The largest labor union representing workers at Southwest Airlines Co has hit out at the airline in a scathing attack calling out management mistreatment and abuse of workers.
John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union said the working culture for ground workers has become ‘intolerable and cancerous’ with 2,700 disciplinary actions and 468 workers fired since early 2015.
"Groundworkers are flagrantly mistreated and abused by management," Samuelson said in a letter addressed to Southwest management.
One worker has been fired every other day on average in 2017, he said.
"The outright hostility to the workforce has obliterated morale, which can only have a negative impact on the passenger experience," he wrote.
"The TWU finds it hard to believe that Southwest finds this to be an ideal business model."
The TWU has called for a meeting with the airline’s executives.
Russell McCrady, Southwest’s vice president of labor relations responded in a statement: "Discipline is a necessary part of business but any discipline we administer is far from ‘arbitrary.’ We do not take for granted that Southwest continues to be named a best place to work and best employer by national publications and we are very proud that our employee culture is the foundation for these designations."
McCrady added he welcomes a meeting with union officials to discuss the issue.
