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Ground crew workers at Southwest Airlines are protesting at airports in Cleveland and 15 other cities over what they claim is the inadvisable practice of shoehorning more flights into Southwest's schedule.
(Charles Rex Arbogast, AP Photo)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ramp workers for Southwest Airlines are protesting in Cleveland and other cities Tuesday, over what they say are company practices leading to frequent passenger delays and a strain on the airline's operations.
Members of the Transport Union Workers of America contend Southwest is shoehorning more flights into its schedule without increasing the number of in-service planes or adding seats to existing planes.
The company also is mistreating workers, with no pay raises in four years for most ground workers, despite steadily increasing workloads, the union said.
"In the past, Southwest has been a successful company for all stakeholders because of a culture that valued workers and put a premium on industry-leading customer service," said Charles Cerf, president of TWU Local 555, which has 10,000 members nationwide. "Under current leadership, both customers and workers have been devalued."
TWU members scheduled an informational picketing and leafleting session at the ticketing level curbside of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to protest what it said was the result of Southwest's recent flight practices: A decline in customer service. Protests also were planned at 15 other airports including Buffalo, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Fort Myers, Indianapolis, Los Angeles/Ontario, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Reno, San Diego, San Jose and Seattle.
A Southwest spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment about the protest.
Cerf said Southwest is achieving record profits, including $500 million in the second quarter. He said the airline historically has been known for on-time performance and short turnaround times.