Southwest Airlines Union protest goes video

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/203468.html

Union protest goes video
By TREBOR BANSTETTER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Southwest Airlines flight attendants are blasting an airline practice that they say results in a "fake flight attendant" on many flights.

In typical Southwest fashion, attendants have harnessed their sense of humor to criticize the new policy, filming a music video with a jazz singer crooning the Cole Porter song It's De Lovely, but with new lyrics that complain "this is not our company at its best, this is not the culture of Herb's Southwest."

Southwest typically assigns three attendants to each flight, each assigned to "A" "B" or "C" positions depending on their responsibilities. A fourth position, dubbed the "D" attendant, has traditionally been assigned to trainees to gain in-flight experience, according to officials with the Transport Workers Union, which represents Southwest attendants.

But in recent months, the airline has begun assigning supervisors and managers to the "D" position -- a move that union officials say violates their contract, creates safety problems and confuses customers.

"A supervisor is not a flight attendant," said Thom McDaniel, president of TWU Local 556, in a recent interview. "Our members are very upset about this, it feels like fake flight attendants are being put in there to spy on them."

The union has filed a grievance over the issue, McDaniel said, and debuted the music video, titled Not D-LUVly, Wednesday on its Internet site.

FULL story at link.