Adam Carlisle

Vice President Labor Relations

As Vice President Labor Relations, Adam is responsible for oversight of labor negotiations, working with the numerous labor unions that support and represent approximately 82% of Southwest Employees. Adam also partners closely with the Labor Administration Team in the Legal Department, which is responsible for administering collective bargaining agreements and handling disputes through the grievance process.

What is the Railway Labor Act, and how does it apply to Southwest Airlines?

The Railway Labor Act (RLA) guarantees railway and airline employees the right to join a union of their choice and engage in collective bargaining. Twelve workgroups at Southwest have Union representation.

The RLA outlines how airline and railway companies negotiate their contracts. It requires parties “exert every reasonable effort” to reach an agreement, detailing a long process of handling negotiations with options for mediation, arbitration, and how parties may engage in self-help activities. You can read more about the RLA and how it differs from the National Labor Relations Act on the Labor Negotiations SWALife page.

How does the Company partner with Unions that represent Southwest Employees?

We view the Unions that represent Southwest Employees as valuable partners in understanding the needs of our Employees and the challenges they face. Our Labor Relations Team and Operational Leaders frequently connect with Union Leaders about topics that impact the People of Southwest Airlines.

Examples of how the Company partners with Unions outside of the negotiations process include discussions on political topics that could impact the airline industry, such as policies around Flight Attendant rest rules, meeting about technology enhancements to our systems, and most recently, providing input to the lessons learned exercise following the Winter Storm Elliott operational disruption. We value the partnership we have with Unions, and it’s a priority for our Labor Relations Team to foster and maintain these relationships.

What are common misconceptions and challenges of the negotiation process from your perspective?

Contract negotiations can be stressful for our People, and it’s challenging to reach an agreement that rewards our Employees and supports the needs of the business, all promptly. Our Teams look to find resolutions agreed upon by both parties.

For successful negotiations, both Negotiating Teams must communicate their priorities, think outside the box, be willing to make tradeoffs, and evaluate proposed changes objectively. Considering collective bargaining agreements cover everything from pay to time off to work rules, there can be a wide range of topics that take time to analyze and collaborate on with the Unions that represent our Employees. While we would like all of our negotiations to move quickly, the scope of changes proposed can impact the timeline. However, my Team works hard to engage in collaborative bargaining to reach an agreement for an Employee vote.

Some of our collective bargaining agreements are currently in mediation. What does that

mean?

Mediation is a tool outlined in the RLA, which parties leverage to reach agreement or solve disagreements.

The National Mediation Board assigns a federal mediator, who sets the cadence, location, and topics for each negotiation session. As a neutral party, the mediator helps the negotiating Teams reach agreements on each section of the contract--ultimately allowing Employees to vote on a tentative agreement.