Trustee Update – ByLaws Voting Results
Allegiant Pilots,
The Bylaws were voted down, overwhelmingly.
Please participate in the survey.
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118
New category for Trustee Updates
Trustee Update – June 20, 2025
/by Joshua MartinAllegiant Pilots,
Pilots, your Union hears you. Although significant work is happening behind the scenes—including negotiations preparation and strike readiness—I fully recognize that autonomy and self-governance are the immediate goals. That transition begins now. Thanks to the remarkable work of our Union volunteers and our current progress in this Trusteeship, I am taking the following steps to achieve that goal. Over the coming days, I will appoint Allegiant Air pilots to key leadership and operational roles within the Union. This does not replace the upcoming elections, nor is it any political endorsement. These appointments will ensure that capable and dedicated Allegiant Air pilots are in a position to represent your interests and execute the work that must be done to transition to a fully functional, pilot-member-led union.
To that end, I am happy to introduce Captain Rob Skiles as the newest member of the Communications Committee. Captain Skiles will be empowered to deliver timely, clear, and direct updates to our pilots, ensuring that you are informed. Additional appointments are forthcoming.
Concurrently, I will appoint a committee of pilots to focus solely on the Bylaws, the ratification of which is a significant milestone on the path to self-governance. The committee will be tasked with analyzing the pilot survey you just received, and, within the bounds of the IBT Constitution and Mandatory Bylaws, work with the Trustee and IBT to quickly address concerns, or alternatively, explain and clarify why some provisions are required.
Both the bylaws and leadership appointments mark a turning point in the Allegiant Air pilots reclaiming their Union. Even still, our fight for a fair contract, as well as our efforts to defend our current one, are ongoing. Management’s delay tactics during bargaining, their unilateral changes to rules and working conditions, and their support of a decertification/ALPA drive have no chance against a unified pilot group, led by competent and dedicated pilots willing to do the work. If you wish to be a part of this transition and understand the incredible time commitment and sacrifice required to hold a Union position, please send your resume to gunterseher@apa2118.org. Pilots with professional communications, administration, and leadership skills are welcome to apply.
Facts for Your Consideration
Your Healthcare at Risk
What is the value of high-quality, affordable, low-deductible Teamsters-provided TeamCare healthcare for you and your family? Your Union believes that value is virtually immeasurable. The other workgroups that you sponsor, including our Flight Attendants, Sunseeker Resort employees, and other non-Union employees, likely feel the same. Both management and their willing associates organizing the ‘G4P4A/ALPA drive’ are willing to kill access for thousands of hard-working employees simply to further their and management’s self-serving interest in decertifying the IBT. As if their selfish behavior wasn’t enough, they openly lie on their website, claiming that this coverage would continue regardless of Union affiliation. TeamCare disagrees; their direct response to the G4P4A misrepresentation can be read here.
Make no mistake, the move to decertify is both reckless and endorsed by management. Certain managers have directly admitted their preference to decertify the IBT. Our Union is not perfect—no organization is—but we are accountable to you. We improve because of your involvement and action. Our Union volunteers work selflessly every day to improve our operation, defend your contract, and protect your job. The path to autonomy and self-governance does not require us to “burn down the entire house just to renovate a room.” Changing the “logo” on the door doesn’t suddenly equal better representation. In this case, it just cedes control to the very individuals who did everything to lose your trust, at the bargaining table and beyond, backed by managers who’ve never had your back in the first place.
We are on a steady path to self-governance. There is absolutely nothing about this faceless, nameless G4P4A campaign that’s worth gambling your healthcare, the Local’s bank account, or your bargaining leverage for. Nothing. Read the TeamCare letters. Know what’s at stake. Then stand together with your pilots who are selflessly standing up for you.
The Nameless and Faceless “ALPA Drive”
Yesterday, the still faceless and nameless “G4P4A Organizing Committee” released yet another anonymous and inaccurate communication regarding their efforts to decertify the IBT. This “committee” is brave enough to put your healthcare and financial future at risk, but not brave enough to put their own names on their communications. They claim they’re strong enough to fight for your rights—yet they can’t even name themselves and take responsibility for their own campaign.
Shamefully, they falsely claim that all they seek is “…a federally supervised election…” and nothing more. Simply “a request for a vote.” That could not be further from the truth. Signing a card triggers a “decertification ballot”, regardless of what misinformation you are fed by those supporting his reckless drive. Beyond their desire to harm the efforts of our Union and its volunteers for selfish reasons, they seek to put your bargaining leverage and Union representation at risk.
