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ALPA Responds to DOJ Lawsuit to Block American–US Airways Merger
WASHINGTON—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), has released the following statement in response to the antitrust lawsuit filed today by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prevent the merging of American Airlines and US Airways:
“Today’s action by the Department of Justice (DOJ) has interfered with the steady progress that the airline industry has made to achieve an economically rational yet vigorously competitive industry. This merger has broad support by labor groups, investors on Wall Street, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), and other stakeholders.”
To read the full press release, click here.
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Fee for Departure MECs meet in Herndon
On August 8-9, representatives from the ALPA pilot groups who fly for express carriers (or, more commonly referred to as the “fee-for-departure” or “FFD” MECs) met at ALPA's headquarters in Herndon, VA, to discuss recent events affecting the regional sector of the U.S. airline industry. Representatives from the Air Wisconsin, American Eagle, ASA, CommutAir, Compass, Endeavor Air (formerly Pinnacle), ExpressJet, Jazz Aviation, Mesa Air Group, Piedmont, PSA, and TSA Master Executive Councils, attended the meeting, along with Captain Lee Moak, ALPA president, several other national officers and EVPs, and ALPA staff from the Representation, Economic & Financial Analysis, and Communications Departments.
During the two-day meeting, which supplemented the monthly conference calls held by these pilot leaders, participants discussed issues of mutual concern and collective bargaining goals for the group, shared what’s happening on their properties, and expressed their willingness to work cooperatively with management (both their own and those of their mainline partners) to address future industry concerns provided that management agrees to recognize and negotiate collective bargaining agreements that attract qualified applicants to the pilot profession; acknowledge the training, experience, education and contributions of existing pilots flying each brand's passengers; and work with the Association to ensure that pilots are available to satisfy their future needs.
The group also unanimously affirmed their support for ALPA’s policies and
position in opposition to disparate treatment. In a unified
statement, the group emphasized that, “The Association will not permit whipsawing of its FFD [fee-for-departure] pilot groups.”
ALPA’s FFD MECs will continue to meet and hold conference calls on a regular basis to coordinate more effectively, share information, and evaluate approaches that reflect the principles they agreed to in the meeting.
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(l-r) United MEC SPSC chairman Captain Pieter Velzeboer, United MEC spokesperson First Officer Halli Mulei, ALPA National SPSC chairman Captain Mike Donatelli (Delta), United MEC chairman Captain Jay Heppner, and Continental First Officer Lou Mulei. |
United, ALPA Pilots Join Union Brethren at ALEC Birthday “Anti-Celebration”
United pilots joined forces with several hundred of their union brethren Thursday afternoon in downtown Chicago to participate in an “anti-celebration” of the 40th birthday of the ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council). The “anti-celebration” raised awareness of ALEC, an anti-labor lobbying group that acts as a “bill mill” for sponsoring regressive legislation. Labor groups from across Illinois and neighboring states joined United pilots in the effort at Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel.
When one AFL-CIO member stated they hadn’t seen United pilots lately, MEC chairman Captain Jay Heppner replied, “We’re back.”
“We marched today beside many other unions representing teachers, bus drivers, mechanics, hotel workers, and more, all literally fighting for the working American and labor rights,” said Captain Heppner. “The corporations are organizing against organized labor. What occurred in downtown Chicago this afternoon was an incredible display of solidarity, and it was an honor for me and other ALPA pilots to lend our support for this worthy and just fight.”
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Summer Floods & Wildfires, AERF Available
Flooding and wildfires across North America are making headlines this summer. If you are the victim of a widespread disaster, remember that AERF is there for you when you need it.
AERF provides for the immediate needs of all ALPA members and their families who fall victim to large-scale catastrophes. Funded largely by contributions from ALPA members and staff, AERF covers early out-of-pocket expenses to help pilots and their families recover faster. To learn more about the fund, make a donation, or request a grant, visit
www.alpa.org/relieffund. Donations are tax-deductible in the United States, but AERF is available to all ALPA members who qualify.
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September 11 Garden of Reflection Ceremony
 All pilots are invited to participate in the September 11th “Remembrance in Light” ceremony. The 30-minute event will start at 7 p.m. at the Garden of Reflection at Memorial Park, 1950 Woodside Road, in Yardley, Pennsylvania—the official Pennsylvania memorial to the victims of United Flight 93, which crashed into a Pennsylvania Field on September 11, 2001.
The event will be held regardless of the weather, the site is handicap accessible, and no seating will be provided. For more information, visit
www.9-11memorialgarden.org.
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Save the Date: Sunday, November 10, 2013
Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future—a Veterans Day event presented by the LeRoy Homer Jr. Foundation at the Battleship New Jersey in Camden, N.J. Details will be provided when finalized.
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NOW AVAILABLE – ALPAgear.com; ALPA’s online store!
By popular demand, introducing ALPAgear.com:
casual clothing and merchandise for the airline pilot or airline
pilot enthusiast.
Polo shirts, jackets, and
accessories—products to suit your off-duty, casual lifestyle. Wear
ALPAgear apparel and show your unity and your pride!
Shop now at
ALPAgear.com! |
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Volunteers Needed for Study on Pilot Decision Making
A senior captain for a major U.S. carrier is conducting a doctoral research study on pilot decision making. The study—which examines why otherwise competent and certified pilots make mistakes that result in check-ride failures—will be the first qualitative research study to generate emergent new theory based on the erring pilot’s perspective. According to the researcher, although many quantitative studies have examined what pilots do incorrectly, prior research has not previously sought pilot input on why mistakes are made.
Pilot volunteers interested in participating must have had to repeat a recurrent training simulator proficiency check ride. Also, volunteers must be currently qualified in an active flying bid status. All pilot interviews are confidential, and pilot participants will have the opportunity to review a draft of the study before results are submitted to the dissertation committee. The researcher may be reached directly via e-mail at
phdpilotstudy@conflictcounts.com.
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Scholarship
Opportunities
The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l annually grants a four-year (renewable based on academic standing) college scholarship of $3,000. In addition, $2,000 is authorized for scholarship funding to augment the four regular awards or to establish one or two special one-year awards.
To be eligible for the ALPA scholarship program, an applicant must be the dependent of a medically retired, long-term disabled, or deceased ALPA member. Applicants may be currently enrolled college students. Applications accepted January 2014–April 1, 2014. Required forms are available from Maggie Erzen, Governing Bodies coordinator, at
Maggie.Erzen@alpa.org.
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ALPA
represents more than 50,000 pilots at 33 airlines in the
United States and Canada.
Visit us online at
www.alpa.org. |
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| FEEDBACK & EMAIL ADDRESS
CHANGES 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. |
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