Judge Ordered All Flights To Operate As Scheduled

A court in Las Vegas on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1224, which represents the pilots of Allegiant airlines.

The union had threatened a walkout in advance of Easter weekend. The pilots had planned to strike beginning Thursday morning. Union leadership had said in a news release that the airline "refuses to reestablish a prior scheduling system and restore other basic benefits that have been illegally rolled back over a two-year period during which the company has posted record-level profits. In January, 98 percent of the company's pilots, including those on reserve duty, voted to authorize a strike."

Allegiant said in a statement that it has every reason to believe that the Teamsters will honor the court's instructions and will not be able to continue with their illegal intention to strike. This order will prevent a threatened pilots' strike which would have left potentially thousands of travelers with cancelled flights over the Easter holiday weekend. Based on the court order, all scheduled Allegiant flights were expected to operate normally.

Allegiant said that with the threat of an imminent strike averted, it hopes that both parties can now focus on the next federally mediated negotiating session, scheduled for late April.

FMI: www.ibt1224.org, http://ir.allegiantair.com