Transport Workers Union stages protest against Allegiant

About 20 Transport Workers Union members representing flight attendants protested Thursday near Allegiant Travel Co. office in Western Las Vegas morning, saying Allegiant made record profits but falls short of industry standards when it comes to pay, work rules and benefits.

“It’s a strange phenomenon when a company is making record profits, but workers are making the lowest salaries in the industry,” said Thom McDaniel, international vice president of the Transport Workers Union of America.

McDaniel and TWU Local 577 members called on Allegiant to settle a contract after four years of negotiations. One conflict is that Allegiant wants a six-year deal, but the union proposes a four-year contract, McDaniel said.

Local 577 member Lorraine Mahoney, an Allegiant flight attendant walking the suburban sidewalk at Town Center and Covington Cross drives, said, “We don’t have rules that they will stand by.”

Mahoney said Allegiant customers will sometimes complain to her that the flight attendants are getting paid time and a half when there is a flight delay.

“When there’s a delay, I tell them I don’t get paid, and the customer says, ‘Wow.’”

The flight attendants protest was staged the same day that Allegiant held a shareholders meeting. Two shareholders attended the 15-minute session, said Jessica Wheeler, Allegiant director of marketing communications.

Wheeler said the airline and the union are negotiating.

“It’s not uncommon for a first contract to take this long to negotiate,” Wheeler said at the Allegiant office. “We continue to negotiate and respect their right (to protest). We believe time is better spent attacking the issues at the negotiating table than attacking one another.”

Besides the flight attendants’ concerns, Allegiant pilots of Teamsters Local 1224 have an ongoing beef with the airline that was highlighted in a June 11 letter written to Linda Marvin, audit committee chair of Allegiant’s board.

“In growing numbers, customers are questioning the high cost of the company’s low-cost approach to its operation and maintenance. Allegiant’s record delays and cancellations have led Allegiant to have the second‐highest customer complaint rate out of any U.S. commercial airline,” the June 11 letter said, in part.

“As detailed in a recent report from the Aviation Mechanics Coalition (TAMC), many of these schedule disruptions are due to avoidable mechanical and maintenance issues,” said the letter, signed by “The Pilots Flying for Allegiant Air.”

Allegiant has not responded to the letter, the pilots said through a public relations representative.

Allegiant spokesperson Kimberly Schaefer released a statement that said, in part, the letter and a union statement “are the latest tactics employed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) in an effort to manipulate the public by raising unfounded concerns about the safety of our operations.

“Allegiant’s safety record is among the best in the aviation industry. In fact, Allegiant recently completed a period of heightened surveillance by the Federal Aviation Administration because of the IBT’s allegations. As expected, the FAA did not find any safety issues with our operations. …

“Allegiant is only interested in completing our first contract with its pilots as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the IBT believes it can secure a contract through tactics that only hurt our dedicated employees and the traveling public.”

Allegiant shares gained $9.96, or 5.93 percent, to close at $178.02 on Thursday amid a broad market rally that saw the Dow gain 180 points.

Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Find him on Twitter: @BicycleManSnel