Allegiant pilots were on the picket lines multiple airports on Wednesday in hopes of getting a better contract.
The pilots, who are members of the Teamsters, said they want better pay and a better work-life balance, something they've been working toward for the last four years. The Teamsters said the union voted an overwhelming 97.4% vote to authorize a strike if the carrier fails to reach an agreement for its 1,300 pilots.
Dozens of pilots held up signs making their message loud and clear Wednesday morning. The Allegiant pilots joined other pilots nationwide who are part of the Teamsters union.
The union has been working with Allegiant on their behalf but hasn't been able to come to an agreement.
RELATED STORY |American Airlines suspends flights to Haiti indefinitely
Allegiant pilots said they're some of the most overworked and underpaid in the entire airline industry.
"We want to see better work rules [and] more pay," said Steven Clary, a captain based out of Cincinnati. "We're substantially underpaid compared to our peers, especially at a lot of the major airlines that have gotten contracts in the last couple of years, which it took them 9-12 months to get a contract."
If the pilots go on strike, it's not clear if flights will be affected.
In order for a strike to occur under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which is the law that governs labor relations in the airline industry, all of the RLA’s bargaining procedures must be exhausted. Those include the following:
- The National Mediation Board (NMB) – not the parties themselves - determines if there is an impasse in negotiations between the airline and union.
- The NMB offers interest arbitration to the parties to resolve their outstanding issues.
- If either party (or both) turns down interest arbitration, the NMB releases them from mediation.
- A 30-day cooling off period then ensues, which can be extended by action of the president of the United States.
It is important to note that none of these conditions have been met, and the Teamsters Local 2118 cannot legally call for a strike, a slow-down, or any other kind of action until all of them have been met.
RELATED STORY | Senate panel questions airline executives over 'junk' fees
The pilots are hoping this will get Allegiant's attention to speed up the process and come to a fair agreement.
"Allegiant is currently in negotiations with the Teamsters Local 2118, with the mediation assistance of the National Mediation Board, to finalize an agreement for our pilots," Allegiant said in a statement to Scripps News Cincinnati. "Allegiant has offered a competitive package – including an immediate 50% average increase in hourly wages that scales to 70% over 5 years. Additionally, we have offered a 50% increase in direct contribution to pilots’ retirement benefits, improvements in long-term disability benefits, and extensive scheduling and quality of life improvements designed to honor seniority and protect our business model."
Given the steps needed to execute a strike, it is unlikely any contact disagreement will have an impact on holiday travel.
This article was written by Taylor Woods for Scripps News Cincinnati.
