Southwest Airlines 2009 Annual Report Download - page 20

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The Railway Labor Act establishes the right of airline employees to organize and bargain collectively. As of
December 31, 2009, approximately 82 percent of the Company’s Employees were represented by labor unions,
all of which are under ten different collective-bargaining agreements. Under the Railway Labor Act, collective-
bargaining agreements between an airline and a labor union generally do not expire, but instead become
amendable as of an agreed date. By the amendable date, if either party wishes to modify the terms of the
agreement, it must notify the other party in the manner required by the Railway Labor Act and/or described in the
agreement. After receipt of the notice, the parties must meet for direct negotiations. If no agreement is reached,
either party may request the National Mediation Board to appoint a federal mediator. If no agreement is reached
in mediation, the National Mediation Board may determine an impasse exists and offer binding arbitration to the
parties. If either party rejects binding arbitration, a 30-day “cooling off” period begins. At the end of this 30-day
period, the parties may engage in “self-help,” unless a Presidential Emergency Board is established to investigate
and report on the dispute. The appointment of a Presidential Emergency Board maintains the “status quo” for an
additional 60 days. If the parties do not reach agreement during this period, the parties may then engage in “self-
help.” “Self-help” includes, among other things, a strike by the union or the airline’s imposition of any or all of
its proposed amendments and the hiring of new employees to replace any striking workers. During 2009, the
Company completed five major labor contracts covering a majority of its workforce. The following table sets
forth the Company’s Employee groups and status of the collective-bargaining agreements:
Employee Group Representatives Status of Agreement
Pilots Southwest Airlines Pilots’
Association (“SWAPA”)
Amendable August 2011
Flight Attendants Transportation Workers of
America, AFL-CIO (“TWU 556”)
Amendable May 2012
Ramp, Operations, Provisioning,
Freight Agents
Transportation Workers of
America, AFL-CIO, Local 555
(“TWU 555”)
Amendable June 2011
Customer Service Agents, Customer
Representatives
International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace
Workers, AFL-CIO (“IAM”)
Amendable October 2012
Stock Clerks International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, Local 19 (“IBT
Local 19”)
Tentative Agreement
Mechanics Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal
Association (“AMFA”)
Amendable August 2012
Aircraft Appearance Technicians AMFA Currently in negotiations
Dispatchers Transportation Workers of
America, AFL-CIO, Local 550
(“TWU 550”)
Currently in negotiations
Flight Simulator Technicians International Brotherhood of
Teamsters (“IBT”)
Amendable October 2011
Flight Crew Training Instructors Transportation Workers of
America, AFL-CIO, Local 557
(“TWU 557”)
Amendable December 2012
Additional Information About the Company
The Company was incorporated in Texas in 1967. The following documents are available free of charge
through the Company’s website, www.southwest.com: the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports that are filed with or
furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These materials are made available through the Company’s
website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.
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