Global View: Advancing the Piloting Profession: Answering the Global Call to Action
By Julia Mayes, ALPA Senior Communications Specialist
Pilots from around the globe descended on Montreal, Que., May 5–8 for the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) 72nd annual conference. With members from nearly 100 pilot associations in attendance, pilot leaders weighed in on the future of the industry in the face of international issues and set a course for advancing the profession through negotiation, representation, advocacy, and promotion of the highest standards of safety and security. Capt. Ron Abel (United), IFALPA’s acting president, who was later elected IFALPA president (see “Elections”), kicked off the conference with a welcome reception on May 5. Abel and Capt. Dan Adamus (Jazz Aviation), ALPA Canada president, cohosted the event, which was sponsored by ALPA Canada and the Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie of Quebec. Attendees had the opportunity to meet and interact in an informal setting before beginning the “official” work of the conference.
Conference business
The following day, the business portion of the conference began with the president’s report to the plenary and the annual report of the executive officers. Abel highlighted the common goals of the federation’s member associations and pilots. “We have much in common—dedication to the piloting profession, safety, security, and advancing the professional and economic interests of our members,” said Abel.
Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau, a special guest speaker during the plenary session, discussed such topics as unmanned aircraft systems, laser strikes, security, and pilot fatigue during his remarks.
Capt. Patrick Magisson (Air France), IFALPA’s executive vice president for technical & safety standards, asked attendees during his presentation, “Can you figure out the amount of raw data produced annually by the global aviation network, be it safety, commercial, maintenance, financial, or personal?” Magisson shared his observations that “big data” is one of the greatest global challenges facing aviation.
Capt. Michael Geer (Delta), IFALPA’s executive vice president for North America, highlighted some of the solutions ALPA has proposed for meeting safety and security challenges in the Association’s white paper entitled We Keep America Flying. “It lists clear priorities to make measurable and achievable improvements for our profession and the airline industry,” said Geer, noting that the pilot delegation could view ALPA’s strategic policy blueprint online at www.alpa.org/advocacy.
Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA’s president, joined Adamus at the conference as IFALPA delegates. The ALPA leaders urged IFALPA’s members to call upon all aviation professionals to strictly adhere to the use of standard International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phraseology to ensure clear communication and understanding. “It’s imperative that we use standard phraseology and communicate effectively so that safety is always at the forefront,” said Canoll.
Elections
During the conference, IFALPA delegates elected several ALPA pilots to IFALPA leadership positions. Abel was elected president, wile Capt. Rod Lypchuk (Jazz Aviation) was reelected executive vice president administration, membership & finance, and Capt. Rip Torn (Delta) was reelected IFALPA Air Traffic Services Committee chairman. IFALPA’s North America region pilots elected F/O Carlos Rodriguez (United) North Atlantic vice president–North American region.
“While I have big shoes to fill, following my predecessors, I am resolved to follow three tenets: communicate, educate, and advocate,” said Rodriguez, who answered the call to serve in the role affecting pilot groups in the United States and Canada.
“As the liaison between IFALPA and ICAO, I’ll communicate to our IFALPA members any change, and convey to ICAO any feedback from the pilots’ perspective on current and future operational issues and specifically covering the North Atlantic Organized Track System. Everything we do as pilots is viewed through a safety lens, and as such my focus is on maintaining the highest safety standards.”
IFALPA commitment
During the conference, IFALPA delegates also issued a statement expressing their absolute commitment to the right of pilots to have full freedom to choose their collective bargaining representative. The statement came in response to a recent memorandum of understanding between the International Transport Workers’ Federation and OSM Aviation, a crew-hiring company that provides pilots and flight attendants to Norwegian Air Shuttle and its subsidiaries. In that statement, OSM committed to giving preference to International Transport Workers’ Federation-affiliated unions that wish to organize OSM’s employees.
The next IFALPA conference is scheduled for March 16–19, 2018, in Luxembourg.
ALPA Takes Part in Seventh Annual Global Pilots’ Symposium
By Corey Kuhn, Contributing Writer
In today’s highly competitive aviation marketplace, globalization continues to be a driving force. As the airline industry continues to expand and grow exponentially, unique challenges emerge for the piloting profession. Pilots from across the globe come together each year for the Global Pilots’ Symposium (GPS) to discuss these global challenges, learn from each other, and discover the best ways to develop a plan of action going forward.
The GPS is a joint initiative of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA), the Associations of Star Alliance Pilots, the Oneworld Cockpit Crew Coalition, and the SkyTeam Pilots Association. ALPA was instrumental in creating this annual event, which is held in conjunction with IFALPA’s annual conference, to enhance collective bargaining efforts at the international level.
The seventh annual GPS was held on May 4 in Montreal, Que., and featured a keynote address by Karen Walker, editor-in-chief of Air Transport World, as well as remarks from Capt. Duane Woerth, a past ALPA president and former U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, who shared his perspective on the dangers of flag-of-convenience and atypical employment practices that threaten the industry today.
Throughout the one-day event, ALPA pilots from Delta Air Lines and United Airlines were featured as subject-matter experts on various panels, discussing some of the more pressing aviation issues confronting airline pilots around the globe. From how international pilot groups are using social media to advance their agenda to the advantages of collaborating across borders on matters of mutual interest, the value of the symposium lies in addressing issues not necessarily through a fixed policy but through examples and best practices. Whether it’s vastly different labor laws and collective bargaining agreements or political factors that affect bargaining leverage, each situation presents a unique set of characteristics. The variables are limitless, so collaboration among airline pilots worldwide is critical.
By continuing to work and share resources with global counterparts and allies, the Association remains better positioned to protect the interests of its members and defend the airline piloting profession around the world.
