Preparing to Assist Fellow Pilots

Volunteers Learn the Ropes at Secretary-Treasurers Conference

By Kevin Cuddihy, Contributing Writer
Secretary-treasurers of ALPA pilot groups and ALPA national officers take time out for a photo at the Association’s Herndon, Va., offices.

The duties of an ALPA secretary-treasurer are among some of the most important in the Association—and the most varied. Running meetings, maintaining records, and creating (not to mention sticking to) a budget are only just a few of the responsibilities. That’s what makes ALPA’s annual Secretary-Treasurers Conference such an important training opportunity.

This year’s event took place March 12–14 at ALPA’s Herndon, Va., Conference Center, with 28 pilots from 20 airlines gathering to learn what it takes to properly perform their duties. And for the first time, local executive councils (LECs) were included (see “Spreading the Knowledge”), and eight LEC secretary-treasurers participated in the training.

“I attended this conference for years as a secretary-treasurer, so I know how valuable it can be,” said Capt. Joseph Genovese, ALPA’s vice president–finance/treasurer, in his introduction. “And I want to make it just as valuable for you; let us know what you need from us to serve your pilots best.” (See Another First.)

The conference provides participants—some in their first year in the position, others veterans attending to learn the latest and share their own expertise—a 30,000-foot view of their job responsibilities and how to accomplish them. More importantly, they’re able to meet ALPA’s national officers and staff available to support them and the other secretary-treasurers who can be a valuable resource or sounding board.

“I look across this room, and there’s a wide variety of experience here,” stated Capt. Bill Couette, ALPA’s vice president–administration/secretary. “Use this week to get to know each other and learn from one another, as well as from me, Joseph, and the staff.”

The two-and-a-half-day course included close to two dozen presentations spanning the vast array of duties that fall under the auspices of the secretary-treasurer: running a master executive council (MEC) or LEC meeting, membership and financial reports, where pilots’ dues dollars go, flight pay loss, budgeting, dues obligations, duty of fair representation, and more. These sessions included robust question-and-answer segments for the volunteers to ask about specific issues concerning their pilot groups as well as share solutions they’ve found to problems that other pilot groups might be facing. And the pilots were able to receive training, sometimes one-on-one, in the programs and applications they use regularly.

Staff from the Membership Administration Department reminded pilots that they’re the “recordkeepers for the Association,” and without their work reviewing and updating records, multiple problems would occur each month. They took pilots through the membership database and listed eight areas of focus for secretary-treasurers:

  1. Obtain and submit signed applications and authorization forms.
  2. Execute approvals for timely transfer of pilots to active membership.
  3. Obtain and send monthly input files and leave-of-absence reports.
  4. Review all available reports.
  5. Prepare pilots for the annual dues reconciliation.
  6. Notify pilots when the annual contact information update is coming.
  7. Establish a membership committee.
  8. Communicate your needs to your membership analyst.

Presenters from the department referred to the “garbage in, garbage out” axiom, telling pilots that accurate recordkeeping equals accurate rosters and reports; it supports informed decision-making by ALPA’s officers, representatives, and members. Communications need to reach intended recipients to provide the opportunity for increased involvement in Association activities. They noted that Project AMBER has delivered the tools to efficiently mine ALPA’s data and provide timely reporting, but the information needs to be correct to be valuable.

Many of the new secretary-treasurers indicated that they found the financial aspects of their position to be most daunting, so presenters provided a thorough picture from start to finish. “You’re going to get one question probably a thousand times from your members,” said Genovese. “Where does my dues dollar go?” Together with Beth Robinson, the director of ALPA’s Finance Department, he explained the allocation breakdown.

Robinson followed with a brief explanation of creating a budget. “A budget is simply everyone getting on the same page as to how you’ll be spending your money in the coming year,” she said. “But it’s not set in stone and can be adjusted continuously.” She introduced the pilots to a few tools, including a negotiations model, meeting estimator, and travel calculator. And she cautioned that there’s no typical budget, repeating Couette’s comment that ALPA has 33 pilot groups with 33 different sets of issues. The most important thing to remember, Robinson said: “You’re working with your pilots’ money.”

ALPA’s leaders and staff preached fiscal responsibility and a conservative approach at all times. “When we fly, we operate as conservatively as we can,” said Couette. “Do the same with this position.” Genovese repeated Robinson’s comments, noting, “It’s our pilots’ money, so we must take care of it responsibly.”

Each presentation also served as an introduction to the ALPA staff members available to assist all volunteers—the famous “ALPA toolbox.” Presentations typically ended with some form of the phrase, “Call or e-mail me if you have any questions,” and the breaks between sessions lent themselves to further discussions about topics of specific interest. Finance and Membership Department staff were a consistent presence so that they could answer questions and engage in conversation.

In addition to the policies and procedures these pilots will face in their everyday work, some of the sessions focused on areas of responsibility that the pilots may not encounter regularly but are nonetheless important. Those sessions included information on member insurance, tips on negotiating company-sponsored flight pay loss, governmental lobbying reports, website support, e-learning, Major Contingency Fund and Operating Contingency Fund monies, and promoting ALPA-PAC.

At the end of the conference, Genovese discussed the new Structure, Services, and Finance Review Committee, which was established in 2018 to review and update ALPA’s financial policies alongside the forthcoming dues reduction and to help address any financial impacts. “We’re constantly looking to be more efficient, more nimble, and more effective with the money we have,” he acknowledged. Throughout the meeting, pilots provided ideas for the committee to consider that might make their jobs easier in the future.

“It’s a lot of behind-the scenes work as secretary-treasurer,” Couette told the attendees. “But it’s important work and work that absolutely has to be done. Thank you for stepping up to do it.”


Spreading the Knowledge

For the first time, local council secretary-treasurers were invited to attend the Secretary-Treasurers Conference, and the Endeavor Air Master Executive Council (MEC) took full advantage of the invitation. In addition to the MEC’s volunteer, three of the pilot group’s four Local Executive Councils (LECs) sent their secretary-treasurer to the event.

“I love that ALPA is providing access to this event to all of us,” said Capt. Bryan Campbell, the MEC’s secretary-treasurer. “Learning about the available resources and meeting everyone face-to-face is so valuable for me and the local council guys—they’re getting the information they need from the source.”

Campbell forwarded the invitation to his LEC colleagues and heard back almost immediately from the three who attended. One of those, Capt. Aaron Scholl, Council 129’s secretary-treasurer, got his first look at ALPA national during the event and came away impressed.

“I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the support structure and systems at ALPA,” Scholl explained. And he stressed the value of being there in person. “It’s very helpful to be face-to-face so that we can develop relationships with the staff members who are here to support us. I gained so much at the event, from a deeper understanding of how dues are dispersed to MECs and LECs to getting a better grasp on how to use Tableau to pull the reports I need.”

The change in policy also helps the pilot groups with potential future volunteers at the MEC level. “Everybody at a fee-for-departure carrier in particular should be thinking about their replacements,” said Campbell. “Sharing the knowledge from this conference with more people than just me is extremely important.

“For them to be able to interact with other ALPA volunteers in their positions—both MEC and LEC—and go over the processes we all have will help them so much,” concluded Campbell. “I highly recommend bringing your LEC counterparts with you to the conference next year.”

This article was originally published in the April 2019 issue of Air Line Pilot.

Read the latest Air Line Pilot (PDF)