As you are aware, management relentlessly disparages your Negotiating Committee and Union volunteers during training events, official communications, and through surrogates on social media who shamelessly spread their false talking points. G4P4A organizers have gone a step further by parroting the same management talking points under the guise of “self-determination” for our pilots. Their messaging and timing are deliberate. There is an active campaign to undermine and weaken your Union’s bargaining efforts to make it easier for their campaign to take hold. We will not allow that to happen.
The communication boldly states, “Lately, you may have heard claims that this effort isn’t real—that it’s being driven by management, or that it lacks support. These kinds of accusations aren’t new …” Incredibly, the letter does not deny that management is supporting the decertification effort. Their omission should be considered an admission. What’s more, despite management’s extreme and concessionary bargaining demands and multi-year campaign to deny Allegiant pilots the contract that you deserve, this nameless “committee” of pilots has not a single criticism of management, nor any plan for how they will bargain for your future or defend your contract.
Your Union does have a vision and plan for the future. Driven solely by the collective power of your membership, your Union will secure the contract you deserve, defend against management violations, and hold management accountable—whether in arbitration or elsewhere. We will implement member-ratified Bylaws and bring the trusteeship to a responsible and necessary end. You will elect an Executive Board from and for the Allegiant pilots. Last but not least, your Union will be ready to take the fight to any person or organization – management, their G4P4A associates, or otherwise– who would attempt to destroy our Union and take us down the path of appeasement, surrender, and management domination.
We continue to receive questions about why we haven’t done more to squash the ALPA drive—message received. Any individual who willfully attempts to harm your bargaining position to advance a management-backed decertification agenda should expect consequences. Every available legal and administrative remedy under the RLA, our bylaws and Constitution, and the full scope of internal disciplinary procedures will be pursued, including charges for actions contrary to the interests of the membership. Your Union will defend itself. And we will not stand idle while anyone—pilot or otherwise—tries to destroy it.
Retention Bonus Dues
I am frequently asked “Will I have to pay dues on my retention bonus?” NO. During the Trusteeship, we have stated that no dues will be deducted. For Example, on a $250,000,000 payout dues would amount to $3,900,000.
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118
Trustee Update – June 19, 2025
/by Joshua MartinAllegiant Pilots,
Mediation
As we wrote last week, the Mediator informed the parties that no decision had been made regarding the Union’s request for a status meeting and proffer, but that we are to resume mediation at this time. The mediator indicated he was available for mediation the week of July 14, 2025, and would follow up with the Union after speaking with the Company about that week and August dates. We have informed the mediator that the union is available. The Negotiating Committee will convene in person the week of June 30.
Bylaw Vote Count
The Bylaw results will be published tomorrow. If they do not pass, a survey will be linked to the message.
WEBINAR
June 24, 3:00 PM Pacific Time
Register Here
ALPA/Decertification Drive
The efforts to decertify your union began in earnest after the removal of the prior negotiating committee in April of 2024, as I wrote in a previous update. The company has stood firm on its insistence on concessions in hopes of wearing down the pilot group.
Last week, the so-called “G4P4A Organizing Committee” (Super Squad) issued an anonymous letter that must have given Allegiant managers great comfort. Let’s break down what the anonymous author has to say and why that position does nothing to get us closer to a good contract or functional representation.
Criticizing Our Request for a Status Hearing at the NMB Plays Right into the Company’s Hands
While quick to criticize the IBT for pursuing a status meeting at the National Mediation Board, Anonymous doesn’t direct a single word of criticism at Allegiant management for creating the impasse in the first place. If management didn’t continue to insist on a proposal that would wipe out the seniority-based schedule preferences of 70% or more of pilots, we would have had a contract long ago.
Then Anonymous complains that the IBT can’t guarantee a status meeting will happen and whines that, even if it does, the process will be hard. Anonymous wants us to give up before we’ve even tried.
If the NMB grants a status conference, your Union will make the case that you deserve a release from mediation, so you can use your collective economic power, if necessary, to obtain the contract you deserve. And if the NMB doesn’t eventually grant our request, then we will ask every pilot on the seniority list to redouble their efforts in the fight against management for a new contract. In fact, as we prepare for mediation, that is the ask now. That’s how it works. That’s the process. What happens next, in either case, is that we use our collective power against management until we secure the contract we deserve.
