Southwest workers had to work 16-hour days during holiday meltdown, union president says

The thousands of Southwest Airline flights that were canceled across the country over the past week affected not only holiday travelers, but the airlines workers and their working conditions, according to President of Transportation Workers Union Local 555, Randy Barnes.Read more: Pete Buttigieg condemns Southwest Airlines as flight cancellations continue

Southwest had canceled over 2,300 of of its flights on Wednesday, Dec. 28 across the country, just a fraction of the thousands per day across the country in a weeklong cancellation spree, according to FlightAware.com.

The site also stated Southwest had canceled 78% of its flights at Boston Logan Airport and 82% of its flights at Bradley International Airport on Wednesday, and already canceled over 2,300 of its flights nationally for Thursday.

The airline continually blamed its ongoing issues on adverse weather effects, but passengers and government officials alike were skeptical of the airlines claims, especially with all other airlines navigating the pre-Christmas winter storm that affected the majority of the county.Read more: How to get reimbursed for hotels, cars, food after Southwest cancellations

During the cancellation spree, passengers said they had little notice of their flight cancellations, were left unable to rebook flights through the airline or talk to its customer support, and lost their luggage.

Airline workers were also impacted by the effects of what Barnes called a holiday meltdown. Barnes TWU Local 555 represents ground workers at Southwest Airlines, and the organization sent a press release Wednesday morning.

The release stated, Ground workers need more support. Many of our people have been forced to work 16 or 18 hour days during this holiday season. Our members work hard, theyre dedicated to their jobs, but many are getting sick, and some have experienced frostbite over the past week.Read more: Senators call for Southwest to issue refunds, reimbursements after cancellations

In severe weather its unreasonable for workers to stay outside for extended periods. People need to be able to cycle in and out of the cold. The airline needs to do more to protect its ground crews, the release continued.

Local 555 also offered solutions for future issues to Southwest, such as better spacing of flights and slowing of flight schedules for airports where weather forecasts look challenging.

The union extended its support to the airline, stating it was ready to be a partner to make changes to benefit Southwest ground workers.Read more: Southwest passengers blame cancellations on staffing, incompetence

When youre dealing with sub-zero temperatures, driving winds and ice storms, you cant expect to schedule planes as if every day is a sunny day with moderate temperatures and a gentle breeze, the release said.

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan released a statement on Tuesday in regards to the situation, stating he had spoken with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

I reached out to Secretary Buttigieg earlier today to continue the discussions weve been having with the DOT through the holiday sharing all the things that were doing to make things right for our Customers, Jordan stated.

Jordan called the situation giant puzzle, stating it was taking several days to solve because it is the largest airline in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S.

The CEO said the company had a complex network with flight crews and planes across the country, and the difficulties came because those parts were out of position in dozens of locations.Read more: Southwest cancels at least 80% of flights at Logan, Bradley on Tuesday

I have nothing but pride and respect for the efforts of the people of Southwest who are showing up in every way, Jordan said. Im apologizing to them daily and theyll be hearing more about our specific plans to ensure the challenges that theyve faced the past few days will not be part of our future.

Southwest Airlines did not comment to MassLive in regard to passengers claims of staffing issues, nor on Buttigiegs statement that Southwests issues were beyond weather-related. The airline did explain, however, several ways it is currently attempting the remedy the ongoing situation.Read more: DOT to examine Southwest Airlines operations; over 2,500 flights canceled

We implemented a site where Customers can contact Southwest to rebook or request a refund: Southwest.com/traveldisruption, and Teams are finalizing a resource to provide additional assistance to Customers with reuniting with lost or missing baggage, Southwest Airlines spokesperson Ashley Baines said.

Customers can also speak with a representative at the baggage service office in an airport where we operate or contact Southwest customer service, though we are experiencing abnormally high call volumes, Baines added.Read more: Heres how to request a refund for canceled Southwest Airlines flights

The spokesperson also said Southwest is making every attempt to return lost luggage to passengers for free, and will use shipping partners.

Baines added, Our Travel Advisory is still in effect to offer Customers maximum flexibility with rebooking. The Southwest Team is working to accommodate Customers on available flights as soon as possible, and we apologize for the inconvenience to our Customers.