DALLAS, Aug. 19 (AP) — Pilots for Southwest Airlines have ratified a contract that will raise their pay 35 percent over the next four years, airline and union officials said today.þþSouthwest, based in Dallas, is the only profitable major airline since Sept. 11, and pilots and other unionized workers have complained that their pay has lagged that of counterparts at other carriers.þþThe balloting, which began by mail in July, closed today. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said 68.5 percent of the votes were cast in favor of the proposal and 31.5 percent against.þþAbout 96 percent of the union's members took part, it said.þþSouthwest has 4,100 pilots.þ
Source: NY Times
