ORLANDO, Fla. — The union for Southwest’s ground workers released a statement Wednesday, saying what the airline is demanding of ground crews is unreasonable.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Transport Workers Union Local 55 said workers are under a lot of stress, overworked and not supported, and need more support during situations like this.
Union president Randy Barnes said many employees worked 16 to 18 hours and got frostbite in some of the colder parts of the country to meet demand.
READ: Stuck at the airport? Here are your rights as a passenger
It’s had a ripple effect in places like Denver, impacting Central Florida workers, Barnes said.
“If something happens in a main hub city it will impact an outpost and Orlando is one of those outpost cities,” he said.
Southwest Airlines declined to comment, but pointed to a video of CEO Bob Jordan tweeted Tuesday where he admitted things aren’t perfect.
Jordan said the hope is for things to go back to normal as early as next week, issuing refunds to customers impacted. Watch his statement in the tweet below:
On the heels of wide-scale disruptions, we're working diligently to Safely recover our operation & accommodate displaced Customers & Crews. We know this is unacceptable & sincerely apologize. If your travel was impacted, explore self-service options here: https://t.co/B6L8HR9Yqc pic.twitter.com/mLWndYMned
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) December 28, 2022
READ: Southwest system meltdown that stranded passengers won’t be the last, industry expert says
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2022 Cox Media Group