We Can’t Afford to Let Allegiant Run Roughshod Over Our Contract
What Anonymous thinks should “happen next” is made clear by the criticism of the Union’s decision to fight management’s attempt to change our working conditions by assigning duty during rest/days off through backdoor GOM changes. In short, Anonymous thinks we should appease the management team that is attacking your contractual rights and trying to undermine efforts to improve your contract. We are certain management strongly agrees.
To be clear, we make no apologies for challenging Allegiant in court and in arbitration when it comes to protecting your rights. We fought them in district court over the GOM changes, taking the position that their underhanded attack on our rest periods and days off created a major dispute. Now, we are going to fight them in arbitration, as the judge directed us to do. That is what pilot unions do—they fight to protect the rights of their members in any and all forums, unless they are controlled or influenced by management.
Nor We Can We Afford to Voluntarily Surrender Our Right to Strike
Anonymous would have you believe that any thought of striking Allegiant is futile because the Railroad Labor Act (RLA) effectively prevents all strikes. In fact, they go so far as say that because use we refuse to voluntarily surrender our right to strike, that the IBT is “misaligned with the needs of airline pilots.” Such zealous advocacy against strikes would make any management team happy.
The reality is that the right to strike is not only protected by the RLA, but that right is considerably broader than what other private sector workers have. For example, intermittent strikes (“CHAOS” style, selective, rolling, etc.) and “secondary” picketing against “neutral” employers are permitted under the RLA. By contrast, these very effective pressure tactics are generally prohibited under the National Labor Relations Act, which covers other employees.
IBT General President Sean O’Brien has said collective bargaining is a “full-contact sport.” We agree, even if Anonymous believes he sounds too harsh or that our Union is too aggressive in its dealings with management. This Union rejects the idea that Allegiant pilots are more easily offended or less willing to fight for good contracts than unionized pilots at other carriers, or teachers, nurses, construction workers, flight attendants, airline technicians, truck drivers and professional athletes. Anonymous has a very low opinion of Allegiant pilots, an opinion this Union does not share.
Bylaws, elections, ending the Trusteeship. Let’s have those discussions, and more importantly, take action that allows us to stand up the local, and give us the agency to help grow Allegiant and our careers.
We can’t hand over our Union, or our futures, to appeasers, who we know have coordinated with management to disrupt progress, create division, and proudly wrote a letter that Allegiant management could have written themselves.
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118
Trustee Update – June 6, 2025
/by Joshua MartinAllegiant Pilots,
Negotiations for pilot contracts are historically difficult; you already know that. You’ve also heard that the only way to succeed is by showing unity; broken record. The outliers here, you also know: Trusteeship, Allegiant’s intractable negotiation style, and willingness to exploit its pilots, and a founder “laser focused” on “more for less”. Maurey Gallager saw a “mark” in Robles – it’s clear from emails between him and Robles as well as his letter to shareholders in the 2023 Annual Report. He wrote in part:
“The lack of experience, lack of basic business knowledge was readily apparent. At the bargaining table for the past three years, none of the 2118 representatives (including their legal counsel) had any previous experience at airline labor negotiations. The president of the union was also the head of every committee including the negotiating committee. In three years of negotiation, from early 2021 through the end of 2023, the Company and the union did not agree on any substantive updates to the contract”.
All Allegiant management has done is manipulate, create division, and sit back and wait. An inconceivable “retention bonus” MOU, now worth over 200,000,000, is a time bomb masterfully set by Greg and Maurey.
First days of Trusteeship
For a short time, from March 20 to April 30, 2024, the day after the Trusteeship began to the day I replaced the negotiating team, Allegiant, seemed quite pleased with the progress, as they stated in their letter to the NMB responding to the Union’s proffer request, stating in part:
“… the Union has deliberately prevented the parties from making progress by firing any negotiator who has shown an inclination toward bargaining in good faith toward a new agreement. In the spring of 2024, for example, the Union hired an outside consultant with deep experience in airline negotiations to support the Union’s other negotiators. During that time, the parties were able to work collaboratively and constructively together to address some of the most difficult and complex open issues in our agreement. That abruptly came to an end, however, when Greg Unterseher, the Union’s trustee, fired that consultant and other members of the Union’s bargaining team.”
