Air Line Pilot January 2013

January 2013 Air Line Pilot 1

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F I F T H E D I T I O NAirTran (4)Air Transat (Page 15)Air Transport International (Page 16)Air Wisconsin (Page 17)Alaska (Page 18)American Eagle (Page 19)Atlantic Southeast (Page 20)Bearskin (Page 21)Calm Air (Page 22)Canadian North (Page 23)CanJet (Page 24)Capital Cargo (Page 25)CommutAir (Page 26)Compass (Page 27)Continental (Page 28)Delta (Page 29)Evergreen (Page 30)ExpressJet (Page 31)FedEx Express (Page 32)First Air (Page 33)Hawaiian (Page 34)Island Air (Page 35)Jazz (Page 36)Kelowna Flightcraft (Page 37)Mesa (Page 38)North American (Page 39)Piedmont (Page 40)Pinnacle (Page 41)PSA (Page 42)Ryan (Page 43)Spirit (Page 44)Sun Country (Page 45)Trans States (Page 46)United (Page 47)Wasaya (Page 48)

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january 2013 • Volume 82, number 1

25

About the CoverAn Embraer 135 at the gate, looking due east toward the sunrise. Photo by F/O Braden Gehrmann (American Eagle). Download a QR reader to your smartphone, scan the code, and read the magazine.

Air Line Pilot (ISSN 0002-242X) is pub lished monthly by the Air Line Pilots Association, Inter national, affiliated with AFL-CIO, CLC. Editorial Offices: 535 Herndon Parkway, PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169. Telephone: 703-481-4460. Fax: 703- 464-2114. Copyright © 2013—Air Line Pilots Association, Inter national, all rights reserved. Publica tion in any form without permission is prohibited. Air Line Pilot and the ALPA logo Reg. U.S. Pat. and T.M. Office. Federal I.D. 36-0710830. Periodicals postage paid at Herndon, VA 20172, and additional offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Air Line Pilot, PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169.

Canadian Publications mail agreement #40620579: Return undeliverable maga-zines sent to Canadian addresses to 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON, Canada N8T 3B7.

PilotsThe

ofAlPA2013

F I F T H E D I T I O N

13 Introduction14 AirTran15 Air Transat16 Air Transport International17 Air Wisconsin18 alaska19 american eagle20 Atlantic Southeast21 bearskin 22 Calm Air 23 Canadian North24 CanJet 25 Capital Cargo 26 CommutAir 27 Compass 28 Continental 29 Delta 30 evergreen 31 expressjet 32 Fedex express

33 First Air 34 Hawaiian 35 Island Air 36 Jazz 37 Kelowna Flightcraft 38 mesa 39 North American 40 Piedmont 41 Pinnacle 42 PSA 43 Ryan 44 Spirit 45 Sun Country 46 Trans States 47 United 48 Wasaya

COMMENTARY4 Take note

5 aviation mattersForward Progress

DEPARTMENTS

6 PreflightFacts, Figures, and Info

50 alPa ToolboxTraining Seminar Snapshots

51 Health WatchHearing Loss: What Did He Say?

53 The landingDouble Take

54 We are alPaALPA Resources and Contact Numbers

DEPARTMENTS

4 Air Line Pilot January 2013

HOT TOPICSAnyone who has been around me for any length of time knows that I am a huge Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band fan.

I’m like most followers of “The Boss”: true believers in his music—his lyrics are like gospel, and we feel saved at the end of each of his concerts. With each Springsteen

song, we dissect the words and try to relate their meaning to the facets of our lives.

Regarding my job, let’s take the song “Reason to Believe” with its refrain, “At the

end of every hard-earned day, people find some reason to believe.”

For ALPA pilots, every day is a hard-earned day. Flight after flight, ALPA pilots safely and securely transport their pas-sengers and cargo in good weather and in bad, 365 days a year—the reasons so many people put their lives and their livelihoods in the pilots’ hands. For their dedication to the job and love of flying, they ask for a decent wage, fair work rules, and a quality of life for their families (see page 13 for an update on all of our pilot groups).

For ALPA pilot volunteers, they have the added responsibility of helping their members with important matters related to their contracts, interacting with management and government representatives, answering the needs of their pilot groups, and so much more.

And for ALPA staff, we support your initiatives, providing expertise, experi-ence, and guidance on a broad range of issues. We work hard on your behalf every single day.

And ALPA’s reason to believe?We believe that through our collective

efforts, we can enhance airline safety and security for the traveling public. We believe that when ALPA coordinates with industry and government, we can ensure that the airline industry in North America remains prosperous throughout the decades to come. We believe that if we support each other and stand strong and unified in the face of adversity, we will remain the larg-est, most successful airline pilots union in the world.

And at the end of every hard-earned day, the members of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, are proud professional pilots who still believe they have the best office view in the world.

Marie SchwartzDirector, ALPA [email protected]

Take Note In This Issue

Abu Dhabi

What’s the Latest on…Continental and United Pilots

See pages 28 and 47

Pinnacle Bankruptcy Woes

See page 41

Also in This Issue…Why You Should Be Concerned About Abu DhabiSee the latest Call to Action page 7

Updates on Canadian Issues See pages 9 and 10

mailto:[email protected]


AviationMatters

Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA President

Forward Progress

Today, I challenge each and every ALPA member to recommit to our union.

As I’ve said to you before, if we are united, we’ll thwart the obstacles ahead.

The past year presented many challenges for our union. Armed with both overwhelming success and painful setbacks, we are poised to enter 2013 strategically posi-

tioned to move forward. To do so effectively, we must evaluate both the positives and negatives so that we can reflect, adapt,

and evolve. If I’ve learned anything in the

past 24 months, it’s that nothing is easy in the airline industry, especially when coupled with the politics of Washington, D.C., and Ottawa. Make no mistake, our success was driven by our unity—mobilizing our critical mass and unmatched professional resources and driving toward our goals at the

bargaining table and with our governments. At the negotiating table, I was inspired by the resolve and

unity of our pilots, especially when faced with seemingly irresolvable standoffs. We witnessed firsthand that when uni-fied, our pilots rise against the odds and secure progressive contracts that improve our members’ quality of life.

Employing traditional and nontraditional bargaining tactics (see “ALPA Toolbox,” page 50), we secured industry-leading con-tracts at Delta and FedEx Express, well ahead of the amendable date. We are taking the steps necessary to successfully merge pilot groups at United and Continental, AirTran and Southwest, Air Transport International and Capital Cargo, and Atlantic Southeast and ExpressJet. We helped American Eagle look bankruptcy in the eye and emerge with a contract intact; and as I write this, we’re working as hard as we can, and at every level, to produce the successful restructuring of Pinnacle. I hope to add them to the hard-won achievements in 2013. (Read updates on all 35 ALPA pilot groups beginning on page 13.)

This past year also brought measurable success in the halls of Congress and Parliament.

In Washington, D.C., our tireless efforts achieved results in many critical areas: passage of a fully funded FAA reauthoriza-tion bill; introduction of the Safe Skies Act to right the injustice of the cargo “carveout” in U.S. flight- and duty-time rules; push-ing back against the EU’s illegal emissions trading scheme; and a law that demands accountability and transparency from the Export-Import Bank to save U.S. airline jobs.

Calling on our government to do its share in protecting the livelihood of U.S. airline pilot jobs, we rolled out our compre-hensive “Leveling the Playing Field” initiative, with sound rec-ommendations on what it will take to secure our pilots’ futures.

In Canada, we continue to combat a Temporary Foreign Worker Program that allows the seasonal employment of over-seas pilots while ALPA Canadian pilots remain on furlough. Also

in Canada, we are fully engaged in the process to modernize pilot flight- and duty-time regulations and rest requirements, and brought significant attention to the vital need to improve navigation facilities at our far northern airports. We will remain vigilant to ensure that the pilots’ voice is heard on these impor-tant matters.

But despite our victories, there is still much to do. The chal-lenges for 2013—some carried over from 2012’s unfinished to-do list—will require equal unity and perseverance from our members, and more. We need to resolve a number of ongoing contract negotiations and mergers for our members in 2013.

