A Win for SWFF! Medical Freedom Language for Pilots

This has been a long and arduous battle. Many of us are dismayed at the silence or lack of action by the unions that we pay to represent our best interests. While we understand that unions are hamstrung by a different set of rules than we are, nonetheless, sitting by idly with little communication to the membership about the actualities of so-called behind the scene meetings is not acceptable.

This lack of action forced regular employees to band together to stand up for their inalienable rights. The void was filled with those who chose to stand bravely and not cower behind “duty of fair representation.”

SWAPA (the airlines pilot union) had done its own internal polling some time ago. In this poll, it asked the pilot group if they believed the C19 vaccine should be mandatory as a term of employment. The results were never released, however union insiders leaked the results to SWFF and the results were astounding! 85% percent of the pilot group thought vaccines should NOT be mandatory! It is sad to say that the vast minority of this group caused inaction from labor representation.

Fast forward to the fall of 2022. While the union thought that the issue was long since dead, a vote for dues increase to help fight contentious contract negotiations was proposed. A staggering 25% of the active and participating membership voted NO to the dues increase. The sentiment was that since SWAPA stood on the sidelines while the employees fought )and won) the mandate battle, they would not stand to have the union that failed to represent their best interests take more money.

This shot across the bow was heard loud and clear! Around the same time, SWFF received word that the pilot union at Delta was successful in their bid to include medical freedom language in their contract! Just like that, SWAPA contacted SWFF to boast about how they too would be using Delta’s language in our newly proposed contract.

As long as SWA doesn’t want to play games with such language and the membership votes it in, we will have yet another HUGE feather in our caps as there will now be contractual language protecting the pilots from huge infringments upon bodily autonomy and our freedoms as Americans.

Once this language is passed, the SWFF pilot participants will be happy to join in unity with their brothers at SWAPA to pass a hard earned, and much needed new contract!