Southwest Airlines reaches tentative agreement with mechanics’ union

Southwest Airlines said Friday that it has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing its mechanics, aircraft inspectors, maintenance controllers and training instructors.

The agreement, which covers greater than 2,800 employees, would still should be approved by those staff.

“Our Mechanics & Related Employees work across the clock to securely maintain our aircraft, and we reached a Tentative Agreement that rewards them and helps Southwest maintain an efficient operation,” Adam Carlisle, vice chairman of labor relations at Southwest, said in a press release.

The union and airline didn’t immediately disclose the main points of the agreement but said they might in the approaching days.

The union’s “goal and objective is to guard work, raise standards, and increase recognition of AMTs and related professionals,” said the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association’s national president, Bret Oestreich.

Meanwhile, negotiations for brand new contracts between Southwest and the unions representing its pilots and flight attendants are still pending.

Earlier this month, leaders at Transport Staff Union of America 556, which represents Southwest flight attendants, said they rebuffed a tentative agreement that will have allowed for a membership vote. The union said that federal mediators and the parties involved won’t reconvene until Jan. 16.

“We’re happy with the Agreement in Principle that was reached by the Southwest and TWU 556 Negotiating Teams, and we’re incredibly upset to learn that TWU 556’s Executive Board voted it down,” Southwest’s Carlisle said in an announcement.

Last week, the local’s executive board told members: “Your TWU Local 556 Executive Board didn’t make this decision evenly. As Members ourselves, we are only as desirous to vote on and ratify a worthy Tentative Agreement.”

Aside from the aviation industry, staff across the board have been striving for higher compensation and higher work rules, with lots of their efforts culminating in strikes. Despite strike authorizations at some airline unions, such actions are extremely rare within the industry and require federal involvement.

Starting on Friday in Seattle, nearly 3,500 staff at some Starbucks stores at greater than 150 locations across the U.S. pledged to strike following a public dispute between the coffee giant and the union representing baristas regarding allegations that the corporate prohibited Pride Month decorations in its cafes.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has approved a strike authorization at UPS should the union and the corporate not reach a latest labor agreement. The present national contract is scheduled to run out after July 31.

Southwest shares were down nearly 1% on Friday afternoon.

–CNBC’s Leslie Josephs contributed to this text.