Take Action Now: ALPA Continues Fight Against Norwegian Air International’s Scheme

Yesterday, Norwegian Air International (NAI) announced that it was granted an air operator’s certificate (AOC) by the Irish Aviation Authority, despite the fact that the company will never fly to or even through Ireland. By operating under an Irish AOC, NAI is able to avoid Norway’s stringent employment laws. Citing impact on American jobs and questions about safety oversight, Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president, called upon the U.S. Department of Transportation to reject NAI’s foreign air carrier permit application. ALPA members are encouraged to stand strong against NAI’s scheme by signing the petition at takeaction.alpa.org.

Read the full release.

Just Said No—American Eagle MEC Rejects Negotiated Agreement

The American Eagle Master Executive Council (MEC) voted Wednesday to reject a recently negotiated agreement that would have provided contract concessions in return for American Airlines Group (AAG) re-fleeting American Eagle Airlines with new Embraer 175 regional jets.

“The vote today was about the future of our pilots’ pay and working conditions,” said Capt. William Sprague, chairman of the Eagle MEC. “Eagle pilots ratified a concessionary agreement during AMR’s bankruptcy in 2012, but our management wanted to reengage us for additional concessions a mere 10 days after AAG exited bankruptcy.”

Read the full release.

MAG MEC Chairman Speaks Out Against Laser Incidents in Phoenix

On Tuesday, February 11, Mesa Airlines MEC Chairman, F/O Marcin Kolodziejczyk, joined representatives from the FBI, the FAA, and Arizona law enforcement in Phoenix to discuss a new campaign aimed at educating the public about the dangers of pointing laser devices at aircraft cockpits. Speaking in front of a number of media outlets, F/O Kolodziejczyk spoke of his personal experience getting illuminated by a laser a few years ago and how pilots can be temporarily blinded as the laser light ricochets off the windows of the cockpit.

The event also highlighted the criminal penalties of pointing a laser device at an aircraft, including up to $250,000 fine and five years in prison. View the media reports from Channel 9-KGUN, Tucson, and Talk Radio-KFYI, Phoenix.

“What Do You Think?”—ASA and XJT MECs Poll Pilots as They Seek Joint Contract

Earlier this month, pilots from ASA and ExpressJet began receiving calls asking their opinions on the merger of the two airlines and what they want to see in a new contract. Using a third-party polling company, the MECs are seeking input from the pilots as they look to return to the table after the pilot groups rejected the tentative agreement in January. After the two phases of phone polling are complete, the MECs will develop an online survey to collect even more feedback from the pilot group about priorities for a joint collective bargaining agreement and how ASA and XJT can better work together to finalize the merger, which has been in the works since August 2010.

California Court of Appeal Holds UAL Must Comply with Kin Care Law

On January 31, a three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal in San Francisco unanimously affirmed a lower court decision that held that United Airlines must comply with a provision of the California Labor Code popularly referred to as the “Kin-Care Statute.” This law requires that employers who provide employees paid sick leave must permit employees to use up to one-half of their annual paid sick leave entitlements to care for ill relatives. The decision was the result of a lawsuit brought by ALPA and three individual pilots in the California state courts on behalf of all United pilots based in California. United had argued that the California law is pre-empted by ERISA because United passes sick leave payments through a unilaterally established trust. The Court of Appeal rejected that argument, as well as United’s argument that ALPA did not have legal standing to sue on behalf of the pilots it represents.

United has until March 12 to ask the California Supreme Court to allow it to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision. Should United file the request, it is up to the California Supreme Court whether or not to permit an appeal.

ALPA Daily Extra

Hot off the press! Check out these links to see what media outlets are saying about ALPA right now:

• An Ultra-Cheap, Anti-Union Upstart Airline Could Transform Flying (TIME)
• American may shift Eagle flights to other carriers after union deal nixed (Star-Telegram)

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