Capt. Joe DePete, ALPA’s president, welcoming the Association’s newly elected representatives to the Leadership Training Conference.

For the past 20 years, I’ve had the honor of welcoming your elected local council representatives to the annual Leadership Training Conference. Last month, 85 newly elected representatives from 25 pilot groups joined me; Leadership Committee members Capt. Rob Slovitsky (United), Capt. Sean Creed (Spirit), and F/O Mark Lockwood (Delta); our national officers; and professional staff at the Association’s Herndon, Va., Conference Center. The reps got their first look at the depth of resources and the support ALPA has to offer its pilot representatives, along with hands-on practical training.

These men and women have stepped forward to lead your council and represent you at your pilot group’s master executive council (MEC) and at the Association’s Board of Directors. You, as a line pilot, expect your reps to be accountable, communicate, understand the issues, solve problems, and assist you personally if you need help with an aeromedical, discipline, or enforcement issue.

As local council representatives and officers, your elected leaders have three basic areas of responsibilities: negotiate a contract; enforce that contract, which includes protecting the pilots working under it; and promote the profession. The learning modules of the conference focused on these three objectives. Additionally, we introduced the “back office” support departments. As with any organization, you need governance—the rules of the road; membership support—tracking new hires, apprentice, active, and retired pilots; finance—collecting dues, paying bills, and ensuring budget compliance; and HR—recruiting and maintaining professional staff.

We told reps at the start of the conference that our aim was to give them the tools to be an effective representative for their pilots: what to do, how to do it, and who to call if help is needed. We provided them with the skills leaders need—decision-making, consensus building, presiding over meetings, time management, professionalism, and more—along with knowledge about ALPA, their roles and responsibilities within the Association, and the resources available to assist them in their duties.

We discussed what we like to call the “ALPA toolbox”—our professional staff. We’re a member-driven, staff-supported organization, and the staff members who support us are tremendous. But you can only take advantage of this if you know who to talk to. Much of the conference was spent hearing from staff and learning what departments handle which areas of the representatives’ responsibilities.

That education started with an overview of ALPA staff services by David Krieger, ALPA’s general manager. Many ALPA departments also gave presentations to highlight their work. Reps heard about social media from the Communications and Legal Departments, the state of the airline industry from the Economic & Financial Analysis Department, ALPA’s pilot-partisan efforts from the Government Affairs Department, duty of fair representation from the Legal Department, meeting support from the Strategic Member Development & Resources Department, and the mechanics of representing their pilots during discipline and grievance hearings from the Representation Department. Each presentation concluded with some form of the phrase, “And if you have any questions at any time, please get in touch with us.” The new leaders also met their council services coordinators who’ll be their primary point of contact during their tenure in office.

We also made sure to share information about some of ALPA’s programs and resources that make the Association stand out among our peers: the Air Safety Organization; Pilots for Pilots; the Aeromedical Office, including the HIMS program; the Critical Incident Response Program; and the Pilot Peer Support program. These are all programs that our leaders need to know about so that if and when the need arises, they can get their pilots the support our union is ready to provide.

Another important aspect of the conference was peer networking. We encouraged discussions among the pilot reps. During the breakout sessions and evening events, they learned that the challenges they face are likely similar to those their fellow reps face. Additionally, we highlighted the need for solidarity as we face global threats.

Each member of the Leadership Committee has been in these reps’ shoes. We created the syllabus and coordinated the learning modules to best prepare them for their duties. At the end of this four-day conference, your elected reps know their responsibilities, have the necessary skills to perform their duties, and are familiar with ALPA’s vast resources to help them effectively do their jobs.

These new leaders are ready to return to their bases to follow in the footsteps of ALPA’s 24 “Key Men,” the founding members of the Association. They’re now part of ALPA’s history going forward. They’re the key men and women of ALPA today, and on behalf of the Leadership Committee and ALPA’s national officers, I wish them well as they make their mark on ALPA history.

Irish ALPA President Addresses ALPA’s New Leaders

At the Association’s Leadership Training Conference, ALPA’s newest representatives received an eye-opening and rousing talk from Capt. Evan Cullen, president of Irish ALPA. Cullen detailed his history in labor and spoke about the significant differences in union activity in the United States versus in Ireland and in the EU. In doing so, he echoed the words of Capt. Joe DePete, ALPA’s president, in stressing the need for global unity in the airline profession.

Cullen pointed out that there are 28 different sets of labor laws in the EU and that in Ireland there’s no law that recognizes unions. He noted that there’s no right to strike, though employees are protected if they do strike. However, only company employees—not contractors—have that protection. Airlines with bases in multiple countries, Cullen said, are commonly able to play pilots against each other.

Cullen took attendees through his background working with/against (sometimes at the same time) Air Lingus and Ryanair and explained the dangers he’s faced in recent years, with threats from management of jail time, bankruptcy, and the loss of his home. He explained how a deadly helicopter crash in 2017 helped turn around skepticism about unions—the public saw that Irish ALPA’s warnings about the country’s aviation oversight were legitimate—and led to gains at Ryanair. Yet Cullen acknowledged that significant trouble still remains and could be heading to North America.

While Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) flag-of-convenience business model is currently underperforming, Cullen warned that the model isn’t going away. “There will be a strong, low-cost, long-haul operator,” he said, such as a revamped NAI, Ryanair, or Level, “that will attempt to leverage the worst employment laws,” and careers will be on the line. The solution, Cullen said, remains as it always has—unity.

New ALPA Reps

The following ALPA leaders took office on March 1 for a three-year term ending Feb. 28, 2022. Don’t see your rep on the list? Log into your member account and click the "Representative" tab for the name and e-mail of your elected master executive and local council officers.

Air Transat 225
Capt. David Waditschatka,
Chair (Capt. Rep)

Air Transat 225
F/O Robert Baxter,
Vice Chair (F/O Rep)

Air Transat 225
Capt. Robin Durrett,
Secretary-Treasurer

Air Wisconsin 51
Capt. John Roback
(Capt. Rep)

WestJet Encore 214
Capt. Mark Circelli,
Vice Chair (F/O Rep)

WestJet Encore 214
Capt. Theodore Hebert,
Secretary-Treasurer