Southwest Airlines Co. announced a ratified collective bargaining agreement for nearly 18,000 Southwest Airlines ramp, operations, provisioning and cargo agents. The contract covers the second-highest number of employees, represented by the Transport Workers Union Local 555 (TWU 555), of the airline's 12 labor agreements.
"Our ramp, operations, provisioning and cargo agents provide exceptional customer service and are essential to the Southwest experience," said Adam Carlisle, vice president labor relations at Southwest Airlines. "This new labor contract rewards them for their work and places them competitively in the industry."
Along with compensation increases and a bonus, the new contract includes provisions allowing Southwest to continue investing in areas that drive efficiency and provides for company-paid maternity and parental leaves. The agreement with TWU 555 becomes amendable on March 21, 2029.
Since October 2022, 10 union-represented workgroups have ratified new agreements, covering more than 41,000 Southwest employees. These agreements include:
- Appearance Technicians
- Customer Service Agents, Customer Representatives, and Source of Support Representatives
- Dispatchers
- Facilities Maintenance Technicians
- Flight Instructors
- Material Specialists
- Mechanics and Related Employees
- Meteorologists
- Pilots
- Ramp, Provisioning, Operations, and Cargo Agents
Southwest also recently announced a tentative agreement with the union representing its Flight Attendants.