This will take patience and compromise from both sides of the table.

Across the globe, foreign airlines continue to encroach on our international routes, backed by their governments’ pro-aviation policies and, all too often, our own governments’ support. Many of these airlines are becoming increasingly sophisticated in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa, which demands that we up our game to stave off their attempts to overturn our regulations on foreign ownership and control and cabotage.

As the members of the Air Line Pilots Association, we need unity to confront the issues that face us. We must set aside our differences to accomplish the challenging tasks ahead. As the airline industry continues to consolidate, we must continue to work together, not against each other, if we are to succeed in this newly hypercompetitive international marketplace.

Let’s not wait until the state-owned airlines in the EU, China, and the Gulf are in our own backyard—they are almost here. Let’s continue to lead the revitalized labor movement in our industry and hurdle these obstacles by capitalizing on the opportunities before us. Our livelihoods depend on it.

Today, I challenge each and every ALPA member to recom-mit to our union. As I’ve said to you before, if we are united, we’ll thwart the obstacles ahead.

So keep informed. Stay engaged. And never quit.


n Airline Industry Update

FACTS, FIgURES, AND INFO

MarketWatchairlines Parent Company Stock Symbol 11/30/2011 11/30/2012 % Chg.Piedmont, PSA US Airways Group, Inc. NYSE: LCC $22.89 $28.61 25.0% American Eagle AMR Corp.1 OTC: AAMR.Q $0.32 $0.50 56.3% Bearskin, Calm Air Exchange Income Corporation TSX: EIF $22.89 $28.61 25.0% Alaska Alaska Holdings, Inc. NSYE: ALK $34.71 $42.75 23.2% Jazz Chorus Aviation TSX: CHR.B $22.89 $28.61 25.0% Delta Delta Air Lines NYSE: DAL $22.89 $28.61 25.0% Continental, United United Continental Holdings, Inc. NSYE: UAL $22.89 $28.61 25.0% AirTran Southwest Airlines NSYE: LUV $8.55 $9.53 11.5% FedEx Express FedEx Corporation2 NYSE: FDX $22.89 $28.61 25.0% Hawaiian Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. NASDAQ: HA $22.89 $28.61 25.0% Spirit Spirit Airlines, Inc. NASDAQ: SAVE $16.13 $16.78 4.0% Atlantic Southeast, ExpressJet SkyWest, Inc. NASDAQ: SKYW $12.13 $11.59 -4.5% Air Transat Transat A.T. Inc. TSX: TRZ.B $6.72 $5.37 -20.1% Air Transport Int’l, Capital Cargo Intl Air Transport Services Group, Inc. NASDAQ: ATSG $4.84 $3.79 -21.7% Pinnacle Pinnacle Airlines Corp3 OTC: PNCL.Q $2.01 $0.01 -99.5%

1 AMR stock is no longer traded on the NYSE. The price shown is the over-the-counter traded value.2 FedEx Express had a dividend payout of $ 0.19 on Nov. 14, 2012.3 Pinnacle stock is no longer traded on the NASDAQ. The price shown is the over-the-counter traded value.

According to The Dallas Morning News, American Airlines pilots approved a six-year contract with american airlines on Dec. 7, 2012, paving the way for the airline to settle its affairs and emerge from bankruptcy court in the first part of 2013. The airline will start recalling furloughed pilots beginning in January and will continue to recall as many as 40 per month. Per l’aviation.ca, in novem-

ber 2012 Air Transat celebrated the 25th anni-versary

of its inaugu-

ral flight. On Nov. 14, 1987, an Air

Transat

Lockheed L-1011 with 360 passengers aboard flew from Montreal to Acapulco. According to Morningstar News, UPS announced it has developed and is testing several new technologies, including a new class of fire-retardant containers to hold packages, that will keep fires from burning inside the bellies of cargo airplanes. The Hill reported that in late November 2012 the Senate passed the no-Hassle Flying act, which would allow the Transportation Security Adminis tration to determine whether checked baggage on a flight originating at an airport outside the u.S. must be rescreened in the u.S. before it can continue

on any additional flights if the bag-gage has

already been screened in the foreign airport. The Department of Transportation announced that through September 2012, 83 percent of all flights took off within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times. The agency reported that 95 percent of Hawaiian Airlines’ flights took off on time, earning the airline the top spot for best performance, followed by US Airways with 89 percent and Delta with 87 percent. According to Flight Safety Information, Transport Canada senior officials acknowledged that the

agency is having a difficult time filling inspector posi-tions, with 100 inspector jobs currently vacant. The Transportation Security Administration reported that it plans to improve and expand upon its use of bomb-sniffing dogs through a research project on the use of canine teams at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS Science and Technology Directorate has approximately $650,000 to spend on one-year research contracts for the program. l


n Frontlines

Scan the QR code to participate in this important Call to Action.

Scan the QR code to read a letter from Capt. Lee Moak.

Call to Action— Stop new CbP Preclearance Site In Abu DhabiThe U.S. and United Arab Emirates (UAE) governments are in discussions to create a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport, and Etihad Airways’ CEO is “confident” they will succeed. An Abu Dhabi CBP preclearance facility will benefit state-owned Etihad; but for U.S. pilots, it would be another competitive advantage handed to foreign airlines by flawed U.S. policy.

ALPA members have the ability to directly influence the decision on this proposal—by contacting the White House and telling the administration that this plan would represent a

serious threat to U.S. airline pilot jobs and the U.S. airline industry.

Scan the QR code above to read a letter from Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president, explaining why a CBP preclearance site would be a mistake and why ALPA support for this campaign is so crucial. For more information, go to levelingtheplayingfield.ALPA.org. l

n KCm use Surpasses Two million markAlternative security screen-ing of pilots at Known Crewmember® access points recently passed the two million mark. Although the numbers continue to increase, in a recent week crewmember throughput at 68 active access points at 28 airports averaged 99,450 per week, 14,200 per day, and 3,552 per airport each week. Planning is under way to add more airports in 2013.

Pilots are reminded to register and use the KCM barcode cards/tags upon receiving them from their respective airlines. The cards/tags significantly help expe-dite the process of clearing pilots through KCM. Go to www.mykcmsupport.com to register the card/tags.

For more information, select the KCM tab on the ALPA smartphone app for iPhones and Droids, or go to www.knowncrewmember.org.

n alPa Comments on French Court Decision on Concorde Accident“ALPA welcomes the French court’s decision” regard-ing its announcement on Nov. 29, 2012, to overturn previous convictions against Continental Airlines and one of its mechanics in connection with the Air France Concorde accident in 2000. The decision “recognizes that the only way our industry can do everything

possible to prevent such a tragedy from happening again is not through criminalization of professional human error, but by strongly encouraging the exchange of safety infor-mation essential to detecting hazards before accidents occur,” the Association commented.

“Threatening criminal prosecution of airline industry professionals, who only seek to perform their jobs while maintaining the highest levels of safety, will discourage the data sharing that forms the foundation of a proactive safety culture designed to ad-dress safety risks before they lead to incidents or accidents.

“ALPA mourns the loss of our colleagues and all who perished in the accident. Our industry must ensure that their legacy is one of enhanced safety for all who depend on air transportation. Our success in that effort depends on a safety culture focused not on assigning blame but on preventing accidents.”

n alPa ProStans Hosts Training event More than 40 ALPA pilot volunteers from 11 airlines attended Professional Standards training on Nov. 13, 2012, in Houston, Tex.

The Continental and ExpressJet Master Executive Councils (MECs) cosponsored the event, which was held in their joint offices.

Training topics included the basics for MEC ProStans Committee work plus extensive presentations on merger-related issues, an examination of ALPA’s Code of Ethics, and realistic, hands-on case scenar-ios. Attendees also discussed the demand for confidentiality, neutrality, and unbiased peer-to-peer conflict resolution.

The current syllabus is used for both initial and recurrent training and was designed to be taken on the road to reach a broader range of pilot repre-sentatives and to standardize the services available. More sessions are planned for May

and November of 2013. Professional Standards

support is provided by pilot peers and is a valued service available to all ALPA mem-bers. The program promotes professionalism and unity. ProStans representatives serve as stewards of ALPA’s Code of Ethics.

