The National Mediation Board (NMB) certified today that the crewmembers of Air Transport International (ATI) have selected ALPA as their collective bargaining representative.

An overwhelming 91 percent of 170 eligible ATI crewmembers cast votes in support of joining ALPA, which received 155 of the 156 votes cast. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represented the ATI crewmembers prior to the election and appeared on the ballot but received no votes.

“ATI crewmembers realized that the world’s largest pilots union will best represent their interests in all aspects of the aviation arena and give them every available resource to negotiate a fair contract,” said ALPA president Capt. John Prater. “We are extremely pleased to have the flight deck crewmembers of ATI become part of the ALPA family.”

“I am excited about working with other pilot groups and the ALPA staff, and leveraging the other resources ALPA provides to its members, to ensure that my fellow ATI crewmembers can negotiate the contract they deserve and better protect our careers and industry,” said Capt. Tom Rogers, temporary ATI Master Executive Council chairman. “We did not have the resources under the IBT that we have now with ALPA, and we plan to take full advantage of this opportunity.”

The crewmembers of ATI fly DC-8s and B-767s for passenger, military, and cargo operations around the world.

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On Monday night, November 2, hundreds of Midwest Airlines pilots, flight attendants, and their families greeted the crew of Midwest Airlines Flight 210 at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wis. This flight marked the end of B-717 operations and the end of legacy Midwest Airlines.

Capts. Dan Norden and Brian Hirt were saluted by fire trucks spraying an impressive arc of water over the B-717 as the flight arrived from Boston at 9:40 p.m. and taxied to the gate. ALPA pilots from Air Wisconsin, AirTran, Colgan, Continental, ExpressJet, and United came to MKE to honor and support their Midwest union brothers and sisters who provided 25 years of the award-winning service that helped build Midwest Airlines’ first-rate reputation.

The following day, the last of the B-717 aircraft were returned to the manufacturer and the remaining pilots—the original Midwest Airlines flight crews—were grounded. Despite that, the ALPA Midwest pilots continue to fight for a fair and equitable integration of all pilots on the pre-merger seniority lists of the airlines now owned by Republic Airways Holdings, which includes Republic, Frontier, Lynx, and the new Midwest.

Go to www.alpa.org and click on the ALPA Channel logo to see a video commemorating Midwest Airlines Flight 210.

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Continental MEC chairman Capt. Jay Pierce made a formal request this week to Continental management to extend preferential hiring for pilots from Midwest and ASTAR as those airlines ramp down flying and furlough pilots.

Pierce commented, “The brotherhood of ALPA runs deep, and a pilot group supporting another in times of need is just one example of how ALPA as a whole is so much stronger than the sum of our individual parts.”

Continental management approved the preferential hiring request and is in the process of drafting a letter, which will be forwarded to Midwest custodian Capt. Tony Freitas and ASTAR MEC chairman Capt. Pat Walsh.

AirTran MEC Chairman Linden Hillman announced last week at ALPA’s Executive Board Meeting that the AirTran MEC has requested and the company agreed to extend preferential hiring to former Midwest pilots.

“We didn’t join ALPA only to receive,” Hillman told the members of the Executive Board. “We joined ALPA to give.”

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“The job you signed up for is not routine,” said Director of Representation Bruce York. “You play an important role in strengthening contract enforcement at your pilot group and for this union as a whole. I encourage you to view your role as a strategic rather than an administrative function.” York urged the pilots in attendance to continuously ask how the committee’s method and manner of prosecuting grievances will advance a strategic plan formulated by the MEC. “Talk more with your MECs about how what you do fits in with its overall goals and objectives,” he added.

Legal and Representation Department staff helped participants improve their understanding of the federal and workplace law and governing the grievance process by sampling contract language and studying cases that apply.

(For more information, please click here.)

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UAA has more than 600 members, including 100 accredited colleges and universities that offer aviation programs. The organization has been very receptive to ALPA’s offer to work cooperatively to enhance the training and professionalism of future airline pilots.

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“The pilots of AirTran are deeply concerned that our management is outsourcing flying, even while the company’s mainline growth has been stagnant for the past two years. While we applaud any moves by the company to increase profitability, we strongly believe that AirTran customers expect and deserve to be flown on AirTran planes with AirTran pilots in the cockpit.

“Outsourcing AirTran flying to a regional carrier runs the risk of diminishing the travel experience in the eyes of our customers, and goes directly against the business model that has made this company a success. AirTran is known for its business class seats, XM Radio, and WiFi Internet access, none of which would be provided on a 50-seat regional jet (RJ).

(For more information, please click here.)

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A “critical incident” is considered to be any event that can have a stressful impact sufficient to overwhelm the usually effective coping skills of either an individual or a group. Almost all ALPA pilot groups have adopted the program, which is credited with helping many pilots return to the cockpit following critical incidents.

CIRP provides support for pilots and accident investigators following accidents or incidents, and uses pilots and spouses, trained as peers, to lessen stress reactions that accidents or incidents may have on pilots, accident investigators, and their families.

During the 4 days of training, pilot volunteers learned structured defusing and debriefing techniques. For more information, contact ALPA CIRP chair F/O Louise Cullinan (MAG) at Louise.Cullinan@alpa.org.

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If you have moved or changed your ISP or e-mail address, please update your ALPA records. If you don’t, you will no longer receive the ALPA FastRead and other e-mail bulletins and notices, and once your postal forwarding order expires, you’ll no longer receive the magazine and other ALPA mail. You can do it yourself by going to https://crewroom.alpa.org and logging in. Go to “My ALPA” on the left side of the page, and from there, you’ll be instructed how to make the necessary changes.

If you don’t have access to https://crewroom.alpa.org, you can e-mail your requests by sending them to membership@alpa.org. Be sure to include your member number or enough other information so that we can identify you in the membership database, and tell us what information needs to be updated.

Please note that it is not sufficient just to notify your LEC or MEC of these changes—you should register them with the ALPA Membership Department in Herndon.

Can’t remember your member number or how to log in? Need information about your ALPA insurance programs? These and other questions about ALPA services can be answered by contacting membership@alpa.org.

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Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
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