Fishburn goes on to state the reason why, inaccurately quoting me:
“…that negotiations were “moving too fast…”
John Owens was working behind the union’s back, in constant contact with David Bourne, who was close to Gallagher. The TAs produced in those 40 days were by little more than free-form riffing. There was no context to issues that needed resolution, except by Allegiant’s Negotiations team, who were reportedly surprised by some of the union’s proposals but gladly accepted them.
A sample of TAs and AIPs in those 40 days:
Section 25
Pilot Personal Electronic Device(s) [cell phone monitoring]
“…if the Pilot voluntarily chooses to download a Company application to the Pilot’s personal electronic device(s), that shall constitute the Pilot’s consent to allow the application to track or monitor the Pilot for all purposes.
Section 12
- Involuntary Captain Upgrades
- Voluntary Mutual Domicile Exchange
- Base Seniority
These were proposed by the union, with no regard for the downstream consequences or how they would impact other provisions in the CBA.
Respectfully, I asked the two rank-and-file negotiators to step to the side, and dismissed John Owens the hired lead negotiator brought in by David Bourn. Letter here: GU to JO (link to PDF)
ALPA Drive
Immediately, an ALPA drive rose with a group who internally addressed themselves as the “Super Squad” one, who in a text with an assistant chief pilot, stated that “When I was in the [negotiations] room, June was absolutely doable. Fingers crossed (laughing emoji)” He went on in further texts, as he was seeking ALPA contacts from an ACP, that he had a good chat with Greg [Anderson] about wrapping it and wanting to have a better management/labor relationship.
The only thing “doable” by June was a wholesale acceptance of every proposal presented by (as the “Super Squad” calls them) “expert company negotiators”. The only better “management/labor” relationship being sought looks like a lap dog.
Now, the renewed ALPA drive, as we seek release from mediation. Unwittingly, ALPA is serving as a lever for management. All management needs to do is take a step back, hoping the “Super Squad” will be successful, lending every hand it can, including reportedly granting meetings to ALPA organizers with executive leadership, all the while standing firm on concessionary proposals.
Allegiant management has long sought to influence, if not outright choose, who represented its employees. And by strong preference not have any unions whatsoever, as represented by Allegiant General Counsel, Letter to NMB
GOM
Our job, as representatives, is to, at our core, make and maintain agreements.
The company, in a dispute of its own making, seeks to renege on negotiated terms that protect “Rest” and “Days Off”, express, clear, unambiguous language, using “management rights” as its justification, and unilateral GOM changes as a proxy for negotiations.
To manufacture reasons these new provisions are so important, Allegiant’s attorney, Markel, goes off the rails, inaccurately referencing union counsel, Mr. Ring, stating in part:
“Mr. Ring apparently believes that an airline like Allegiant could not prohibit its pilots from engaging in sexual assault or harassment while on a layover. Airlines have a unique issue at least in that context of what pilots do when they’re on layovers. Mr. Ring thinks that, “Because I’m on a layover, I’m not on a — I’m not on duty. I can do whatever I want. The airline can’t control my time off duty.” By his view, Allegiant could never adopt a policy that says, don’t harass hotel staff in the hotels we’re putting you at, don’t harass the flight attendants you’re working with. You’re off duty. You can do whatever you want. I don’t think we’d have enough paper in this courthouse to print off the arbitration awards upholding terminations of pilots for that exact conduct It’s just so outlandish, it cannot possibly be even entertained.”
Another justification came from Hardesty, stating that a pilot dealing with a bomb threat would not call back on advice from the union. The union Steward who was contacted only informed the pilot that he had access to union counsel and due process. That has always been the case for any pilot involved in an incident and is why you have a badge backer with an emergency hotline, staffed 24/7. For example, recall Captain Sullenberger and his defense by his union representative, Captain Rooney. It’s what union representatives do to protect process and member rights.
There is simply no reality that “operational control” is lost when the company does not have around-the-clock access to you.
Court Transcripts are on the Trustee page.
Trustee Webinar
June 10, 2025 3 PM PST / 6PM EST
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118
Trustee Update – May 24, 2025
/by Joshua MartinAllegiant Pilots,
Please see the required communication regarding the prohibition on self-help and striking relating to Sections 11.3.1.4.C.24 and 11.3.1.5.C.13 of Allegiant’s GOM
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118
Trustee Update – May 22, 2025
/by Joshua MartinAllegiant Pilots,
Hearing for TRO on GOM changes
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we appeared in federal court for a hearing, with Allegiant seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent us from striking. They argued that its GOM changes did not constitute a major dispute and were therefore subject to the minor dispute process under the RLA.
