Allegiant receives injunction to indefinitely prevent pilots’ strike

May 4, 2015 at 7:03p.m.

VIENNA

While Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air received an additional court order to prevent its pilots from going on strike, that, too, is fueling a months-long labor dispute.

The pilots, represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1224, contend the decision made by a Las Vegas court violates the status quo of pilot work rules, complaining specifically about a new pilot scheduling system.

They plan to file an appeal to the injunction.

“We believe our strike to restore the status quo is legal and that the court’s injunction in this case is not in accordance with federal law,” First Officer Cameron Graff said in a statement.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon, however, maintained that the airline is working hard with pilots to modify the scheduling system to their satisfy complaints.

“Such actions may not lead to a perfect scheduling system, nor certainly to one pilots would design themselves,” Gordon wrote in issuing the injunction. “But they do not rise to the level of status quo violations. Accordingly, it would be unlawful for the pilots to strike...”

Allegiant is the sole commercial airline at the Vienna-based Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport that offers flights to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers and Myrtle Beach.

The pilots and the commercial airliner have been in negotiations since last year. Pilots want the company to restore a former scheduling system and other benefits that they say have been wrongfully rolled back over a two-year period.

“Rather than spend all this time in court, pilots are calling on Allegiant to fully restore our contract so we can focus on our work, sit down to negotiate a future contract and work together to secure the future prosperity of Allegiant and the Allegiant pilots,” Graff said.

In early April, the airline received a temporary court order to prevent an Easter weekend strike. The latest order would indefinitely prevent pilots from striking.