Allegiant Pilots:

This week, we met with the company for two days with our economist and the company costing and scheduling team. Also, our Bylaw corrections, which I discussed last week, were finalized, and the Bylaws are making their way to the General president’s office for approval. One note: the minimum dues of $25 (discussed in last week’s message) for a pilot on a leave of absence to remain in good standing were amended to the minimum monthly dues for the lowest contractual rate in effect.

Next Week

 

• Stewards will be in Las Vegas for training and discussions regarding best practices to represent pilots in the grievance process.
• The Negotiating Committee will meet with the company to continue dialog outside mediation.

Safety Committee

 

• Captain Shawn Rials has accepted the position of Safety Committee Chairman. The committee will be structured slightly differently than in the past and will be more visible in the union’s day-to-day representation. We will ensure that best practices from across our industry peers will take hold.
• This week, Captain Rials and I had a productive and positive meeting with Allegiant’s key safety stakeholders, discussing new ways of cooperating in our safety advocacy. Much has been reported on events, trends, and challenges in safety across our industry and Allegiant. It takes your active attention and participation to help provide and participate in a just safety culture. It’s easy to point fingers; it’s challenging to reset culture.

 

Fraternally,

Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118

Allegiant Pilots:

Over the last two weeks, we have finalized and filed our Locals Department of Labor Annual Financial Report (LM2). With a new set of eyes on our books, we have also made strides to standardize our processes and implement what should be plug-and-play procedures on all administrative work done at the local. Of note, we checked box 13 on the LM2 report, asking if we had discovered a loss of funds or assets in the reporting period. The explanation is in #69, which states:

“Question 13: Effective March 19, 2024, the Local was placed in an emergency trusteeship due to financial misconduct regarding the operation and administration of the Local. In August 2024, charges were filed against six members of the former Executive Board alleging that the former President devised, implemented and subsequently attempted to improperly conceal a scheme to embezzle approximately $982,437.70 from the Local in the form of a disguised salary. A hearing was held in October 2024. In January 2025, the General President of the International found these charges to be upheld. As a result, policies have been changed by the Trustee to strengthen the internal controls of the Local. In addition, the Local filed a claim against their bond for the loss incurred of $982,437.70 (above) and an additional $157,000 for embezzlement of union assets based on authorized expenditures, totaling $1,139,437.70. The Office of Labor-Management Standards has been notified.” 

The full report can be found on the OLMS Website: https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/getOrgQry.do

The FLP and other financials do not match the 2024 calendar year due to the modified cash accrual accounting method. This is a snapshot of December 31, 2024.

We had anticipated putting the Bylaws out for ratification on March 20th; as we communicated, the ballots are printed. Two last issues needed to be resolved

1. The new minimum dues for a pilot of an LOA of $25 need to be in the Bylaws and;
2. We need a legal determination to include electronic voting during the General Membership Meeting for members participating via Zoom. We will be the first Teamster Local to have this provision.

LAX Base Closing
I received a “LAX Closure MOU” from Allegiant today. It was a signed, final executed PDF awaiting my signature. After we had discussed what the union and the company needed (weeks ago).

We will review the document and determine what, if any, changes are needed from the LAX pilots perspective and respond next week.

Issue of the Decade
In 2013-2015, after implementing a Merlot PBS system, that did not produce the schedules that Allegiant sought, Allegiant’s Issac Mavis created the “mavis solver” as a process step after Merlot. It’s method of solving bidlines violated the most basic premise of seniority using “Must Work Days”. “MWD’s” were issued in the solve at the point when the number of assignments (not flights) is equal to or greater than the pilots available for a particular day.

When it determined it was a “MWD” it solved that next, regardless of whether a pilot bid on or off that day, hopping all over the calendar month. These days were added through the solve, as the solver worked to get the most efficient result. This wrecked the idea of seniority. The most senior pilot in the base was often assigned a trip on his most important day to have off, to have a junior pilot get that day off, Christmas or other.