Professional Standards is one of five groups under the ALPA Pilot Assistance umbrella. The other groups in-clude Aeromedical, Canadian Pilot Assistance, the Critical Incident Response Program, and Human Intervention and Motivation Study. l

More than 40 ALPA pilot volunteers from 11 airlines attend ProStans training in November in Houston, Tex.

www.mykcmsupport.com

www.knowncrewmember.org

http://www.alpa.org/portals/alpa/fastread/2012/docs/moak-etihad-12-5-2012.htm

http://www.alpa.org/PressRoom/ALPAOntheIssues/tabid/3456/Default.aspx

levelingtheplayingfield.ALPA.org


n united, Continental

legislativeUpdaten alPa applauds President obama’s Signing eu eTS actALPA and other airline indus-try stakeholders commended President Barack Obama’s signing on Nov. 27, 2012, of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act, legislation that authorizes the secretary of the Department of Transportation to prohibit U.S. airlines from participating in the European Union’s emis-sions trading scheme (ETS).

“By signing this bill into law, President Obama has acted to protect our national sovereignty, U.S. airlines, and American jobs,” said ALPA’s president, Capt. Lee Moak. “We want to thank President Obama and members of Congress—particularly Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and John Thune (R-S.D.)—for taking a stand against this illegal tax, whose proceeds were never even intended to address aircraft greenhouse gas emissions or further envi-ronmental protections.”

ALPA launched a full-scale campaign including a Call to Action, congressional testimony, press releases, and Capitol Hill visits by pilot legislative affairs representa-tives. In November 2012, the EU postponed the ETS to allow for the triennial meet-ing of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to continue its ongoing effort to develop and vote on a global sectorial approach to decrease airline aircraft emissions.

“ICAO is the most ap-propriate venue to address the issue of global aircraft emissions standards,” said Moak. “A single, interna-tional policy should be determined to safeguard against regional efforts to generate new sources of income.”

n biofuels legislation Passes Senate In early December 2012, the U.S. Senate passed S.3254, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), by a vote of 98–0. Earlier, before reaching the Senate floor, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to include two amendments that would have made it much more difficult for the Department of Defense (DOD) to procure advanced biofuels and build biofuel refineries capable of safely power-ing aircraft and maritime vessels.

ALPA joined with aerospace manufacturers, farmers, airlines, biofuel producers, and nongovern-mental national security organizations to strip the NDAA of this problematic language. The coalition was successful in garnering wide bipartisan support for an amendment offered by Sen. Udall (D-Colo.) that stripped language included by Sen. Inhofe (R-Okla.). The coalition was also success-

ful in pushing the Senate to adopt an amendment offered by Sen. Hagan (D-N.C.) that stripped additional problem-atic language included by Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.).

As with many other cutting-edge technologies, such as jet engines, the purchasing power of the U.S. military can pave the way for civilian use of these technologies. The push by the DOD to procure ad-vanced biofuels began under former President George W. Bush and continues today.

ALPA has supported the military’s efforts in this area because fuel is the number one cost to the airline indus-try, and the development of alternative fuels will be an

important key to the future health of the U.S. airline industry.

The Association applauds the work of senators Udall and Hagan in protecting the DOD’s ability to purchase and develop advanced biofuels. ALPA has sent a letter to the chairmen and ranking mem-bers of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees asking them to preserve the biofuels language as they reconcile differences between the House- and Senate-passed legislation. The Association will continue to lobby on Capitol Hill to ensure the Senate’s biofuel language is maintained and signed into law. l

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alpa-mobile/id423642917?mt=8

mailto: [email protected]

http://www.youtube.com/user/WeAreALPA/


n alPanegotiationsUpdateThe following is a summary of the status of ALPA contract negotiations by airline as of Dec. 15, 2012:

Air Wisconsin—A Section 6 notice was filed on Oct. 1, 2010. Negotiations continue. Atlantic Southeast—A Section 6 notice was filed on May 20, 2010. A joint Section 6 notice was filed on March 28, 2011. Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet joint negotiations continue.CanJet—A notice to bargain was filed on Dec. 1, 2011. Negotiations continue.Continental—Voting on the tentative agreement between the pilots of Continental and

United and United Continental Holdings, Inc., concluded on Dec.15, 2012, and the pilots ratified the new contract. evergreen—The pilots voted down a tentative agreement in late November 2012. Bargaining between the parties remains under the supervision of the National Mediation Board. expressjet—A Section 6 notice was received on May 28, 2010. A joint Section 6 notice was filed on March 28, 2011. Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet joint negotiations continue.*First Air—A notice to bargain was filed on Oct. 1, 2010. Negotiations are under way. mesa—A Section 6 notice was filed on Sept. 10, 2010.

Negotiations continue January 15–17, February 5–7, and March 12–14.Piedmont—A Section 6 notice was sent on March 13, 2009. An application for mediation was filed with the NMB on April 21, 2010. Mediation is under way.PSA—A Section 6 notice was sent on Jan. 19, 2009. A joint ap-plication for mediation was filed on July 12, 2011. Negotiations continue.Ryan—A Section 6 notice was sent on Sept. 2, 2011. Negotiations are under way.Sun Country—A Section 6 notice was sent on Feb. 23, 2010. Sun Country filed for mediation on May 9, 2012. United—Voting on the tentative

n Engineering & Air Safety Updaten Aviation Security leaders Convene in Herndon Capt. Fred Eissler (FedEx Express), ALPA’s Aviation Security chairman, con-vened a meeting of the Air Safety Organization’s Aviation Security leaders and subject-matter experts on Nov. 15, 2012, in ALPA’s Herndon, Va., offices. Capt. Sean Cassidy, ALPA’s first vice president and national safety coordinator, partici-pated along with a dozen other pilots and staff from the Engineering and Air Safety Department.

The group recapped events from 2012, conduct-ed a strategic planning re-view that included priorities set by ALPA’s 2012 Board of Directors, and created plans for security events in 2013, among other activities.

The group also toured the Transportation Security

Adminis tra-tion’s (TSA) Transpor ta-tion Security Operations Center, which coordinates and manages numerous aspects of aviation security in North America, and the National Targeting Center–Cargo, which is focused on ensuring the security of cargo bound for the United States from foreign destinations and operated by the TSA and Customs and Border Protection.

n PCro Convenes in ottawa Capt. Peter Black (First Air), who chairs ALPA’s President’s Committee for Remote Operations (PCRO), and the committee met in Ottawa in mid-November 2012. Black, PCRO members, and ALPA’s Engineering and Air Safety

Department staff continued their review of the far north-ern airfields in Canada and the United States as part of their mandate to develop safety improvements in those areas.

The committee is focusing on ascertaining all of the changes that are required to support establishing preci-sion approach capability to all runway ends, which the 2012 Board of Directors meeting established as an ALPA priority. Airport infrastructure, runway marking and lighting, and developing satellite-based precision procedures must all be considered in bringing

this capabil-ity to remote airports.

Of particu-lar concern is the avail-ability of resources to

make these needed im-provements. The committee is investigating various ways to educate local communi-ties about the advantages, both in safety and effi-ciency, of investing in these improvements, and is also investigating government programs that might be used to provide the needed resources. In addition, the committee continued its work with NAV CANADA on the approach-development process in Canada.

During the meeting, representatives from NAV CANADA and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada gave presenta-tions and talked with committee members. The committee will continue to gather data on developing safety improvements and will include the FAA and Transport Canada in future discussions. l

Capt. Eissler

Capt. Black

agreement between the pilots of United and Continental and United Continental Holdings, Inc., concluded on Dec.15, 2012, and the pilots ratified the new contract. l

*Editor’s note: ALPA negotiators at this Canadian airline have experienced many delays in bargaining because of manage-ment shakeups and the loss of Flight 6560. Since bargaining opened in 2010, the pilot group has had two CEOs, three vice presidents of flight opera-tions, and four company lead negotiators. However, the team members remain confident they will make progress in the com-ing sessions.


