Pilot picket outside LAX over lack of contract, not COVID-19 mandates | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·2 min read
4

The claim: Pilots holding 'ready to strike' signs at LAX due to potential COVID-19 mandates

A Sept. 1 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) features two pictures of numerous men lined up beside the road holding signs that say, "READY TO STRIKE."

"Way to go LAX Pilots!!" reads part of the post's caption. "They know the mask mandate lockdown ... is about to happen again. They are not having it."

Similar versions of the claim have been shared on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: False

The demonstration was unrelated to COVID-19 mandates, according to a spokesperson for the group in the video. It was held to show Southwest pilots' frustration at not having a new contract.

Picket linked to contract disagreements, not COVID-19 mandates

The images show members of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association picketing at Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 31 "to demonstrate the pilots' frustration at still not having a contract after three-and-a-half years of negotiations," according to a press release from the group.

Fact check: Post falsely claims change in FAA guidelines linked to COVID-19 vaccine

Mike Panebianco, a spokesperson for the organization, told USA TODAY there's no relationship between the demonstration held at LAX and COVID-19 mask mandates.

"Our pickets were a show of unity and frustration with the pace of negotiations with Southwest management," said Panebianco in an email.

The association voted to strike in May, but this does not necessarily mean a strike will occur, as USA TODAY previously reported.

The pilots' association published pictures and videos of the pilots holding the signs on its X account and in several of its press releases.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No link between LAX pilot picket and COVID-19 mandates | Fact check