The Teamsters have sued Horizon Air, alleging the Alaska Air Group subsidiary violated federal labor law by changing how it handles pilots who report fatigue.
The Teamsters Airline Division and Local 1224 filed the lawsuit Oct. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The union alleges Horizon requires pilots who report fatigue at their home base to travel to another city as passengers before taking the rest provided under their contract.
The union alleges the practice violates the Railway Labor Act and is asking the court to order Horizon to stop it and restore the negotiated rest protections.
“Management cannot pick and choose which parts of our contract it wants to follow,” said Sean Lenney, a Horizon pilot and member of Local 1224, in a news release.
The Teamsters also said Thursday that 99% of pilots who voted backed a no-confidence measure against Carlos Zendejas, Horizon’s senior vice president of operations. The union’s Horizon Air Pilots Executive Council called for his removal following the vote.
Horizon and its pilots have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement for more than three and a half years, according to the union. Pilots held informational pickets in Seattle and Boise, Idaho, on Oct. 15 over issues including pay, staffing, and training.