News at Your Fingertips The airline industry is changing faster than ever before, and ALPA Daily will keep you informed about the latest industry developments and analysis from around the globe. Check it out each day to stay up-to-date on the news that affects airline pilots and the piloting profession.

ALPA members can sign up to receive ALPA Daily in their e-mail.

Scan the QR code, then log in with your ALPA member number and password. select E-mail Distribution Lists. check the box for ALPA Daily. submit your request.

It’s that easy. Sign up today.

ALPA Nat’l & Pilot Group News Airline News Industry & Legislative News

ALPA Nat’l & Pilot Group News Delta and Virgin Atlantic To Form Strategic Alliance

Delta News Release - 12/11/2012Delta to invest $360 million in acquiring a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic

New joint venture to include expanded trans-Atlantic network and enhanced

customer benefitsUnited Reports November 2012 Operational Performance

Yahoo! Canada Finance - 12/10/2012 United returns 787 to service six days after generator failure

Flightglobal - 12/11/2012United Airlines today returned to service a Boeing 787-8 that made an emergency

landing on 4 December in New Orleans due to an electrical malfunction. The 787

completed scheduled flights to Newark from Houston Intercontinental and back

again, United says.Airline News

Pilots approve American Airlines contract

St. Louis Business Journal - 12/10/2012

A tentative agreement ratifieds Association and American Airlines parent, AMR Corp.

(PK: AAMRQ),

Canadan ALPA Reps give Senate Insights into Remote OpsCapt. Dan Adamus (Jazz), ALPA’s Canada Board president, and Capt. Peter Black (First Air), chairman of ALPA’s President’s Committee for Remote Operations (PCRO), on Dec. 4, 2012, appeared before Canada’s Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications to brief the committee on the challenges airline pilots face when flying into and out of remote areas and how to enhance the safety of these types of operations and improve service to these remote communities.

The Senate com-mittee has recently focused on issues concerning opera-tions in northern and similarly remote areas as part of its ongoing study of emerging

issues related to the Canadian airline industry. ALPA was invited to share the Association’s insights and provide technical expertise on these issues.

“As air traffic in this region is bound to see a steady increase, it becomes ever more challenging to ensure the same high level of safety that airline operations must have,” Adamus said, in

recognizing that the north is of growing interest to a broad range of industry stakeholders.

“ALPA has been in the van-guard of aviation safety for many years, and we are convinced that the current, thorough certifica-tion processes of NAV CANADA, joined with those of Transport Canada, need to continue to safely develop critical air naviga-tion, communication, and airport infrastructure now and in the future to safely serve the commu-nities above the 60th parallel and other remote regions,” Adamus commented.

Adamus and Black stressed the benefits of the latest generation of GPS-based procedures, which provide flight crews with informa-tion that allows them to conduct a constant, stabilized descent to the runway. They emphasized that for this technology to be really effective in improving services to a community, airport infrastructures need to be upgraded concur-rently, which requires considerable funding.

They urged increased finan-cial support from the federal government through such pro-grams as the Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP). ALPA believes that the eligibility criteria for the program should be expanded to include airport surveys needed to support better instrument approach capabilities, and the amount of available funding should be increased significantly in view of the extra costs associated with construction and survey work in the north.

The testimony before the Standing Senate Committee continues ALPA’s dialogue with the Canadian legislature on operations in the north. ALPA members have had detailed discussions on the subject with Olivia Chow, the New Democratic Party transport critic and vice chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities. l

From left, Capt. Peter Black (First Air), chairman, ALPA President’s Committee for Remote Operations; Sen. Dennis Dawson, chairman, Parliament of Canada Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications; and Capt. Dan Adamus (Jazz), president, ALPA Canada Board.

given on MEC tools, the new SharePoint platform, and e-mail management. Nine individual work sessions covered specific web, com-munications, and application topics. In addition, a Microsoft representative provided a presentation on Windows 8 and Office 2013. l

ALPA held its 7th annual IT Conference at the new conference facilities in its Herndon, Va., offices on Nov. 26–27, 2012. The two-day event focused on master executive council (MEC) collaboration and the many communication tools available to ALPA members.

More than 20 pilots from 12 different MECs participated, in addition to staff from the Association’s IT and Communications Departments.

Presentations were

alPa IT Conference examines new Communications Tools

ITNews

https://www.alpa.org/AlpaLogin/tabid/2415/Default.aspx?returnurl=http%3a%2f%2fcrewroom.alpa.org%2falpa%2fDesktopDefault.aspx%3ftabindex%3d6%26tabid%3d3436%26GoTo%3dpreferences


n Airlines Adjust Capacity in 2013

1Q 2013 vs. 1Q 2012 Change in Capacity

The recent uncertainty of the economic environment has led many airlines to practice capacity discipline once again. After reviewing the schedules, however, some niche airlines will be adding capacity to attempt to gain market

share on new or expanding routes. Airlines looking to add capacity include Alaska, Hawaiian, Spirit, and Sun Country. Delta and United-Continental have cut their system capac-ity. The graph to the left shows each individual airline’s recent change in capacity. Canadian airlines are cutting back as well. Except for a slight increase at Jazz, other Canadian airlines such as Bearskin, Calm Air, CanJet, and First Air are all showing reduced capacity for 1Q 2013 compared to 1Q 2012.

Type of aircraft is playing significantly into how airlines distribute their capacity. All aircraft types except narrowbody will have less capacity in 1Q 2013 compared to 1Q 2012. Turboprop airplanes are showing the biggest decline, despite the increased use of Dash 8-Q400s.

Capacity changes by geographic region are also showing significant erosion, especially in transatlantic flying. As the European debt crisis continues to stifle confidence, many airlines are pulling back flying to that region. Delta, United-Continental, and US Airways show declines of nearly 10 percent in capacity to that region in 1Q 2013 compared to 1Q 2012. The Latin American region shows the greatest strength in 2013, with Spirit and JetBlue adding significant capacity in 2013. The Pacific region is flat in 2013, after huge gains from new service by Hawaiian last year. l

Note: Island Air not shown but had an 86% increase in capacity in 1Q 2013 vs. 1Q 2012

Source: OAG—Data not available for cargo airlines and some charter airlines.

Change in Capacity by Region

Source: OAG for U.S. major airlines and their regional partners

Change in Capacity by Equipment Type

Source: OAG for U.S. major airlines and their regional partners

To read the latest On Investing magazine from Charles Schwab, go to www.schwab.com/oninvesting. It’s an added benefit for mem-bers through ALPA’s partnership with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., as the Association’s preferred financial services provider. l

www.schwab.com/oninvesting


Capt. Robert E. Bittner United NovemberCapt. Gregory A. Bludorn Delta NovemberCapt. Devere G. Bunnell Eastern NovemberCapt. David C. Craig Delta NovemberCapt. Duane T. Daily America West NovemberCapt. Lewis M. Gruber Northwest NovemberCapt. Donald L. Hamilton TWA NovemberF/O John F. “H” Hirsch, Jr. United NovemberCapt. James R. Hubbard Delta NovemberCapt. Robert H. Kohler United NovemberCapt. Samuel R. MacGregor, Jr. Eastern NovemberCapt. B.L. Martin US Airways NovemberS/O Arthur D. Mobley Flying Tigers NovemberF/O Thomas G. Odam TWA NovemberCapt. Henry J. Serwat Northwest NovemberCapt. Richard H. Schlader Northwest NovemberCapt. Donald J. Worley Northwest November

n Compiled from information provided by ALPA’s Membership and Council Services Department

n In Memoriam“To fly west, my friend, is a flight we all must take for a final check.”—Author unknown

2003Capt. Robert W. Burdick United September

2011Capt. Harvey W. LaFollette Eastern December

2012Capt. Anthony D. Benvenuto Continental FebruaryCapt. W.A. Berger United MarchCapt. Frank L. Swaim United JuneCapt. H.T. “Hugh” Smith United JulyCapt. Kim M. Loveless TWA AugustCapt. G.C. Douglass United SeptemberCapt. Richard K. Wagner United SeptemberCapt. V.J. Wormser United SeptemberCapt. Louis H. Baumgartner Sun Country OctoberS/O Anatole J. Chauvin Flying Tigers OctoberFE Lloyd F. Scidmore ATA OctoberCapt. T.W. Tinkler United OctoberCapt. W.H. “Bill” Becker Delta November

MailbagTurbulenceNovember’s “Preflight” had a small piece about turbulence detection and avoidance. Northwest Airlines had a very effective turbulence avoid-ance program in effect from the early 1970s, including turbulence bypass routes in the Rockies. I remember well hearing flights along our routes calling ATC, “We’ll follow the Red Tail.”Capt. Clint Viebrock (Northwest, Ret.)

