March 25, 2021

Aviation Policy Week Turns Spotlight on Union’s Priorities


This week, ALPA is communicating our pilot-partisan agenda to the 117th Congress and the aviation industry with Aviation Policy Week (#AvPolicyWeek). Anchoring this five-day multimodal effort is ALPA’s new white paper, “Battling the Pandemic, Rebuilding Our Economy, and Connecting the World.”

As part of this week’s activities, ALPA president Capt. Joe DePete sent a letter to all Members of Congress with a copy of the white paper, and pilot volunteers conducted virtual “meet and greets” with newly elected senators and representatives. The Association also hosted a virtual media roundtable where DePete briefed leading aviation journalists on ALPA’s agenda and explained the union’s proposals.

In the congressional meet and greets, 80 ALPA pilots met with 26 newly elected senators and representatives who serve on committees with jurisdictions that impact airlines and the pilot profession. This event allowed ALPA advocates to provide a face to the profession and a point of contact for the new congressional officials on aviation issues. The ALPA reps highlighted crucial issues as addressed in the paper and thanked their elected federal leaders for extending the Payroll Support Program, which has provided a lifeline for U.S. airlines and workers during the pandemic.

ALPA’s policy paper acknowledges the devastating effects of the pandemic on the economy and proposes specific measures to be taken to expedite aviation’s recovery, protect airline jobs, and ensure a safe operation. Additional recommendations include:

  • Ensuring U.S. workers receive the opportunity to exercise their right to organize as well as to compete internationally,
  • The installation of secondary barriers to protect crews and passengers against terrorist threats,
  • Creating a more environmentally sustainable industry,
  • Safely sharing and modernizing the national airspace for new entrants, and
  • Ensuring a strong, highly trained, and diverse pilot pipeline.

And in case you missed it, ALPA’s president sent a message to all ALPA members outlining the importance of these #AvPolicyWeek efforts as well as our ongoing #SaveCanadianAviation campaign.

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