On March 21, the company delivered a signed MOU to address the LAX base closure—offering a path forward for displaced pilots.
The Teamsters had the offer in hand.
And for 18 days, they did nothing.
No counter.
No collaboration.
No communication with pilots.
Then on April 7, the company rescinded the offer—citing the union’s delay. And for once, it’s hard to argue with management’s reasoning. The union’s update on April 9th confirmed what we all feared: they are inept—incapable of acting when it counts.
This wasn’t a complex negotiation. It was a time-sensitive issue affecting real pilots and real families. The union had a signed starting point and let it sit until it was too late.
Now the pilots who needed protection the most are left with uncertainty, fewer options, and no agreement.
This wasn’t just a missed opportunity—it was a dereliction of duty.
And it raises a critical question:
If the Teamsters can’t even manage a timely response to a simple MOU, how can we possibly trust them to negotiate our next full contract?
This isn’t about politics—it’s about competence. It’s about who shows up when it counts.
We deserve a union that acts, not one that stalls. A union that protects, not postures. A union that can deliver.
We need representation that doesn't abandon us when it matters most.
We need ALPA.
The LAX Base Closure MOU offered meaningful protections for displaced pilots—relocation options, financial support, and clear contractual guarantees. The company's offer was never signed, or even negotiated, instead it sat on a desk for 18 days. And now, the company has rescinded their offer entirely.
What could have been a secure, fair solution has turned into uncertainty and risk for the pilot group. This wasn’t strategic. It wasn’t thoughtful. It was a failure to act when it mattered most.
NO EXPLANATION. NO COMMUNICATION. NO VOTE. JUST SILENCE.
And here’s the deeper issue: there is no mechanism within the Teamsters to remove or hold accountable those responsible for this kind of failure. That’s not an accident—it’s by design. The system is built to protect the people in power, not the members they claim to represent. Decisions are made behind closed doors, and your voice as a dues-paying pilot has no enforceable weight.
This is the danger of top-down control. When leadership is unaccountable, members are left exposed—and now, so are the pilots facing the LAX closure.
With ALPA, we elect our leaders. WE CAN RECALL THEM. We set the direction—not them.
This is exactly why we’re fighting for change. Because representation should answer to pilots—not protect its own power.
For a brief, remarkable stretch, pilot unions basked in a once-in-a-generation leverage event, a peak not seen in decades. From 2021 to mid-2024, the post-pandemic rebound unleashed chaos: widespread retirements and Covid early-outs gutted pilot ranks just as travel demand roared back. Airlines, struggling to train new pilots fast enough, faced a dire shortage, giving unions the edge to lock in historic gains. At majors like Delta and United, pay soared over 30%, while regionals dangled bonuses and quick upgrades to retain talent, marking an extraordinary era of pilot power.
This union dominance was fueled by sky-high demand and strong airline financials. Post-lockdown travelers filled seats at premium fares, and federal aid kept carriers afloat through 2023 and into 2024. Management, scrambling to maintain schedules and seize market share, had little leverage to resist union pressure. Seasoned negotiators called it a “unicorn event,” a rare convergence of factors that handed pilots a chance to reshape their futures in ways unlikely to repeat for years.
By April of 2025, however, that leverage has crumbled. In just three months, slow hiring, softening demand, and weakening financials have tilted the scales toward management. Hiring has stalled—training classes are shrinking, and at many airlines recruitment is on hold—thanks to overcapacity, economic woes, and delayed aircraft deliveries. Demand is softening, with wary consumers cutting bookings, hammering airline profits and erasing the desperation that once favored pilots.
This shift, likely to persist through the near term, brings a grim reality: many pilot groups may now face management demands for concessions to slash costs and sidestep aviation’s dreaded furloughs. For Allegiant pilots, the change is especially jarring. Just a year ago, victories like pay bumps or scheduling wins came easily; now, we find ourselves in a sudden, uphill battle to hold onto those gains, a stark illustration of how fast the industry’s winds can shift. This leaves one critical question, has Teamsters blown our chance at a monumental contract win?
The time has come to part ways with the Teamsters. Their track record—both with us and across the industry—shows a pattern of failure we can no longer ignore. At Allegiant, we’ve lost out on a generational negotiation cycle, missing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars per pilot while peers at other airlines locked in historic gains. A year under IBT trusteeship delivered nothing, leaving us overworked and underpaid as industry storm clouds gather and leverage swings further against us. The Teamsters’ playbook of delays and excuses has run its course.
Look at their public flops: Atlas Air pilots, under the Teamsters Airline Division, endured over four years of negotiations starting in 2016, stuck with a union that couldn’t close the deal. By 2020, Atlas pilots were begging for round-the-clock talks to end the stalemate, with morale tanking and no contract in sight. The Teamsters countered with lawsuits—like their failed 2017 injunction—rather than results. Here at Allegiant, the company has brought in some of the best negotiators in the industry to fight for their interests in our CBA, while the Teamsters show up with inadequate “experts” who can’t keep pace.
We’re at a crossroads: stay with the Teamsters and risk negotiations dragging on for years—outmatched and underprepared—or shift now to ALPA. ALPA delivers aviation-sharp representation and a history of winning strong contracts fast, plus access to industry-leading professional committee training that elevates our voice in safety, advocacy, and beyond. Our volunteers across all 23 domiciles are primed to lead with clarity and resolve. The industry won’t wait, and neither can we.
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