Pilots Demand Better Wages and Working Conditions, Vote by 97.4% to Authorize Strike

(LAS VEGAS) — Allegiant Air pilots represented by Teamsters Local 2118 held a practice picket outside Allegiant’s corporate headquarters in Las Vegas to demand the carrier come to terms on a fair contract or face a potential nationwide strike. They were joined by Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien and Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman.

“Teamsters pilots have had enough of Allegiant’s greedy executives who demand concessions while making billions of dollars off our members’ backs. If Allegiant thinks Teamsters are going to compromise on working conditions in exchange for overdue pay raises, they are dead wrong,” O’Brien said. “We won’t stop fighting until we get a contract that respects and rewards Teamsters pilots at Allegiant.”

“When Allegiant’s executives say they can’t increase your pay without concessions, they are lying—plain and simple,” said Zuckerman. “Allegiant has millions of dollars to sink into luxury hotels and naming rights to stadiums, but when it comes to the hardworking pilots who make this carrier profitable, they want to play hardball. Our members won’t accept any less than the contract they deserve.”

The practice picket follows an overwhelming 97.4 percent vote by Allegiant Teamsters to authorize a strike if the carrier fails to reach a fair agreement rewarding and protecting 1,300 pilots, including 127 pilots in Las Vegas. The pilots are calling on the carrier to provide industry standards on compensation, scheduling, and quality of life. Today’s practice picket is one of many direct actions being taken by Allegiant pilots at their airline hubs around the country.

“We’re not being unreasonable – we just want to be treated the same as every other pilot in America,” said Captain Aaron Adrian, an Allegiant Teamsters pilot with Local 2118. “We’re here today to show Allegiant just how serious we are.”

In negotiations, Allegiant has attempted to extract unreasonable concessions in exchange for pay raises. While Allegiant Air has continued to drag their feet in bargaining, the company raked in a record $2.5 billion in revenue last year. In 2019, Allegiant struck a $25 million-a-year deal for the naming rights to the Las Vegas Raiders’ home stadium.

Teamsters Local 2118 and Allegiant Air are currently in mediation sessions conducted by the federal National Mediation Board (NMB). Under the Railway Labor Act, the Teamsters can request a release from the NMB, which could lead to a 30-day cooling-off period, followed by a work stoppage without notice.

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