Southwest Airlines' Flight Simulator Technicians, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), have ratified a new four-year contract. The agreement rewards Southwest's highly skilled and productive IBT-represented Employees with fixed rate increases, variable rate increases tied to Company performance, ratification and reliability bonuses.
Despite an enormous demand for pilot training in the flight simulators—more than 50,000 hours in 2014—Southwest's Simulator Technicians have maintained the equipment at virtually 100% reliability. Such dependability has allowed the Company to train new-hire pilots, upgrade hundreds of new Captains, and finalize the AirTran integration, all the while completing annual recurrent training for nearly 8000 pilots.
"I would like to thank our Simulator Technicians, along with their IBT representatives, for their continued partnership," said Russell McCrady, Senior Director Labor Relations. "Their outstanding work and dedication to Southwest Airlines allowed us to reach an agreement that rewards them and helps maintain a high level of productivity."
The contract honors Southwest's commitment to provide our Employees a stable work environment. Further, it supports Southwest's core vision of being the World's Most Loved, Most Flown, and Most Profitable Airline.
# # #
