Trustee Update – July 23, 2024
Allegiant Air Pilots:
I spent last week working at the Local 2118 office in Las Vegas. Much of our time was devoted to assisting the IBT’s auditor, who is conducting the Local 2118 audit which is expected to be completed shortly. By way of correction, at a recent base meeting I stated that the International anticipated completing the audit last week. They were unable to bring the audit to completion as expected and work continues this week.
Robles et al. Charges
Charges are in the final draft stage and are being vetted by counsel. We anticipate they will be filed and served very soon.
Slowdown?
As you know, our negotiations with Allegiant are governed by the Railway Labor Act (RLA) and we currently remain under the direct supervision of the National Mediation Board. Under the RLA, it is not legal and therefore not okay for pilots to coordinate any effort to slow down operations or to harass anybody who chooses to pick up trips. As I have emphatically stated in our base meetings, this has the potential to hurt you individually and collectively, as well as the Local itself, far more than it would ever help us. For more details on this, please see the attached letter.
ALPA
Not to kick a dead horse, but some questions keep resurfacing, so I want to answer them again:
TeamCare: TeamCare is a benefit available to you as a direct result of your affiliation with the Teamsters. In the event the pilot group is no longer affiliated with the Teamsters, TeamCare would be lost on the day of decertification. See the attached letter from TeamCare for details and clarification. Further, the Allegiant Pilots are the sponsoring group for other Allegiant employees, non-represented Allegiant employees, TWU Allegiant flight attendants, and Sunseeker Resort employees, which allows them to participate in TeamCare as well. If the Allegiant pilots vote to decertify the Teamsters, the pilots, non-represented Allegiant employees, flight attendants and Sunseeker Resort employees will all lose TeamCare coverage on the effective date of the decertification. Note that decertification of a union is not a “life event”, so there would be no COBRA coverage from TeamCare.
Union Charges: As noted previously, a few members who coordinated directly with ALPA have been charged with violating the IBT Constitution and APA Local 2118 Bylaws. General President O’Brien has assumed original jurisdiction under the IBT Constitution and convened a panel to hear the charges. A hearing on the charges will be scheduled in the next few weeks, depending on the availability of the panel members and witnesses.
Free Speech: As a union member, you have broad rights to free speech under the law (LMRDA). This includes trashing your leadership, sometimes even lying to further your argument, and saying that you feel Union “X” is way better than your current one. As a member of this Union, however, you do not have a right to actively instigate and participate in the decertification of your union. This prohibition is not unique to the Teamsters; it applies to every union in America and it is enforced by them too.
We’re Moving
We have planned on moving our office to a more suitable location and space since the first day of Trusteeship. Last week, we received notice that the Urban Law Firm, where we sublease, is ending its lease and we that need to be out of our current office no later than September 30, 2024. We are in search of suitable office space that our pilots would be proud to visit.
Next General Membership Meeting
We were initially planning to hold the General Membership Meeting next week, but have decided to move the meeting to a date later in August. This will give us time to complete our new financial presentation format, complete the Audit, and address other outstanding issues that must be shared with the membership. Once schedules are coordinated, we will publish the date.
Download/View RLA Reminder
Download/View TeamCare and Allegiant Pilots CBA
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher,
Trustee