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News from ALPA International |
September 17, 2010—In This Issue:
Top News
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Pinnacle Corp. MECs Meet,
Develop Negotiating Strategy for Merged Contract |
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Pilot leaders from Colgan, Mesaba, and
Pinnacle, the three airlines owned by
Pinnacle Airlines Corp., held their first
joint meeting in Minneapolis this week and
emerged with a strategy to take full
advantage of the fast-track negotiations
that the parties have contemplated in a
nearly completed Process Agreement.
At this week’s meeting, 31 MEC status representatives and officers from the three carriers, seven negotiating team members, and ALPA staff and advisors met to discuss negotiations, and direct the Joint Negotiating Committee that has already begun work on the new Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement to achieve important contract gains for the pilots. The
MEC’s representatives were briefed on ALPA’s
Merger Policy and heard case studies on
mergers that worked, like Delta and
Northwest, and cautionary tales about those
that didn’t, the most recent case being US
Airways.
As always, ALPA leaders stressed unity,
fairness, and strong leadership as the keys
to successfully joining the three pilot
groups.
“I know any of us could get into a cockpit
together and fly safely – can we do the same
in the ‘cockpit’ of our union hall?”
challenged ALPA president Capt. John Prater.
“Find your strengths, work in solidarity, and show the industry how unified you are. That unified approach will produce value for your pilots.”
(For more information, please
click here.)
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US Airways Express Carriers Work
Together to Protect Pilot Jobs |
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The
US Airways Express Joint Standing Committee,
established to allow ALPA pilots from
different US Airways Express carriers to
collaborate on issues, met in Phoenix
September 15–16. This is the third meeting
with the pilot leaders from Air Wisconsin,
Colgan, Mesa Air Group, Piedmont, PSA, and
Trans States, and the professional ALPA
staff.
Discussion led by ALPA president Capt. John
Prater highlighted the need for a formalized
alliance to standardize the pilot group
goals for the US Airways Express system.
Specifically, the pilot leaders are jointly
developing methods to protect and enhance
job security while implementing means to
improve contract standards. The committee
intends to further its coordinated
bargaining strategy through the
establishment of a joint negotiating group
that will complement each MEC’s negotiating
committee by sharing information and
ensuring implementation of group goals.
A key committee goal focuses on providing
the highest level of safety, training, and
professionalism by coordinating ASAP, FOQA,
pilot training, and other operational
considerations among the ALPA express
carriers. MEC representatives will continue
these discussions and meet at the upcoming
ALPA Board of Directors meeting to finalize
the alliance and determine their next steps.Return to top
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ALPA Urges Congress to Pass FAA
Bill |
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As
Congress returned to work, ALPA president
Capt. John Prater urged the Senate to pass a
comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill as
its first order of business.
Click here to
review a copy of his letter.
The FAA has been operating under a series of
short-term "extensions" since the last
reauthorization legislation expired in 2007.
There are many important operational and
safety priorities in the current legislation
and all ALPA members are urged to make their
voices heard on Capitol Hill about why this
bill is critical to our profession and to
the future of air travel.
Participate in our Call to Action today!
Check out the AFL-CIO blog where other union
members are joining our efforts at
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/09/14/time-to-clear-aviation-bill-for-take-off/.
ALPA also worked with other aviation
industry groups this week to send a
strong
coordinated message that the FAA bill is
must-pass legislation.
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Education Committee Unveils
Improved Website |
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This week, the Education Committee unveiled
the makeover of its public website,
clearedtodream.org. Designed to educate
students looking to the sky for a
challenging and rewarding career, the site
provides a wealth of information about what
it takes to be an airline pilot. For years,
ALPA has cultivated a relationship with the
education community to become the true
source for students who want to know more.
The newest featured section of the site is
the ALPA ACE Club. By joining the club and
becoming an ALPA ACE, aviation aficionados
will be privy to exclusive information on
the piloting profession crafted for the
youngest generations to college-age students
to aviation educators. The club provides
aviation students and educators with the
opportunity to learn more about the piloting
profession through ALPA pilots who welcome
the opportunity to share real-life
experiences from flying the line and their
path to the cockpit.
ACE Club members can access:
- ALPA airlines’ pay rates and hiring
requirements,
- networking opportunities with ALPA
pilots that can help them prepare
for—and land—the job of their dreams,
and
- select Air Line Pilot
articles, usually only available to ALPA
members.
Aviation educators can also join to gain
access to ALPA’s professional pilots,
all-things-aviation subject matter experts,
and other educational resources that will
set their curriculum apart from other
programs. For more information about the
Education Committee and how you can help,
please send an e-mail to
education@alpa.org.
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House Subcommittee Weighs In on
Bankruptcy |
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The House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on
Administrative and Commercial Law reported favorably
Wednesday on H.R. 4677, the Protecting Employees and
Retirees in Business Bankruptcy Act of 2010. This
legislation will give all workers the help that has
been sorely missing if an employer files for Chapter
11 bankruptcy.
Too many U.S. workers in all industries have
experienced the inequality and unfairness of the
current bankruptcy laws. ALPA and other AFL-CIO
affiliates used our unfortunate experience with
these injustices to provide valuable input to
Capitol Hill as they drafted H.R. 4677.
H.R. 4677 would increase the wage priority from
$10,000 to $20,000 and separate other benefits such
as health-care costs from this number. It would
increase the priority for claims made by employees,
seek to curb the rampant executive bonuses that have
recently been given while workers have made severe
sacrifices in bankruptcies, and undertake a
significant overhaul of the Section 1113 process, by
which collective bargaining agreements can be
modified in the bankruptcy process, to provide
bankruptcy courts with the tools they need to
restore balance and fairness in the bankruptcy
process.(For more information, please
click here.)
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This Week’s Press Releases/Web
Coverage |
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On August 27, FastFact noted that Emily Howell Warner in 1974 became the first woman pilot permanently employed by a commercial airline. A Jazz pilot wrote to us to suggest that Warner’s achievement was specific to the United States, and that Rosella Bjornson was hired as a first officer by Transair, Canada’s fourth-largest airline at the time, in 1973. We stand corrected. Bjornson holds the distinction of being the first female to be hired by a commercial airline in Canada and the first female member of the Canadian Air Line Pilots Association. We salute both of these accomplished women.
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Feedback & E-mail Address Changes |
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Questions or comments on this FastRead? Give us your feedback at
communications@alpa.org. 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. Return to top
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Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l 1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW
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