Currently, starting pay for Southwest flight attendants is about $14,000 and median pay is $24,600, which union officials contend is less than at other airlines.
Rank-and-file members were notified of the deal Friday. The airline's 7,400 flight attendants will vote electronically, with results expected in August.
Southwest spokeswoman Ginger Hardage said, "We believe that this is a good tentative agreement, and we're extremely hopeful that the (union) membership will feel the same way."
Analysts have suggested that rising labor costs could pose a problem for Southwest, which is the most heavily unionized major U.S. carrier; about 85 percent of its employees are represented by unions.
In the first three months of this year, spending on salaries and wages jumped 14 percent from a year ago, to $589 million. That's an even bigger jump than the airline expects in its fuel costs.
In a move to cut labor costs, the airline last month offered early-retirement incentives to nearly all its 34,000 employees. Friday was the deadline to apply.
Rank-and-file members were notified of the deal Friday. The airline's 7,400 flight attendants will vote electronically, with results expected in August.
Southwest spokeswoman Ginger Hardage said, "We believe that this is a good tentative agreement, and we're extremely hopeful that the (union) membership will feel the same way."
Analysts have suggested that rising labor costs could pose a problem for Southwest, which is the most heavily unionized major U.S. carrier; about 85 percent of its employees are represented by unions.
In the first three months of this year, spending on salaries and wages jumped 14 percent from a year ago, to $589 million. That's an even bigger jump than the airline expects in its fuel costs.
In a move to cut labor costs, the airline last month offered early-retirement incentives to nearly all its 34,000 employees. Friday was the deadline to apply.
