PITTSBURGH — “Members of our union are protesting at 22 airports across the country today,” Will Fierman, a pilot and Teamster Local 2118 media representative, told the Militant at Pittsburgh International Airport Nov. 18. Some 1,400 Allegiant pilots are demanding a contract more in line with other airlines, with higher wages and better schedules and benefits.
Their last contract expired in 2021. “With no progress in talks,” Fierman said, “97% of us voted to strike.”
Flight attendants at the company joined the action. “We have to have their back, just like we need theirs,” said Roseann Teramana, a representative of Transport Workers Union Local 577. In the flight attendants’ recent contract, “for the very first time we got the ability to call ‘timeout’ [walk off the job]. Unfortunately we can only do that after 18 hours. We hope for more improvement next time.”
Pilots at Delta also joined the protest. Members of UNITE HERE participated during their lunch break at Sky Chefs, which caters to airlines.