DALLAS – Southwest Airlines warned nearly 7,000 workers on Thursday that they could lose their jobs unless labor unions accept concessions to help the airline cope with a sharp drop in travel caused by the pandemic.Southwest is operating far fewer flights, and it asked unions in October for help with “overstaffing costs” that it estimates will amount to more than $1 billion in 2021.
Southwest asked for pay cuts of around 10% in exchange for no furloughs through next year.The airline’s top labor-relations official, Russell McCrady, said Southwest's goal is to save every job. “However, due to a lack of meaningful progress in negotiations, we had to proceed with issuing notifications,” he said.