The dispute between Southwest Airlines and its mechanics union escalated on Thursday as the carrier filed a lawsuit accusing the workers of reporting trivial maintenance issues in an effort to take planes out of service and gain an advantage in contract negotiations. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas, Southwest said it has seen a surge in “cosmetic and other minor maintenance write-ups that do not have any effect on the safety of flight,” such as a missing row number. The airline asked a federal judge force the...

Source: Wall Street Journal March 01, 2019 02:03 UTC