We grieved this system because it did not award pilot preferences in seniority order. Arbitrator Block agreed as set forth in his award. The Block Award provided significant relief from the erosion of seniority rights and remains in effect today albeit in tandem with the Company’s below industry standard, non-commercial PBS system known as CBI

In Allegiant’s official proposals, the company has rejected continuing our existing , post-Block Award protections. Previously, across the bargaining table, management claimed that new “scheduling efficiencies” were required to “pay” for a new contract—efficiencies that, as proposed, would significantly degrade your quality of life and reduce the value of your seniority. At the same time, what management is proposing would erode the Block Award protections, not maintain or improve them.

Even if our pilots wanted to preserve the current scheduling rules and CBI provisions, the company has removed them completely. Any suggestion by management or others that the Union could simply accept existing rules and “move on” grossly misrepresents the current bargaining state.

Much misinformation also surrounds the issue of “unstacking.”

Seniority is sacrosanct for professional pilots, governing two core areas: equipment/status and schedule preferences. Unstacking directly impacts the second, undermining the effectiveness of seniority in schedule bidding.

1. Unstacking at most airlines typically doesn’t exceed the low single digit range (0-5%) when solving schedules. In other words, even with their contractual 30 or 50% unstacking limits, they virtually never get close to those numbers. Seniority and pilot’s preferences are properly honored. Suggesting that 70% unstacking is not only required but should be standard operating procedure (i.e., 70% unstacking will be a regular occurrence) is offensive. It’s not only worse than current book, it’s worse than any other U.S. airline.
2. CBI does not have 100% unstacking as has been claimed. CBI is a 0% unstacked solution on its 1st pass and honors seniority and pilot’s preferences in accordance with the Bloch award. On the second pass, CBI then has the ability to add additional trips to your schedule after your preferences are honored (with restrictions) and has no ability to remove awarded trips from your schedule to create a “better solve”.

Without the appropriate protections, unstacking makes your seniority largely irrelevant, with virtually no opportunity to adjust or improve your quality of schedule/work life. Unstacking also has significant financial implications.

Even minor adjustments to unstacking percentages have significant consequences. For example, a 10% increase in unstacking can eliminate more than 90% of Open-Time flying, cutting opportunities for premium pay while simultaneously driving downline values through PBS efficiency gains and removing the most basic flexibilities you have.

For context, most airlines do not use unstacking as a day-to-day tool to schedule an airline, like Allegiant desires. It’s a safety valve that allows the airline to cover flying in irregular and abnormal circumstances.

Unstacking is not a minor detail in a pilot contract. Unstacking limitations are central to your seniority rights, schedule integrity, quality of life, and earning potential.

When you see on the message boards, “The union needs to move on and TA scheduling,” it’s essential to understand what those messages are conveying, i.e., the false proposition that competitive pay rates, quality of life and seniority rights are mutually exclusive and the price pilots must pay for a job at Allegiant.

Fraternally,

Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118

Allegiant Pilots:

This week, staff from the IBT conducted bookkeeping training at the Local, and we are setting up the voting process proposed dates and agreement with Ballot Point. Also this week, our economist met with the company costing staff and continued discussions on contract modeling.

LAX Base Closing
Management informed the union that they would be closing the LAX domicile in September 2025 and would inform the pilot group this Monday, March 3rd. My message to management was that base closures are inordinately more painful for Allegiant pilots and their families than for other carriers. They need to do more to ensure stability and acknowledge the impact of closing a base. Living in domicile and flying day trips are the lures that attract and retain pilots to Allegiant. It’s alarming that there were bid awards for LAX positions this year. I have spoken to many of the LAX pilots and will have a few Zoom calls next week to ensure we capture all opinions on what we can do for the pilots who will be displaced. At a general level, Allegiant and the Union have agreed to enter into an MOU based on the Austin base closure, but with some additional items that we will fully present to the company after we meet with the LAX pilots.

