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NAI Is Back to Bullying
NAI is at it again, demonstrating one more time that the
company’s management is willing to do anything to obtain a
foreign air carrier permit that would contravene the US-EU
agreement.
If you recall, in late April, Norwegian Air International
(NAI) senior management threatened to stall negotiations
with Boeing for B-787 orders unless the permit was approved,
threatening U.S. manufacturing jobs. It was just a bluff,
we
called them on it, and the next week, NAI ordered more
Boeing airplanes. This week, in a predictable move, the EU
threatened legal action should the U.S. Department of
Transportation deny NAI’s permit. What’s coming next week?
Will the EU threaten the U.S. with economic sanctions?
Read the full story on our blog,
Leadership from the Cockpit. |
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Taking the Next Steps to Deny NAI
On Monday, June 9, in three short minutes from introduction
to passage, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously
passed an important amendment intended to ensure that the
U.S. Department of Transportation denies NAI. The amendment
is straightforward: without naming any specific airline or
operation, it merely reinforces existing law, holding DOT
accountable for its future actions.
Simply put, if DOT is to approve a foreign air carrier
permit application, that application must fall within U.S.
law and Article 17 bis of the U.S.–EU Open Skies
agreement. Watch this
video from ALPA president Capt. Lee Moak. |
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ALPA Commends House Support for FFDO Program
Earlier this week, ALPA issued a statement expressing
support for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Appropriations’ markup of the Department of Homeland
Security’s Appropriation Bill, which opposes the proposed
budget cuts to the Federal Flight Deck Officer Program
contained in the administration’s proposed FY 2015 budget.
“The Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program is a
proven and cost-effective tool to enhance security. ALPA
stands with the House Committee on Appropriations in
opposing the administration’s budget request to reduce
funding for the FFDO program by $4.7 million.”
Read the full statement in ALPA’s
press release. |
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National Committee Chairmen Engage in Strategic Planning
This week, ALPA national committee chairs, along with
national officers, the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC),
and staff, met at the Association’s offices in Washington,
D.C., to review and discuss ALPA’s strategic planning
progress to date and make their recommendations for future
priorities as they pertain to the work of their committees.
In preparation for the Board of Directors (BOD) meeting in
October where Board members (i.e., ALPA’s highest governing
body—all the local council status reps from all the ALPA-represented
pilot groups) will review, evaluate, and update the plan,
the SPC has sought input from the Executive Council,
Executive Board, and national committee chairmen to ensure
it reflects the collective goals of ALPA’s members.
The next step will be for the Executive Council to give
further input at their meeting in August. All proposed
recommendations for strategic plan priorities will then be
presented to the BOD for their consideration as they refine
and update the plan for 2014 to address the challenges
facing our union in the next two years and beyond. |
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XJT, ASA MECs Poised to Resume JCBA Talks
Pilot leaders at ASA and ExpressJet gave final guidance to
their negotiators this week as the two carriers prepare to
resume contract talks for a joint collective bargaining
agreement. The XJT MEC, meeting in Houston, and the ASA MEC,
meeting in Atlanta, received confidential briefings from
their negotiators on ALPA’s proposed contract openers. ALPA,
management, and a recently-appointed National Mediation
Board mediator will continue talks in Atlanta next week,
almost six months after pilots from both carriers rejected
an earlier tentative agreement.
ASA and XJT have been operating under their separate legacy
contracts since SkyWest, Inc. bought ExpressJet in 2010.
Ratifying a joint contract is the first step in the two
pilot groups completing the merger process, followed by
creating a joint seniority list, and then electing a single
MEC for the merged pilot group. |
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ALPA Trains New Safety, Security Reps
Thirty-one ALPA pilot safety representatives, representing
10 airlines from the United States and Canada, and one
helicopter association representative, participated in the
ALPA Air Safety Organization’s (ASO) Basic Safety School
(BSS), Airport Safety Liaison (ASL), and Security Training
Course (STC) programs this week in Herndon, Va.
Read more about safety and security training. |
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Watch Just Culture Symposium Via Live Webcast
If you are unable to attend ALPA’s “International Progress
Toward a Just Culture—Proactive Use of Data” symposium next
week, watch it via live webcast at
justculturesymposium.alpa.org. Coverage begins Monday,
June 16 from the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., and
runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET.
This special event will feature leaders from domestic and
international stakeholder organizations to explore the value
of proactive safety programs in moving toward a just culture
for airline operations. Challenges, considerations, and
lessons learned will be discussed, along with various
applications for the use of safety data. |
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ALPA Daily Extra
Check out these links to see who’s talking about ALPA today.
For more news like this in your inbox each morning, be
sure to
subscribe to ALPA Daily. |
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ALPA
represents more than 51,000 pilots at 32 airlines in the
United States and Canada.
Visit us online at
www.alpa.org. |
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