Southwest Airlines and its pilots union are nearing a new contract which will increase pay for over 11,000 pilots and conclude months of negotiations ahead of the upcoming holiday travel season, CNBC reported on Friday.

Southwest and the pilots union did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

North American pilots and flight attendants are pushing for better pay and working conditions during their talks over new job contracts with company management.

Unions across several sectors such as auto, entertainment and healthcare industries in the United States have taken a tough stance in fighting for better pay and contracts.

(Reporting by Pratyush Thakur in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Krishna Chandra Eluri)