Negotiations
The Negotiating Committee will be in Las Vegas to meet with the company outside of mediation. As I mentioned in my last update, we have committed to the mediator that we will not make public comments about those meetings.

Union Business and Flight Loss Pay
As discussed last week, we will publish a calendar for negotiations, committee meetings, events, and FLP. The calendar is not fully finished tonight, but we are posting all actual 2024 calendar year FLP by committee. Then, we will publish on a month-to-month basis. It’s important to note that the union’s LM 2 reports are reported on a modified cash basis accounting method. When you see that report, it will have significant variances. For instance, Allegiant’s Q 4 bills for FLP will not show until the 2025 LM 2 because they were not due because of timing in 2024. What we are posting is a true YTD. Also, the override of 23% we pay Allegiant on all FLP is shown in a separate column. On the LM2, that payment is combined with all benefits on Statement B, line 55 and detailed in Schedule 20.

Visa Pilots
The Union has had multiple meetings with our Immigration Law Counsel and a short discussion with the Chief Pilot on the process for meeting on the issues. We have tasked our attorney with completing a complete set of concerns for a future meeting by the end of next week.

Fraternally,

Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118

Allegiant Pilots,

We have had a productive two weeks organizing our administrative affairs. The Bylaws have received the requested revisions and have been sent for final approval. We have also completed the required annual external audit to produce our Department of Labor LM-2s; these will be signed by the General President and General Secretary-Treasurer in the coming weeks and posted by the end of March.

Based on your input, we have also examined what can be done to ensure more transparency in day-to-day business. To that end, starting next week, we will post a calendar of negotiations, committee meetings, and events and produce a monthly and annual recap of flight loss pay.

Negotiating Committee

The company knows it takes little to upset the apple cart of pilot expectations. Our January mediated session was very productive, followed by productive small group sessions and mediation with no TAs. The fact that we did not, does not rest with your committee – not one member is dug in on any pet issue, as some pilots have complained to me. We are at a fundamental place that will affect the quality of life for every pilot at Allegiant. We are not going to “get it in the next round.” The committee is simply fighting to ensure we move forward and do not regress from the rules we have now in scheduling.

The committee will continue meeting with the company in small groups in March, and both sides have committed to the mediator that we will not make public comments on those talks.

2118 Staff

Josh Martin has joined our staff as a full-time communications specialist. Those who have met him, know he has been an amazing addition. Josh has assumed responsibilities for all e-mail and Microsoft licenses, website development, Union Impact, and day-to-day coordination with all communications. Kristin Lancaster has also joined our staff as a full-time bookkeeper and accountant, replacing Karen VanNostrand. Kristin has a BA in accounting and is completing her MA in accountancy. In her first week, Kristin has done an incredible job, starting to implement long-sought bookkeeping processes and organization, in coordination with Assistant Trustee Jim Clark.

Visa Pilots

Yesterday, we entered into an agreement with an immigration law firm and had a meeting regarding outstanding issues the union had. I was joined by IBT International Rep Lauri Esposito and Jim Clark, and I had a very productive conversation. I informed Rod Hardesty that we would be following up with him next week. The settlement agreement contemplates good faith negotiations. This is as basic as it gets – a functioning grievance process assumes an exchange of information, discussion, and good-faith negotiations to resolve disputes.

Steward Training

All the Stewards will attend training at the union hall from March 31 to April 4. As we set up a more programmatic approach to recurring committee training, committees will travel to meet in person, train, discuss advocacy, and learn to utilize available resources.

SPC Survey

The SPC will be releasing a survey tomorrow, and as always, we would love to see high participation.

CBT Reminder

This is a reminder that the deadline to complete the required Computer-Based Training (CBT) courses remains March 1, 2025. While a previous message may have mentioned March 30, 2025, please note that March 1 is the correct deadline.

CPaTmobile Reminder:
• Courses can be completed offline.
• Ensure green checks are visible under each course tab.
• Verify internet connection, then press “Force Sync” (top right) to sync completion data.

Fraternally,

Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118