There were no opening statements allowed by Judge Gordon, and as the moving party, Allegiant put on its initial witness, Bill Fishburn. Mr. Fishburn was asked questions over the course of several hours concerning Allegiant’s Business model, how sensitive the company would be to a strike, etc. Among many other things, Mr. Fishburn claimed: Allegiant was an essential air service carrier; how immovable the negotiators are over one section; and provided commentary on how the union was just attempting to gain leverage at the bargaining table. Some time into questioning Fishburn, Judge Gordon made it clear that he was not concerned with the status of our negotiations, how each party felt about the other, or any of the Allegiant’s grievances.
Allegiant argued two main points during the hearing: 1) the new policy was “accepted” by the FAA POI and 2) the Management rights clause in Section 1 gives the company, in their attorney’s words, “without limitation, all of the inherent rights, powers and authority to manage the business and direct its workforce” and that since the FAA POI had accepted the policies, the last sentence in Section 1. J. 1. (prohibiting the company from instituting policies that were violating FAA regulations) did not apply.
Leaning heavily on Mesa V AFA, 9th Circuit 2009, and the POI’s decision, Judge Gordon issued an oral bench ruling and stated he would issue a written ruling shortly. In his ruling, the judge granted the company’s motion for an injunction, based on his finding that it was a minor dispute, and ordered the company to provide a bond payment pending final disposition of the dispute. The next step is to file for expedited dispute resolution under Section 1. I. As we have already communicated, the FAA interpretations and the provisions in your CBA are clear. A pilot’s life is divided into Duty and Rest, with rest also encompassing all days off. Neither the FAA nor your CBA segregates rest into different categories. We continue to disagree with the POI’s interpretation of the company’s Temporary Bulletin and are seeking FAA clarification.
Lastly, I have heard that several pilots are confused about Judge Gordon’s comment about “burner phones.” The judge’s comment was based on the fact that, according to company management, pilots are not required to be contactable during their rest period. A pilot is only required to return contact with Flight Operations management if the pilot “happens to notice that management tried to reach them.” The judge stated that pilots could get a “burner phone” and only have it on during work hours, thus preserving their days off and rest. I will be hosting a webinar on Saturday to answer questions about the process to this point and the next steps.
Zoom Webinar to discuss the Injunction
Saturday, May 24th, 3 PM Pacific Time
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118
Court Update From Trustee – May 21, 2025
/by Joshua MartinAllegiant Pilots,
Today, after two days of testimony, Judge Gordon issued a Preliminary Injunction against the union, preventing us from striking or performing any work action. The judge, familiar with Allegiant, deferred to the FAA POI’s “Acceptance” of the Temporary Bulletin change issued by the company.
The Union disagrees with the POI and continues to believe that the revised bulletin is non-compliant with the FARs and FAA interpretations of Pilot Rest. However, the judge seemed to understand the dispute and issues created regarding the pilots’ new obligations to the company. In the company’s testimony today, the company stated multiple times that pilots are not required to be contactable on days off or during their rest period. As a mitigation to the new GOM provisions, the judge suggested that Allegiant pilots could get “burner phones” and provide those numbers to Allegiant. This would allow us to take advantage of our negotiated days off and regulatory rest.
For now, regarding the two items in dispute in the GOM Revision 66, we are prohibited from any strike or other work action. Additionally, union officials are barred from either encouraging, promoting, or calling for any type of strike or work stoppage. It’s imperative that the pilots follow this court order.
We will schedule a call for Saturday to answer questions.
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118
Trustee Update May 19, 2025
/by Joshua MartinAllegiant Pilots,
On May 15, our counsel wrote to Allegiant informing it of a major dispute regarding the implementation of GOM revisions related to duty and rest that altered its status quo obligations under the RLA. We gave the company until 10 AM PT Friday, May 16th, to respond. Through a series of conversations between our counsel and the company’s counsel, Allegiant withdrew implementation until 5 PM tonight. The company then issued a new proposed revision to the GOM and stated it would implement at 5 PM tonight. The company filed a temporary restraining order last night to enjoin us from striking over the status quo violations at 5 PM tonight.
