Southwest Airlines pilots avert strike with new five-year, $12B deal

Southwest Airlines said Monday its pilots approved a new labor agreement, which will offer about a 50% pay raise over a five-year period.About 11,000 pilots affiliated with the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association had been negotiating for better pay, retirement benefits, disability insurance and a revised scheduling process after the contract ended in September 2020.About 93% of the votes cast were in favor of the new $12 billion contract, the union said in a statement.Pilots at the Dallas-based carrier w ...