Pilots at Allegiant Air have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike after two years of contract talks, empowering their union to request U.S. government approval for a walkout, the union said in a release Friday.
More than 98 percent of the 473 pilots who voted approved the strike, according to the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224. The voters represented the vast majority of pilots at the low-cost U.S. carrier owned by Allegiant Travel Co.
The movement to strike raises the stakes for Allegiant, which entered mediation with its pilots in April of last year. A strike could result in significant flight disruptions as well as revenue loss for the Las Vegas-based airline, a potential anomaly in the U.S. industry where labor strikes are infrequent.
To be sure, it is still far from certain that a strike will occur. The union must coordinate with the National Mediation Board, and an agreement with Allegiant could stop the union from taking further steps.
In a statement, a company official said, "We have not been released from negotiation by the mediator, and as long as we are in negotiations, Allegiant will continue to be committed to negotiating a contract that is good for both the pilots and the company."
The union alleges that Allegiant has failed to abide by a July 2014 federal court injunction that directed the airline to restore the pilots' benefits and work rule protections to levels negotiated previously, the release said.
The release added that additional points at issue include "basic compensation... safety concerns and operational deficiencies that cannot be resolved without the company's willingness to begin reinvesting directly into the company's operation."
"No one wants to strike," APA Teamsters Local 1224 President Daniel Wells said in the release. "However, the pilots haven't seen any real progress in over two years."
March Maddest is coming up. and Allegiant has the contract to move the teams around. I believe ALL airlines and ALL Fractional have to honor their strike line. I know they are based in Las Vegas
More than 98 percent of the 473 pilots who voted approved the strike, according to the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224. The voters represented the vast majority of pilots at the low-cost U.S. carrier owned by Allegiant Travel Co.
The movement to strike raises the stakes for Allegiant, which entered mediation with its pilots in April of last year. A strike could result in significant flight disruptions as well as revenue loss for the Las Vegas-based airline, a potential anomaly in the U.S. industry where labor strikes are infrequent.
To be sure, it is still far from certain that a strike will occur. The union must coordinate with the National Mediation Board, and an agreement with Allegiant could stop the union from taking further steps.
In a statement, a company official said, "We have not been released from negotiation by the mediator, and as long as we are in negotiations, Allegiant will continue to be committed to negotiating a contract that is good for both the pilots and the company."
The union alleges that Allegiant has failed to abide by a July 2014 federal court injunction that directed the airline to restore the pilots' benefits and work rule protections to levels negotiated previously, the release said.
The release added that additional points at issue include "basic compensation... safety concerns and operational deficiencies that cannot be resolved without the company's willingness to begin reinvesting directly into the company's operation."
"No one wants to strike," APA Teamsters Local 1224 President Daniel Wells said in the release. "However, the pilots haven't seen any real progress in over two years."
March Maddest is coming up. and Allegiant has the contract to move the teams around. I believe ALL airlines and ALL Fractional have to honor their strike line. I know they are based in Las Vegas