Continental pilots have posted a billboard in Houston, Texas, near Bush Intercontinental Airport in support of their ongoing negotiations for a new contract. The board reads, “Continental can’t fly without us. Continental pilots.”

“The message is a reminder to Continental management of the essential role of pilots in the airline’s operations,” said Capt. Jay Pierce, CAL MEC chairman. “As we progress in our negotiations for a new contract, pilots must be factored into any business equation for Continental’s future—whether that is new joint ventures, alliances, or any other business arrangement management wants to use.

“Our pilots and their families have sacrificed with concessions and diminished working conditions to the tune of over $200 million per year since 2005 to secure Continental’s future. It’s time for management to account for the true value of pilots when they move forward with their business plan,” he said.

ALPA and Continental Airlines have been in contract negotiations since July 2007. The contract became amendable on Dec. 31, 2008.

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AirTran pilots acknowledged the opening of their airline’s new pilot base at General Mitchell Int’l Airport in Milwaukee with a special event at the season home opener of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. The AirTran pilots hired a banner plane pulling a message that read, “AirTran Management Strikes Out with Pilots” to call attention to their 5-year efforts to negotiate a fair and reasonable contract.

The plane circled Miller Park for three hours prior to the game and was visible to a crowd of more than 45,000.

Two days later, the AirTran pilots were back at it, rallying at Mitchell Airport. ALPA SPSC chairman Capt. Mike Donatelli (DAL) attended this special event and addressed the crowd, which included former Midwest Airlines employees and other labor union members. Donatelli spoke to the group about perseverance and the importance of member unity as the key to success in the AirTran pilots’ collective bargaining campaign.

The AirTran pilots are planning future events to share their message with Milwaukee and the larger traveling public, until a new pilot contract is negotiated. The pilots and management are in mediated talks to replace the current pilot contract, which was signed in 2001 and became amendable in 2005.

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The ALPA National Security Steering and Oversight Committee (NSSOC) reviewed its latest projects list and discussed current financial challenges on April 6 at the Association’s Herndon, Va., offices. The NSSOC is tasked with managing the ALPA National Security Committee (NSC) budget as well as approving NSC projects and developing strategic initiatives.

NSSOC members discussed ALPA efforts to obtain additional funding for the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program. Staff from the Association’s Government Affairs Department briefed the group on the union’s efforts to educate key members of Congress about the program, in particular its value as a cost-effective deterrent. The group also talked about training and retention of FFDOs, investigation of violations, and other matters related to maintaining the program.

The pilot security reps reviewed the status of the NSC’s participation at the ALPA Air Safety Forum this summer. The group went over topics and speakers and discussed potential award honorees. The Air Safety Forum will be held in Washington, D.C., August 30–31.

(For more information, please click here.)

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Capt. Rip Torn (DAL), who recently stepped down as chairman of ALPA’s Air Traffic Services Group to assume the chairmanship of the IFALPA Air Traffic Services Committee, was invited to present the pilots’ view of NextGen “metroplex” issues at the annual RTCA Spring Symposium. The Symposium is a two-day event designed to bring key government and industry stakeholders together to discuss current issues in airspace and air traffic control development. This year’s event was themed “Bringing NextGen into Focus” and provided multiple panel discussions to explore the operational, technical, environmental, and economic challenges of modernizing the U.S. air traffic control system.

Capt. Torn’s group was focused on issues surrounding the development of new procedures in congested metropolitan areas with multiple airports. As a participant in this panel discussion, Capt. Torn emphasized the need for safety to be the driving factor in all NextGen enhancements. He further discussed the need for common understandings of expectations in procedure designs, awareness of the cockpit workload and the training issues involved, and the need for standardization across locations.

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ASI Group maintains an extensive network of airport-based agents in virtually every country around the globe. Its World Watch intelligence and operations divisions provide destination travel briefs, en-route trip monitoring, and on-the-ground support, at home and abroad. ASI Group also offers emergency response capabilities.

World Watch may be accessed by visiting the members-only portal of the ALPA website (http://www.alpa.org/), selecting the Committees tab, and choosing the National Security Committee link. The World Watch link can be found on the left side of the page.

The variety of information available through World Watch can be of great value to members, whether traveling domestically or internationally, for business or pleasure. The NSC is pleased to offer this service to all ALPA members and highly recommends its use.

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Of the 320 congressional candidates ALPA-PAC supported in the 2008 elections, 294 won—275 in the U.S. House of Representatives and 19 in the U.S. Senate. That’s a 90+ percent return on your PAC dollars.

Check out the five easy ways to contribute to ALPA-PAC, and “Back the PAC” today! Your support will be used immediately to help elect pro-pilot candidates who will work to promote and protect the piloting profession and the airline industry. Click here for more details.

Invest your money wisely. Back the PAC!

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• Statement by Capt. Wendy Morse, Chairman, United Master Executive Council Air Line Pilots Association, International, Regarding Reports of Merger Discussions Between United Airlines And US Airways

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Pilot organizations from 16 nations signed an agreement in London on April 7, 1948, to form the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA). ALPA signed the agreement as the representative for U.S. pilots.

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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 www.alpa.org and logging in. Go to “My ALPA” in the menu at the top of the page, and from there, you’ll be instructed how to make the necessary changes.

If you don’t have access to the members-only section of www.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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