Pilot labor leaders from around the world gathered in Dublin, Ireland, today to discuss the aviation industry’s most pressing issues, including strategies and tactics to best address three core union fundamentals: advocacy efforts, negotiations, and communications.

“We formulated solutions at today’s symposium,” said Capt. Don Wykoff, president of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations. “We brought a lot of ideas to the symposium in the past. But quite frankly, just bringing those ideas to the room isn’t quite enough. This year, we armed pilots with the tools and techniques they need to advance the piloting profession.”

This year’s symposium changed formats a bit from a pure idea exchanging environment to hands-on breakout sessions with concrete deliverables on how pilot groups around the world can get in the political game, implement initiatives to maximize negotiations in a pattern bargaining environment, and best communicate a targeted message to both internal and external audiences.

Capt. Randy Babbitt, senior vice president of labor relations at Southwest Airlines, served as the keynote speaker for the event. He discussed the many challenges he has faced in the aviation industry through the various roles – as a pilot, a union leader, a consultant, the former administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and now in airline management.

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, along with the global pilot group alliances of the Associations of Star Alliance Pilots, the Oneworld Cockpit Crew Coalition, and the SkyTeam Pilots Association, hosted the third annual Global Pilots’ Symposium. For more coverage, don’t miss the May issue of Air Line Pilot.