Voting Begins at Allegiant, Division Director Sends Message to Pilots
Voting has begun at Allegiant Airlines, where the pilots have requested representation by the Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In a video message taped on Thursday and sent to the Allegiant pilots, Division Director David Bourne spoke to the pilots about the resources and assistance in many areas that would be available to them and the advantages of their affiliation with Local 1224.
He also addressed recent statements made to them that voting in a union would bring a third party between the pilots and management. In his comments, Bourne said, “They also know that there is no “third party”…they know that YOU will be the union and we will be there to provide the support and expertise that you want or need. And never more than you ask for.”
In response to the overwhelming card drive by the pilot group, who approached the Airline Division a few short months ago, management has begun a two pronged campaign, with one an attempt to defeat the union and the other to block the drive in favor of an in house union that would not have the resources, expertise and support that the Airline Division and Local 1224 would be able to provide the pilots.
Addressing both the anti union drive by the company and the alternative “in house” union group, Bourne went on to say, “Please understand…the promises…the rumors…the questions…the threats and even the fears that will be raised to scare you in the coming days are nothing new. They are the same ones that the consultants hired to stop you have raised at every airline and company they have been hired by to stop employees from organizing. The only thing that changes is the name of the company and how big a check that Allegiant will write to them to stop you.”
Concluding his remarks to the pilots, he said, “I hope you will join us. Sign your card and vote to join the Airline Division and Local 1224. Gain your voice and join the other pilots who have become members of the largest and fastest growing union in the airline industry. It will be an honor to represent you.”
Centurion, SkyLease Now under Single Contract
Crewmembers of Centurion Air Cargo and SkyLease, members of Local 769, will soon be operating under a single contract.
After voluntary recognition was given and subsequently certified for the Sky Lease pilots, an agreement was reached with management to accept both parties under the Centurion contract. A vote was held with 93% of the Centurion and 76% of the SkyLease crewmembers voted in favor of the agreement.
“This is a great step forward for our members,” said Daisy Gonzalez-Colli, Business Agent for Local 769. “By taking this step, we’re now able to keep our focus on negotiating the Centurion contract for the two groups instead of conducting two negotiations for different carriers owned by the same company. In the end, this will be a benefit to both.”
The carriers will remain separate, but operate under a single contract.
“Credit also goes to the management of Centurion for seeing the value in taking this approach that will benefit both our members and the company. As we continue our Section 6 discussions for a new agreement, we look forward to a continued positive working relationship,” she concluded.
Negotiations for Atlas Dispatchers Continue, Progress Continues
Airline Division negotiators and representatives for the Atlas Air flight dispatchers continued discussions with management over a two day period this past week.
Discussions continued with input from both sides continued on Scope, with the parties each expressing their goals and concerns. After extensive discussions both sides appear to be in a good position to make more progress on at the meetings scheduled for the coming week.
A primary area of focus will be compensation. In addition to the fact that flight dispatchers who have worked for the company for over 13 years have not seen a raise for the past 8 years, senior flight dispatchers with five to eight years of experience are currently paid less than new hire flight dispatchers.
Flight dispatchers are FAA licensed and are a critical component in the operational component of any airline and in the case of Atlas even more so as they operate around the world, 24 hours a day in critical environments for their customers, including U.S. and foreign carriers as well as the U.S. military.
The parties are scheduled to meet again from August 7th through the 10th.
Airline Industry News
Governmental and Regulatory
The Senate Transportation Committee voted Tuesday to support Michael Huerta for a five-year term as Federal Aviation Administration administrator.