Southwest Airlines flight attendants ratify new contract

(Reuters) - Southwest Airlines' flight attendants on Wednesday voted in favor of a new contract with an immediate 22% pay raise, the union representing the employees and the carrier said on Wednesday.

Nearly 20,000 flight attendants at the airline voted in favor of a new collective bargaining agreement, the Transport Workers Union's local chapter 556 said.

Of the nearly 93% of eligible voters, 81% voted in support of the contract which will give them an immediate 22% pay raise this year and 3% per year raises till May 2028.

The new contract comes after the airline's two previous attempts to secure a deal with the union.

Southwest has ratified contracts with eleven union-represented worker groups since October 2022, including a deal with its pilots earlier this year which will offer a near 50% pay raise over a five-year period.

Flight attendants at rival American Airlines and United Airlines are also negotiating with the carriers for better pay and benefits, including pay for their time during boarding and on the ground.

(Reporting by Aatreyee Dasgupta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)