This morning, Allegiant and union counsel met with US District Judge Andrew Gordon via Zoom, and an in-person hearing was initially set for 2 PM this afternoon because Allegiant initially refused to withdraw its GOM language change. An hour and a half before the hearing, Allegiant agreed to withdraw implementation of its GOM revision and to preserve the status quo until the later of 5:00 PM PT on May 20, 2025, or the close of the evidentiary hearing on Allegiant’s TRO, but in any event, no longer than 5:00 PM PT on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. With this stipulation to maintain the status quo, a hearing on Allegiant’s TRO has been rescheduled for 2 PM PT tomorrow.
By its GOM changes, Allegiant management has made it clear that they intend to unilaterally implement new rules and working conditions that require you to a) monitor communications for company contact on your days off, b) respond to the company’s communications on days off, and c) check your schedule to determine when such a response would not be in violation of “required rest”.
As we have seen from the company recently, they attempt to dictate work rules and terms of employment that they can’t obtain in negotiations. Their arrogant and self-serving conduct brings us to the brink of a status quo strike. We have included a memo linked below that outlines the two different kinds of disputes under the RLA, major and minor.
Per the FAA’s guidance on duty and rest requirements, Allegiant’s requirement that you constantly monitor your communications for any contact is a duty. Allegiant’s requirement that you respond to telephone calls off-duty is a duty. What’s more, Allegiant attempts to shift the burden onto the pilot, making it mandatory to check their schedule and determine when a callback would not interfere with “required rest.” This is a duty, regardless of how permissible the callback period is.
Further, the FAA makes clear that if a pilot is not “free from all restraint to the carrier”, then the period of obligation is not considered rest. Per our CBA, a Rest Period is “[t]he time between Duty Off and the subsequent Duty On time.” Per the FAA, a Rest Period is “a continuous period determined prospectively during which the flight crewmember is free from all restraint by the certificate holder, including freedom from present responsibility for work should the occasion arise.” The CBA and FAA provisions are not mutually exclusive, they work in concert with each other. During your rest period, the CBA requires that you are free of duty and the FAA demands that you are free from duty. Otherwise, it’s not rest.
Multiple FAA Interpretations make this clear and unimpeachable, especially this one from June 16th, 2009:
“…if the pilot is obligated to answer the telephone, or respond to a page, then the entire period that the pilot is under such an obligation is not considered part of the continuous rest period, even if the carrier does not call the pilot once during that period.”
The FAA confirmed this position in a July 8th, 2014 interpretation letter which states:
“We noted further that “a requirement to check a schedule or acknowledge a trip assignment is duty and not rest even when the requirement is imposed by a collective bargaining agreement.”
The FAA stated the same regarding “rest period obligations” in a July 5th, 2008 interpretation, stating:
“…by threatening adverse action if the pilot did not respond, [the company] indicated that it expected its pilot to answer the telephone and/or respond… thus the period during which the pilot was under this obligation would not be considered part of the rest period.”
The FAA could not be clearer regarding the definitions of Duty and of Rest. The company’s unilateral changes constitute a status quo violation, a contract violation, and a clear conflict and/or violation of the FARs.
Should Allegiant exercise self-help and make changes to the status quo, the Union will also exercise its right to legal self-help and strike the carrier. There is a stipulation in place to maintain the status quo until the later of 5:00 PM PT on May 20, 2025, or the close of the evidentiary hearing on Allegiant’s TRO, but in any event, no longer than 5:00 PM PT on Wednesday, May 21, 202, The Union and pilots will honor this status quo agreement.
Our CBA protects pilots from discipline, termination, and replacement for participating in lawful strikes such as a status quo strike. Section 1.K.3 states: it shall not be cause for discharge, permanent replacement or any other disciplinary action if any Pilot covered by this Agreement:
“…refuses to enter upon the property of the Company, any Company Affiliate or any other Entity where its employees are engaged in a lawful strike…”
The Union will take all legal action necessary to protect pilots from retaliation from exercising their contractual and statutory rights. The company’s proposed changes to the GOM are unlawful. If Allegiant management implements the GOM changes, it will have resorted to self-help before the RLA processes have been exhausted, which constitutes a status quo violation under the RLA. The Union will take all legal steps to defend our CBA and maintain the status quo, including exercising our legal-right to self help and strike the carrier should it be required. For now, please maintain the status quo.
We will update you on this matter following tomorrow’s hearing in Federal Court.
Fraternally,
Greg Unterseher
Trustee, APA Teamsters Local 2118