Southwest Airlines pilots lined up outside the carrier's headquarters Thursday morning to bring attention to ongoing talks over scheduling and what they say are culture issues that have plagued the company in recent years.
On a mild rainy morning, pilots stood in a line holding signs that said "Exploiting Culture is Now SWA Culture" and "Don't Worry They Fooled Us Too."
Southwest is the only major airline that hasn't reached a deal with its pilots. Fort Worth-based American Airlines ratified a contract with pilots in August and Delta reached a deal in March. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), which represents more than 10,000 pilots, is currently in mediation talks with the carrier.
The union held the informational picket ahead of the company's Culture Connection 2023 event, where the company says attendees have "a rare opportunity to experience one of the world’s most admired, successful, and enduring organizational cultures."
But as years-long talks with the union drag on, pilots say that culture isn't what it used to be.
"For a long time, and under [former CEO] Herb Kelleher, his direction, it was really something to be proud of," said SWAPA president Casey Murray. "That's kind of been lost over the last three, four or five years."
The company said in a statement that its culture is "legendary" for valuing employees, but this comes as the company's quarterly profits dipped 30% in the third quarter of 2023, according to The Associated Press.
"Southwest respects the rights of our Employees to participate and express their opinions in respectful demonstrations," the statement read. "Our negotiations continue this week, and we’ll keep working, with the assistance of the National Mediation Board, to reach an agreement that rewards our Pilots and places them competitively in the industry."
Murray said the company is still focused on recovering from last year's historic meltdown that saw thousands of cancellations, stranding millions of passengers across the country.
"Southwest is now is so focused on not failing, not having a reoccurrence of some of the meltdowns we've had in the past that it's really hard for them to really get ahead and really succeed," Murray said.
CEO Bob Jordan said in a press release about the company's latest earnings that it's still in the process of restoring carrier's network.
"We are in the midst of planning for 2024 and are focused on operational excellence and driving out inefficiencies, increasing productivity, improving reliability, and returning our margins back to historical levels," Jordan said.
Still — as talks progress, pilots say scheduling issues persist.
"It causes us a lot of stress out on the line when there is uncertainty and instability in our schedules, in our ability to take care of our families through good employment and good benefits and good pay," said Scott Thatcher, who sits on the union's board of directors.
Thatcher said pilots would rather be focusing on safety than negotiating a contract.
"We're starting to make some progress," Murray said. "But really, we should not be out here today. This should have been taken care of years ago."
On Wednesday the carrier reached a tentative deal with its flight attendants nearly five years after their last contract expired.
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