Allegiant Air, flight dispatchers reach tentative contract agreement

Allegiant Air and its flight dispatchers, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), reached a tentative agreement May 22 on a five-year contract, the first ever for Allegiant’s 34 dispatchers. Negotiations for the contract began in 2017. IBT Local 986 Secretary-Treasurer Chris Griswold said the contract “includes significant improvements in job security, benefits and compensation.” Allegiant VP-operations control centre Michael Wuerger lauded the dispatchers as being “at the heart of Allegiant, forecasting conditions, working in real time with airports and crews, and in many ways enhancing safety and powering our daily operations.” “A first agreement is an important milestone, and having a contract in place that supports our team members and keeps us competitive across the industry is a win for all involved,” Allegiant chairman and CEO Maury Gallagher said. The tentative agreement remains subject to ratification; results of the flight dispatchers’ vote on the contract are expected by the end of July.<br/>