Escalating a continuing dispute over a seniority list, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) filed a lawsuit against Flexjet and Flight Options, alleging the companies are refusing to negotiate with the union. The IBT, Teamsters Airline Division and Local 1108 have filed the lawsuit, charging the company is violating the Railway Labor Act by a refusal to negotiate. The IBT also sought dismissal of a lawsuit Flexjet and Flight Options filed over the union’s proposed seniority system.

Teamsters Local 1108 president Efrem Vojta sent the integrated seniority list to Michael Silvestro, CEO of Flight Options and Flexjet, in February, and asked the company to engage immediately in negotiations for a joint collective bargaining agreement under Section 6 of the U.S. Railway Labor Act. Company management has called the system used by the union to draw up the seniority list “blatantly unfair,” but the IBT said it was “unanimously agreed upon by the two autonomous committees of Flexjet and Flight Options pilots.”

The Teamsters maintains the companies must accept the seniority list under the Flight Options Collective Bargaining Agreement, as well as by law. “The Teamsters strongly disagrees with Flexjet and Flight Options' litigation tactics, which are a complete waste of time and company resources,” Vojta said. “These funds should be going to providing their pilots with bonuses, wage increases and the compensation they deserve.”

The lawsuit comes as the operators have asked pilots to take a voluntary separation agreement as it shifts some aircraft from fractional to charter service and begins to retire other aircraft models. A Flexjet spokesman told AIN that the company declined to comment on the matter.