November’s “The Landing”The National Football League’s conduct during the labor dispute between the league and the NFL Referees Association is not unlike what some airlines have done to our pilots and what the FAA did the PATCO controllers in 1981. Losing a job or a career is more painful than you can imagine. The scabs who officiated the NFL games during the

dispute should be ashamed of themselves, and we, as a union, should not refer to them as “the replacement referees.” Scab is easier to say, easier to spell, and more accurately describes a scab!Capt. Martin Coddington (Pinnacle, Ret.)

“The Landing” in November’s issue refers to “replacement referees.” Did you mean to say “scab referees,” or is this the kinder, gentler ALPA? Capt. Ed Chapman (Braniff 1, Braniff 2, Midway, United, Ret.)

Letters to the editor may be submitted via regular mail to Air Line Pilot, Letters to the Editor, 535 Herndon Parkway, P.O. Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169, or by e-mail to [email protected].

Have You Read?Sixty Years of the 20th Century:

A Pilot’s MemoirBy Capt. D. Allen Butcher (Delta, Ret.)

Capt. Butcher has penned an autobiography, Sixty Years in the 20th Century: A Pilot’s Memoir (403 pages, CreateSpace, North Charleston, S.C.). Growing up poor in rural Tennessee, Butcher, a standout ROTC cadet, graduated from the University of Tennessee and became a U.S. Air Force multiengine pilot.

After a tour in Vietnam, he joined Delta as a DC-8 flight engineer in 1969 and retired in 1998 as a B-757/67 captain, never scratching an airplane along the way. —By Jan W. Steenblik, Technical Editor

Air Line PiLot

Wants Your PhotosShare your photos from the line, and let us see what you see. Give us some details as well—where the photo was taken, when, by

whom, and any other pertinent info.

Air Line Pilot encourages you to submit your high-quality prints from a developer or high-resolution digital images. Your

photos could be featured in a future

issue! Send your photos to

[email protected].




PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

When the Key Men met in secret in 1931 to create ALPA, the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression. The nation and the world were in turmoil. Yet the Key Men knew that much more united

than divided them and that their best hopes for the future depended on banding together to present a coherent, cohesive voice—at the

negotiating table, on the picket line, in the corridors of political power in Washington, D.C., and on Wall Street. Today, when single- and twin-

engine turboprops connect Americans and Canadians with hubs that launch turbofan-powered widebodied jets to five other continents,

that fundamental truth remains as valid today as it was in 1931. Turn the page to learn more about your ALPA brothers and

sisters. Some of the perennial themes and common denominators of their stories and struggles are older than

this, the largest union of airline pilots in the world.

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 2009n Number of pilots: 1,500+n Pilot domiciles: Atlanta, Ga.; Milwaukee, Wisc.; and Orlando, Fla.n Headquarters: Dallas, Tex.n Operations/services: AirTran Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co., offers coast-to-coast and near-international service with close to 600 flights a day to 54 destinationsn Fleet: 88 B-717s and 41 B-737sA

irTra

nOn March 1, 2012, the

FAA approved South-west Airlines’ applica-

tion for a single operating certificate (SOC) with wholly owned AirTran Airways. With the SOC in hand, Southwest moved forward and began transitioning AirTran’s opera-tions, including moving some AirTran pilots “across the partition,” the invisible wall that now separates the two companies and pilot groups.

The inaugural conversion class of pilots took place on March 28, 2012, and just fewer than 200 of the 1,750

While setting a new course and settling into their new roles, the MEC was confronted with Southwest’s announcement on May 22, 2012, that it had reached a tentative agreement with Delta to sublease AirTran’s B-717s—an agreement that changed the tone and tenor of the transition among AirTran pilots, Southwest management, and the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association. The MEC leaders are currently working with ALPA staff and pilot leaders to sort through the ramifications

Southwest slowly spooled up. Autumn brought addi-

tional change to the airline. Southwest announced that the Milwaukee, Wisc., base, which was expected to stay open into 2013, would draw down and eventually close.

In preparation for the transition of the majority of Milwaukee-based pilots and at the request of the MEC, ALPA’s Executive Council reviewed and approved the dissolution of the Milwaukee local council, with the remain-ing members joining the local council in Orlando, Fla., the previous headquarters of AirTran Airways and the original base for its pilots.

However, Orlando will also soon be shrinking as pilot transitioning across the parti-tion increases and the num-ber of routes flown by AirTran pilots decreases. The dis-solution of the Orlando local council is on the horizon, and the remaining pilots will again reunite as one council—until that, too, is gone.

“The majority of our pilots are still waiting to cross the partition to Southwest,” says Capt. Jim Morris, the pilots’ MEC chairman. “For most of those who remain, the sublease of the B-717 fleet to Delta changes the landscape. We at the MEC are doing ev-erything possible to make this work for our members, who expected this transition to look vastly different than it does today.”

pilots on the former AirTran seniority list are now flying under the Southwest livery.

Facing transition within its own group, and as part of the Master Executive Council (MEC) officer term of office cycle, which ended in April, the MEC elected new officers to continue the work of representing the best interests of the AirTran pilot group. Whereas the former leaders were focused on seniority list integration and contract negotiations, the task of moving through the merger with Southwest belongs to the current slate of officers and representatives. Developing the goals and the strategy for maintaining a transition that is smooth and transparent was the first order of business.

Setting a New Courseby Toni C. Vacinek Senior Communications Specialist

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

for their members.As one group of AirTran

pilots was getting ready to begin conversion training at Southwest, another group of pilots filed a dispute resolu-tion claim with the Dispute Resolution Committee, consisting of two premerger AirTran pilots and two pre-merger Southwest pilots, regarding the effect on the seniority integration agree-ment due to the sublease of B-717s to Delta. Meanwhile, AirTran’s Negotiating Committee, at the direction of the MEC, engaged the company in discussions to obtain improvements to maintain the quality of life for the pilots who would remain on the AirTran side of the partition as the transition to

Retired B-717 F/O Jo Beth Lynch after landing her retirement flight in Atlanta, ga., on Oct. 28, 2012. Lynch is the first pilot in five years

to retire at AirTran and the first ALPA-represented AirTran pilot to retire. Lynch, an ALPA member for 28 years, is also a retired captain on the B-757 and B-767 for United Airlines. She made significant contributions to her fellow pilots, ALPA, and the airline industry with her dedication to safety in leadership roles at Air Virginia and United.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1999n Number of pilots: 436 (including furloughees)n Headquarters: Pierre E. Trudeau International Airport, Montreal, P.Q.n Pilot bases: Montreal, P.Q.; Toronto, Ont.; and Vancouver, B.C.n Fleet: 11 A310s and 12 A330sA

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have seen the effect that government policy

can have on airline opera-tions. The pilots have had to endure the detrimental ef-fects of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the use of wet-leasing by competing airlines for the last few years. Sizeable losses and concerns about diluted de-mand pushed the airline into downsizing and restructuring in 2012.

ALPA and Air Transat’s parent company, Transat A.T., Inc., banded together with Air Canada and WestJet to pub-licly denounce the Canadian Transportation Agency’s November 2012 decision to uphold these practices. The group condemned agency

airline some relief, the pilots agreed to extend the life of their contract by a year, to May 2015. They also agreed to a cost-of-living freeze, approving a bonus program to recoup lost wages if company performance improves.

“We understand that our airline is concerned about overextending itself,” says Lavoie. “The airplanes that we parked were eventually going to be replaced, but now, with this fight, we’re waiting to see what happens.”

