PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — More than 1,400 Allegiant Air pilots represented by Teamsters will hold a nationwide picket Tuesday, demanding an end to ongoing contract negotiation delays as they push for higher compensation.
WATCH: Fox 4's Eric Lovelace spoke to a pilot who is frustrated with pay:
The pilots across 22 airport bases, including Punta Gorda Airport, say the company continues to ask for concessions while investing in other ventures instead of fairly compensating their workforce.
"Contract negotiations have been delayed because Allegiant demands concessions in certain areas of the bargaining table," Aaron Adrian, an Allegiant pilot said.
The union argues that Allegiant is prioritizing investments outside of aviation, including the Sunseeker Resort project.
"Allegiant is invested in everything except the airline and its pilots, they made a huge investment in the Sunseeker resort, they lost over 500 million dollars on that transaction," Adrian said.
According to the union, Allegiant's failure to offer a fair contract is causing the airline to lose talented and experienced pilots to competitors. The pilots say they simply want respect and fair compensation for their daily work.
"We've negotiated in good faith, and they fail to offer us a contract that values our work," Adrian said.
Allegiant disputes these claims, stating they have offered a competitive compensation package. In a statement, they said:
"Allegiant is currently in negotiations with the Teamsters Local 2118, with the mediation assistance of the National Mediation Board (NMB), to finalize an agreement for our pilots. Allegiant has offered a competitive package – including an immediate 50% average increase in hourly wages that scales to 70% over 5 years. Additionally, we have offered a 50% increase in direct contribution to pilots’ retirement benefits, improvements in long-term disability benefits, and extensive scheduling and quality of life improvements designed to honor seniority and protect our business model.
To further demonstrate our commitment to our pilots, Allegiant has been accruing a retention bonus since June 2023 that represents an 82% pay increase for first-year first officers and a 35% pay increase for all other pilots. The accrued money will be paid out in a lump sum cash payment to individuals once a new contract is ratified. For senior captains, that retention bonus has already exceeded $200,000 and counting.
Tuesday, the members of IBT 2118 will exercise their right to conduct informational picketing. This is not a work stoppage, nor is one imminent. We are operating our full schedule and do not anticipate any disruptions related to the informational picketing. Our customers can continue to book and travel with confidence."
Adrian said the airline would look at striking in the future, but according to Allegiant, a couple things must happen before workers can lawfully strike.
For a work stoppage, or strike, to occur under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which is the law that governs labor relations in the airline industry, all of the RLA’s bargaining procedures must be exhausted. Those include the following:
1. The NMB – not the parties themselves - determines if there is an impasse in negotiations between the airline and union.
2. The NMB offers interest arbitration to the parties to resolve their outstanding issues.
3. If either party (or both) turns down interest arbitration, the NMB releases them from mediation.
4. A 30-day cooling off period then ensues, which can be extended by action of the President.
The informational picket is scheduled for 10am to 2pm Tuesday.
