Southwest Airlines is avoiding a million-dollar fine and gets to skirt Colorado’s sick leave law, after a settlement with the state…
(Southwest on Sick Leave vxr :39)
The union for Southwest’s flight attendants is suing the airline and Governor Polis, trying to undo that decision. It’s a legal battle that’s been brewing for more than a year. Colorado’s Labor Department had cited Southwest for violating state sick leave policy. The flight attendants’ union claims the airline threatened to discipline, or even fire, people who used their sick leave. Southwest fought the 1.3 million fine it was handed, lost that appeal, and filed its suit. The union claims it was excluded from settlement talks, then found out last month that Colorado would exempt Southwest’s union workers from sick leave rules. If employees made complaints, the state would refuse to investigate, and automatically dismiss them. The union filed a new suit Tuesday, fighting that settlement.