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program allows air-lines to forgo hiring Canadian pilots and instead employ overseas pilots and save on initial training costs. However, several Canadian airlines have sidestepped the clause

During testimony, Capt. Dan Adamus (Jazz), ALPA’s Canada Board president, said: “The issue of hiring foreign pilots and its impacts on the labour force are subjects that need to be taken seriously by the federal government. Some airline managements have been abusing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program by using it for competitive advantages instead of filling a labour shortage as originally envisioned by the legislation.”

Despite these challenges, Lavoie describes his pilot group’s relationship with management as positive. “We have problems here and there, but we have a good channel of communications with senior management, and we’re working together to help our airline succeed. However, we also understand that we’re a publicly traded company and that we need to make money to stay in business.”

Lavoie remains hopeful that the airline industry can convince the Canadian gov-ernment to see the shortcom-ings of this destructive policy and act in the best interest of its citizens.

Air Transat offers both scheduled and charter flights using a fleet of Airbus A310s and A330s. The air-line balances its southbound operations in the winter with trips to Europe in the summer and carries nearly 2 million passengers per year to 60 destinations in 25 countries. On Nov. 14, 2012, Air Transat celebrated its 25th anniversary.

approval of Canadian airline Sunwing’s seasonal use of four Czech airplanes and overseas flight crews as part of its winter operation.

ALPA and the other avia-tion stakeholders pointed out that half of Sunwing’s pilots and two-thirds of its airplanes in use this winter are from other countries, giving the airline an unfair operating advantage and neglecting unemployed Canadian pilots. Sunwing and similar carriers use these tactics to take ad-vantage of Canadians’ travel to the Caribbean and Central and South America during the winter, when demand is at a premium.

“We laid off 56 pilots this fall and had to park two of our A310s,” says Capt. Carol Lavoie, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman. To provide the

Pilots Combat Job Outsourcingby john Perkinson Staff Writer

that delineates that foreign workers can be employed only if the company can demonstrate that no suitable Canadian residents can fill the available jobs. Lavoie points out, “It appears that some airlines will overlook a Canadian applicant if he or she doesn’t have the specific type rating for the airplanes that airline uses.”

In addition, the program calls for reciprocity—i.e., use of available Canadian pilots in the program’s participating countries during Canada’s summer season—but this policy is not being properly honoured.

Lavoie notes that ALPA’s Canada Board has been a strong ally, testifying before Parliament to mitigate the effects of job outsourcing on the Air Transat pilots and other Canadian pilot groups.

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An Air Transat A330 at Montréal-Trudeau Airport.

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: November 2009n Number of pilots: 240, with 150 on furloughn Operations: Combi passenger, military, and cargo operations around the worldn Base: Home-basedn Corporate headquarters: Little Rock, Ark.n Fleet: Currently operates three DC-8 combis and three B-767s A

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By the time the newly elected Master Ex-ecutive Council (MEC)

leaders officially took office in March 2012, they were already fully immersed in important discussions regard-ing the future of their flight-crew members. Meetings with management, the previous MEC, and the Capital Cargo MEC officers were already under way in evaluating scenarios for combining Air Transport International (ATI) and Capital Cargo Interna-tional Airlines (CCIA), as the two airlines are owned by Air Transport Services Group, Inc.

Using ALPA merger policy as guidance, the two MECs worked closely with ALPA Representation Department staff in developing a transition and process agreement (TPA) that became the merger’s blueprint—outlining the negotiating process to attain a joint collective bargain-ing agreement (JCBA) and integrated seniority list, and ultimately creating one airline.

The arduous task of expe-ditiously negotiating a JCBA began after the crewmem-bers ratified the TPA. The joint negotiating committee (JNC) consisting of three members from each MEC and ALPA’s Representation Department labor relations counsel bargained with man-agement over the summer. On August 6, the MEC held a special meeting in Boston, Mass., where it appointed the Integration Seniority List Committee. Three days later, the JNC reached an agreement-in-principle on the JCBA. During the next weeks, the MEC reviewed the tentative agreement (TA) and authorized a crewmember ratification vote.

The MEC, along with the CCI MEC and Representation Department and Communi-cations Department staff, met during the week of August 20

in Arlington, Tex., to create a strategy for educating the two groups on the JCBA. The meeting’s outcome consisted of an educational packet that included the JCBA and a road show schedule to reach all the crewmembers. The JCBA ratification vote closed on September 24 with 63 percent of the combined crewmembers voting in favor of the joint agreement.

After the JCBA’s ratifica-tion, Capt. Brendan Twomey, ATI’s MEC chairman, com-mented on the work that had been done and the MEC’s expectations for the future. “The work of the crewmembers in reaching and ratifying this JCBA should signal to man-agement that we share the goal of seeing ATI pros-per. This merger was manage-ment’s idea, and once the merger is complete, we expect to take part in that prosperity,” said Twomey. “Our focus now will be implementing and enforcing our contract while welcoming our brothers and sisters from Capital Cargo into the ATI family.”

Upon JCBA ratification, the TPA then required the ATI Integrated Seniority List Committee members to be-gin seniority integration talks with their CCI counterparts. According to their agreement, the two committees met mul-tiple times within the allotted 30 days of direct negotiations in August and September but were unable to reach an agreement. During the first two weeks in October, the committees then met in mediation with Arbitrator Richard Bloch. On October 15, after mediation failed to produce an integrated

seniority list, the committees submitted their final written arguments and supporting documentation to Bloch, who is expected to issue a final integrated seniority list award shortly. The completed list will then be presented to management, which will conclude the ALPA portion of the operational merger.

In an unfortunate turn of events, management announced in December a reduction in the fleet and crew force. The announce-ment indicated that almost half of the airline’s crewmem-

The Difference A Year Can Makeby Tawnya burket Communications Specialist

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

Capt. Dan Kuhn and F/O Brad Rath with Korean ground coordinators before departing in their DC-8 from Incheon, Korea.

bers would receive furlough notices before year’s end.

“The announcement of a reduction in aircraft from management was dishearten-ing news to our crewmem-bers,” says Twomey. “We can only hope that the cargo industry turns around, allow-ing our fellow crewmembers to return to the airline and the synergies of the merger come to fruition.”

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1982 as a result of the Union of Professional Airmen merger with ALPA n Number of pilots: 665 n Operations: Nearly 500 departures per day to 26 states and 3 Canadian provinces; with service to 70 cities throughout North America, the airline carries nearly 6 million passengers per year n Headquarters: Appleton, Wisc.n Domiciles: New York, N.Y. (LGA); Norfolk, Va. (ORF); Philadelphia, Pa. (PHL); and Washington, D.C. (DCA) n Fleet: 71 Canadair 50-seat regional jets (CRJ200s)A

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Air Wisconsin pilots have been working to build the structure for

a competitive contract over the past two years and are focusing their efforts on com-pleting the process in 2013. The pilots, who are currently in their ninth year of a con-cessionary agreement, have clearly and consistently stated their justifiable expectations for this contract to manage-ment: improved pay, benefits, and work rules.

“We’re at the 30-yard line, working to drive the ball forward,” says Capt. Richard Swindell, chairman of the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC). “Air Wisconsin is a successful, financially viable company due, in large part, to the sacrifices made by our pilot group. It’s time for those contributions to be recognized at the bargaining table through increased pilot pay, better benefits, and quality-of-life enhancements.”

Since beginning negotia-tions in October 2010, the pilots have reached 16 tentative agreements with management. They have also narrowed down the list of items in many of the remaining 14 sections using a unique combination of traditional and interest-based bargaining methods.

With the Scheduling and Hours of Service sections, for example, the pilots met with management negotiators to identify the interests of each party and work toward agree-ments that addressed those interests to their mutual satisfaction. They have since passed proposals on these sections that included the FAA’s new flight-time/duty-time regulations (FAR Part 117) to define utilization of flight crews, building sched-ules, and other work rules to enhance pilots’ overall quality of life. Senior management representatives have indicat-

ed that they will start abiding by the new rules before the implementation deadline to enable both the pilot group and the company to become accustomed to them before they become regulatory.

In recent months, nego-tiations have focused on additional economic areas of the contract. Although the progress of negotiations has slowed, both parties remain committed to and engaged in the process.

