, the union's president, has accused the company's negotiating team of stonewalling and showing up to sessions unprepared.
Flight attendants want pay for all the time they work. Currently, they are paid only for the time when the aircraft's doors are closed. They also want guaranteed access to food and a place to rest when traveling, fixes to Southwest's technology systems and the creation of a new reservation system to end the practice of 24-hour on-call shifts.
"We are very, very far apart and Southwest Airlines is really missing the needs of its flight attendants," Montgomery said."It is not understanding what we need to do our jobs better."said the company respects its employees and encourages them to express their opinions. He also said picketing is common during negotiations and will not result in any disruptions in service.
About three-quarters of Southwest's labor groups remain in open contract negotiations, including pilots, customer service agents and flight dispatchers. A couple of pilots attended the picket, as well as members of other unions such as the TWU 513 and the United Steelworkers. One pilot who arrived at the airport for a scheduled pilot walked down the line high-fiving flight attendants as he headed into the terminal.due to a lack of progress in negotiations.