airline.

The Teamsters Airline Division will return to negotiations at the discretion of a mediator from the National Mediation Board (NMB).

SOURCE Teamsters Local 19