“It’s critical, given the turbulent state of the airline industry and rampant specu-lation about a looming pilot shortage, that we secure a ratifiable agreement in the near term,” says Swindell. “Doing so will benefit the

they become available in the industry. Meanwhile, pilot leaders are monitoring the company’s business plan, preparing for what they hope will be a profitable future, and developing contingency plans. They are also working to strengthen relationships with other pilot group leaders through their active participa-tion in ALPA’s US Airways Express Pilots Alliance. Furthermore, they are bridg-ing the gap with their fellow Air Wisconsin employees by hosting events at headquar-ters to demonstrate that they, too, are committed to the success of the airline.

To keep the pilot group informed, the MEC rein-vigorated its communications program. They maintain a presence on the line and in the crew rooms to answer questions and solicit feedback. A constant flow of information is also available via e-news updates, social me-dia, and other MEC resources to ensure that pilots get the information they need in the format they want.

These and other strategies are being used to advance the pilots’ agenda for a fair con-tract. The endgame is within sight, and a multifaceted plan is in place to ensure that the pilot group will be ready to act when called upon.

Endgame Negotiations Within Sightby lydia jakub Senior Communications Specialist

pilot group and company by positioning Air Wisconsin for continued labor stability and future growth.”

One challenge will be maintaining adequate pilot staffing. In 2012, Air Wisconsin hired approximately 100 new pilots and expects to do the same this year. The MEC secured preferential interviews for furloughed ALPA members last year, and the company has already hired many furloughed ALPA pilots from Comair, Pinnacle, and Trans States. With nearly all airlines plan-ning to hire this year, however, the competition for qualified pilots will be fierce.

It’s up to Air Wisconsin management to evaluate and seize opportunities as

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Capt. Dave Beyer and F/O Brian Beyer, who are father and son.


AtaGlance n Number of pilots: 1,472n Operations: 95 destinations with 436 daily departures in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This includes 40 markets flown by Horizon Air, which provides traffic feed to Alaska Airlines under a capacity-purchase agreement. During recent years, Alaska has added new destina-tions to expand its network from its main hub in Seattle, Wash., as well as from its hubs in Anchorage, Alaska; Los Angeles, Calif.; and Portland, Ore. n Fleet: An all-Boeing fleet of 24 737-400s, 17 -700s, 58 -800s, 12 -900s, 2 -900ERs, 5 -400Cs, and 1 -400 freighterA

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pilots are just months away from the April

1, 2013, amendable date of their collective bargaining agreement. The pilots’ Mas-ter Executive Council (MEC) remains hopeful that when that date arrives, rather than enter into the status quo period—during which time there are no improvements to the collective bargaining agreement—the pilots will be working under a new, negoti-ated contract that reflects the role that they play in the airline’s success.

A year and a half ago, when they approved their strategic plan, the Alaska MEC members drew up seven goals for the future. One of their most important goals is to find opportunities to im-prove the contractual corner-stones of the pilots’ collective bargaining agreement—pay, work rules, job security, and benefits—on an ongoing basis. Within this goal, the MEC included a desire to work to reach a new collective bargaining agreement by the amendable date, noting that doing so would provide ben-efits to both the pilot group and the company.

Since ratification of Contract ’09, the pilot group’s Negotiating Committee, at the MEC’s direction, has been working with management to address issues as they arise, including about three dozen memorandums of under-standing (MOU) and letters of agreement (LOA), such as an MOU that allowed pilots more flexibility in how they bid for vacation and an LOA that allowed furloughed pilots an option to temporarily bypass recall if they desired to do so. Additionally, the pilots’ Grievance Committee meets monthly with management to review grievance submissions in an effort to resolve issues on a more timely basis, and

the Scheduling Management Group—a joint ALPA-Alaska working group created with the ratification of Contract ‘09—has been meeting periodically to tackle and find solutions to problems with the application of scheduling language.

Last July, the Negotiating Committee began meeting with management’s full nego-tiating team. The parties are now talking about language related to job security, one of the four cornerstones of the contract. Most recently, discussions at the negotiating table have included scope, merger, and acquisition lan-guage. While plenty of work still remains to be done, the MEC continues to stay fully engaged in the effort to reach a new col-lective bargaining agreement in a timely manner.

“Reaching an agreement by the amendable date would benefit both our pilots and our com-pany by avoiding protracted, contentious negotiations and a status quo period during which there would be no improvements to our contract,” says Capt. Chris Notaro, the pilots’ MEC chairman. “We remain hope-ful we will reach that goal. But we still have a long way to go in key areas, and we will not sacrifice a quality agreement for the sake of expediency.”

The MEC has been polling the pilots periodically, via both telephone polls and more recently through ALPA’s new online polling system, to ensure they understand what their priorities are.

While the MEC members believe they’re on a path toward achieving their goal, they also are prepared to

negotiate beyond April 1 and for as long as it takes to achieve a quality agreement. The MEC’s Strategic Planning Committee is now in the MEC office full-time to focus on ne-gotiations. Throughout 2012, the MEC grew and developed its Pilot-to-Pilot and Family Awareness Committees, train-ing volunteers in all four of Alaska’s bases who will help share information between the MEC and pilot group, with the goal of ensuring that the pilot group and their families are informed and engaged.

“Our goal remains a contract by April 1, but we must and will be prepared to negotiate as long as it takes

Pilots Working Toward a New Contractby jenn Sutton Senior Communications Specialist

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Capt. Tim Hope at Seattle-Tacoma Airport.

to achieve an agreement that reflects this pilot group’s needs and requirements,” Notaro says.

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1995 (although Simmons had been an ALPA member since 1986, after the National Mediation Board’s 1995 ruling that the four airlines serving American Airlines —Executive, Flagship, Simmons, and Wings West—constituted a single airline, the Eagle pilots established a single MEC)n Number of pilots: 3,000n Pilot domiciles: Chicago, Ill.; Dallas/Ft. Worth, Tex.; Miami, Fla.; JFK and LGA, N.Y.; and San Juan, P.R.n Operations: More than 1,700 daily flights to more than 150 cities throughout the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Mexicon Headquarters: Ft. Worth, Tex.n Fleet: CRJ700s, EMB-135s, EMB-140s, EMB-145s, and ATR 72s A

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agleIt was a challenging year for

American Eagle pilots as they negotiated their way

through bankruptcy. How-ever, they emerged from the process with an eight-year agreement that maintains key contract provisions and ensures that the pilots have job security and opportunity for career advancement, as well as scoring a contract that includes landmark furlough protection language.

“Emerging from bankruptcy with the majority of our hard-won contract in place is a major achievement in helping to ensure that Eagle remains a viable career choice for both existing and future pilots,” says Capt. Tony Gutierrez, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman. “The hard work is not yet over. Contract implementation will be tedious, but a massive piece of this process is now complete. And we look forward to expeditious approval from the bankruptcy court.”

As a wholly owned subsid-iary of AMR (the parent com-pany of American Airlines, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2011), American Eagle agreed to provide furlough protection equal to the number of active pilots required to staff be-tween 205 and 216 airplanes or 60 percent of American Airlines’ total regional fleet, whichever is less. This also includes guaranteeing that 50 percent of the active pilots retain captain pay. If Eagle is divested or American merges with another airline, Eagle will “furlough protect” 95 percent of Eagle’s pilots on the seniority list at the date of signing. Additionally, if Eagle is in furlough-protect mode, American may be required to increase the percentage of Eagle pilots in American’s new-hire classes.

“Historically, pilot groups lose furlough-protection

language in bankruptcy,” Gutierrez explains. “We are not aware of any other re-gional airline pilot group that has ever achieved furlough protection of this magnitude in a bankruptcy negotiation.”

The MEC also felt that pay banding—a system that pays captains based on their seniority instead of the actual equipment they are fly-ing—could save a significant amount of money on costly training. The theory is that if a senior captain can hold the CRJ (the highest-paying equipment type) but is flying the EMB, that pilot will likely stay on the EMB if he or she is receiving CRJ pay. The pay banding system encourages pilots not to chase money by bidding on higher-paying equipment since there is no change in pay when changing equipment. Instead, a pilot’s seniority determines which airplane rate a pilot receives. The agreement also includes language protecting junior captains who might immedi-ately incur a reduction in pay because they no longer can hold the pay band associated with the equipment they are actually flying.

