Release #: Vol. 84, No. 5
June 01, 2015

Our Union: Mighty ALPA

By Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA President

Safety is the cornerstone of ALPA’s existence. On July 27, our union will celebrate 84 years as the leading advocate for safety and security in our industry. Throughout its more than eight decades of existence, ALPA has never backed down from its uncomplicated motto: Schedule with Safety. With the FAA authorization set to expire in September, ALPA has once again taken the lead in steering Congress to pass a long-term, safety-focused FAA reauthorization bill on time.

During the last reauthorization cycle in 2011, when the U.S. air transportation system endured a two-week partial government shutdown, the industry suffered a tremendous loss: 4,000 FAA employees and 70,000 airport construction workers were furloughed—and it was reported to have cost the FAA more than $350 million in uncollected airline ticket taxes.

For obvious reasons, ALPA is vehemently opposed to this happening again. The authorization forms the indispensable policy blueprint and federal authority under which the FAA maintains operation of the U.S. national airspace system and conducts its safety oversight mission. 

Discussions on FAA reauthorization are happening now––and ALPA is concentrating its resources across Capitol Hill with our call for an on-time bill. Congress must resist adding the extraneous measures that delayed the bill’s passage in the past and work to prevent stop-and-start extensions that fail to fund progress and keep aviation the safest mode of transportation in the world.

To underscore the urgency of our position, in June more than 150 ALPA pilots came to Washington, D.C., to meet with federal lawmakers on this issue and others as part of our annual Government Affairs Legislative Summit (see page 20). On the same day, ALPA launched a new ad campaign to keep America flying safely. With the tagline, “This Is Your Captain Speaking,” the campaign targets Capitol Hill with our FAA reauthorization message (see page 8).

ALPA’s Hill visits and public relations push have not only communicated our concerns, they’ve also helped counter the misguided efforts of some who are demanding rollback of hard-won safety regulations.

The FAA reauthorization could also contain direction from Congress to create a new U.S. air traffic control service organization and governance. ALPA recently updated our policy to underscore the essential characteristics of any organization charged with operating the U.S. air traffic control system. It must be not-for-profit. Its governance must ensure that the system’s ultimate users such as ALPA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association play a strong role in establishing its strategic direction and oversight. And any air traffic control service organization must safeguard the employer-employee relationship.

For more than 80 years, ALPA has served as an immutable voice for airline safety, security, and the airline piloting profession. Our voice became even stronger on June 4 when Virgin America pilots voted overwhelmingly to join ALPA (see page 19). ALPA stands ready to help Virgin America pilots chart their future by first assisting them with establishing their internal structure to effectively represent their pilots and then helping them achieve their first collective bargaining agreement.

Also on the collective bargaining front, Delta’s Master Executive Council (MEC) leaders approved a tentative agreement on June 11 (see page 13). In describing the process to reach the agreement, Capt. Mike Donatelli, the pilots’ MEC chairman, cited the “incredible dedication from our negotiators, professional staff, subject-matter experts, and [Delta] elected representatives.” Delta pilots will now have an opportunity to cast their individual votes for the contract. As this issue goes to press, the MEC will conduct road shows to explain the contract and take questions and hear concerns from the pilots.

And while the news from the Delta pilots is positive, our pilots at Air Wisconsin, Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet, and Sun Country continue to face challenges in achieving a contract. And FedEx Express and Mesa pilot contracts are well past their amendable date. Our union will show equal resolve in working toward the successful conclusion of bargaining for these—and all—ALPA pilot groups.

As Forbes reported in its June 5 story “Mighty ALPA Reaches Deal with Delta and Signs Up Virgin America on the Same Day,” each pilot group we add to our collective voice has a direct effect on our ability to carry our message forward.

ALPA’s might lies in its members. 

This article is from the June-July 2015 issue of Air Line Pilot magazine, the Official Journal of the Air Line Pilots Association, International—a monthly publication for all ALPA members.

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