Another creative cost-sav-ing solution is the personal time off (PTO) bank, which combines regular sick and vacation leave into one bank. Monthly sick leave credit accruals and annual vacation credit hours are deposited into each pilot’s PTO bank. Pilots may then use that PTO credit for sick calls, vacation time, personal vacation days, and approved commuter and fatigue calls (at the pilot’s option).

And the final big piece of the puzzle was the imple-mentation of a preferential bidding system (PBS). The new agreement provides a PBS that is built jointly by the company and ALPA. After the system is in place, the Eagle

pilots will still have the op-portunity to decline PBS and provide equivalent savings in an alternative manner. ALPA also obtained limited control over the pairing generation and bid run processes.

“Although none of us wanted to navigate the bank-ruptcy process during our

Pilots Surpass Expectations During Bankruptcy Negotiationsby Kimberly Seitz Senior Communications Specialist

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career,” says Gutierrez, “we are pleased that this difficult chapter is now behind us and that we can focus on moving forward, exiting bankruptcy, refleeting, and pursuing paths to grow our company and ensure that we maintain solid piloting jobs well into the future.”

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American Eagle terminal at Chicago O’Hare International Airport during a winter afternoon.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1977n First ALPA contract: 1989n Number of pilots: 1,477n Headquarters: Atlanta, Ga.n Pilot bases: Dulles, Va.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Detroit, Mich.n Fleet: 112 CRJ200s, 46 CRJ700s, and 10 CRJ900sA

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In August 2010, parent company SkyWest, Inc., announced that Atlantic

Southeast (ASA) would pur-chase ExpressJet and merge them. By December 2011, the carrier had one certificate—effectively making it one air-line. A few months later, after an aborted attempt to name the airline SureJet, it got one name—ExpressJet.

Despite having one certifi-cate and one name, the pilot groups remain separate—each having its own contract while they both negotiate with the goal of a single contract. Until that time, the ASA pilots continue to func-tion as an independent pilot group and operate under their premerger contract.

Negotiations on a joint collective bargaining agree-ment (JCBA) began almost as soon as the merger was announced. Communications went out jointly from ASA and ExpressJet, and the groups hold joint Master Executive Council (MEC) meetings and continue to communicate with each other on almost a daily basis. With preferential bidding system issues still dividing the two groups and the economic sections of the contract still open, the pilot groups have more work ahead. After that, seniority list integration will begin.

“Bringing together two groups under one contract is never a simple task,” comments Capt. David Nieuwenhuis, the ASA pilots’ MEC chairman. “Even under the best of circumstances, gaining consensus between management and one pilot group is a lengthy process. We’ve got two groups with different systems in place and different histories—not to mention different contracts. We’ve made tremendous progress, but we want to be sure that we come away with a contract that satisfies our

joint pilot group and all of the future pilots who will serve under this contract.”

The discussions about their collective professional futures have included not just the ASA and ExpressJet pilots, but also the third pilot group in the SkyWest family, SkyWest Airlines. In August 2012, the two ALPA groups met face-to-face with the leaders of the SkyWest Airlines Pilots Association to talk about SkyWest, Inc.’s financial situ-ation and to compare notes and strategies. The three groups also met with SkyWest management to emphasize their goals and to review the current state of the U.S. airline industry.

“By forging a close relation-ship with the SkyWest pilots, we are able to better ensure that no one pilot group is being ratch-eted against another and that we have access to as much information as possible,” says Nieuwenhuis. “We all need to work together to move this entire corporation forward and make SkyWest, Inc., and all of its pilot groups a leading force in this industry and to raise the bar for all pilots, no matter what name is on their badges.”

Since last year, ASA has hired more than 75 pilots. In September, the company an-nounced that it had entered into a four-year capacity-purchase agreement with American Airlines.

Beginning in early 2013, the airline will be flying 11 CRJ200s for American. These airplanes will be acquired from the current Delta system. The majority of the flying will be out of Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW). Eventually,

a new domicile and mainte-nance base will be located in Dallas. Already, more than 100 pilots have bid into the new DFW domicile.

“As much as we are pleased with the additional flying, we are aware that this comes at the expense of our fellow ALPA pilots at American Eagle,” Nieuwenhuis says. “Although there has been no reduction in pilot positions at American Eagle, as airline pilots we need to encourage stability within the industry, rather than simply shuffling the same flying from company to company and being played against each other. We know that the most secure future for our careers is a vibrant and flourishing industry. We are colleagues—not combatants.”

Working Hard Toward A Combined Futureby jen lofquist Senior Communications Specialist

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The pilots have put these words into action by actively participating in ALPA’s Delta Connection Pilots Alliance. They have worked closely with other regional airline pilot groups, sharing information and ideas. When Pinnacle Airlines announced it had filed for bankruptcy, ASA pilots lent their support and recently attended bankruptcy court hearings in New York along with Pinnacle pilots.

F/O Nathan Somers completes a preflight check at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1997 (became an ALPA-represented pilot group when CALPA merged with ALPA)n Number of pilots: 72n Pilot bases: Thunder Bay, Ont.; Winnipeg, Man.; Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.; and Sioux Lookout, Ont.n Headquarters: Sioux Lookout, Ont.n Operations: Scheduled and charter passenger servicen Fleet: 18 MetrolinersB

ears

kin

The pilots at Bearskin Airlines and their company are break-

ing new ground, taking an unprecedented approach to bargaining their fifth contract and landing a quid pro quo agreement that benefits both the pilots and their airline.

In April 2012, the Bearskin Master Executive Council (MEC) leaders—Capts. Dan Parnham, Rob Marsh, and Steve Mauro—reached a tentative agreement with their company after only seven months of main table bargaining. They credit the successful and expeditious negotiations, which included improvements to pay and work rules for the pilots, cost savings, and efficiency for the airline, to the forward-

and loser in a disagreement. It’s imperative to find com-mon ground and consensus when views and opinions differ. Open doors and lines of communication have proven to be the best way of doing business and have contributed to the ongoing success of our airline. The Bearskin MEC believes that a harmonious and respectful labour-management relation-ship is integral to the prosper-ity of any successful business. Case in point—Bearskin will celebrate its 50th anniversary this July,” says Parnham, the pilots’ MEC chairman.

A commonsense approach to reaching consensus, in addition to the MEC’s strong relationship with company executives, helped achieve a

scheduling flexibility and other inefficiencies within the opera-tion in exchange for better pay and working conditions for its pilots. “ALPA’s Economic and Financial Analysis Department was paramount in the suc-cess of these negotiations,” Parnham says.

The MEC says that other than obtaining the latest contract, it’s business as usual at the airline, which expanded its fleet over the last year. The airline purchased four additional Fairchild Metroliners, bringing the all-Metro fleet to a total of 18. The airplanes are equipped with twin-turbine engines and seat 19 passengers. More airplanes mean a need for more pilots. “Attracting and retaining qualified pilots is a growing concern for both the MEC and the company,” says Parnham.

The airline—which has its primary base of operation in Thunder Bay, Ont., and smaller bases in Winnipeg, Man.; Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.; and Sioux Lookout, Ont.—offers more than 100 scheduled daily departures to 18 destinations in Manitoba and Ontario. The airline has established a niche market, providing smaller communi-ties with service and fre-quency typically only seen in larger cities. This commuter airline has found a recipe for success that maintains profit-ability into its 50th year of operation.

looking techniques they used.In 2011, the MEC, which

also serves as the Negotiating Committee, proposed interest-based-negotiations (IBN) to the company. IBN is a process by which both parties discuss their issues from a fact-based perspec-tive and work to resolve them as a team, creating an outcome that both sides can support. The Bearskin pilots, assisted by ALPA’s Economic and Financial Analysis and Representation Departments, were the first Canadian ALPA pilot group to successfully use the IBN process to complete their entire negotiations. “There has to be give and take on both sides during contract negotiations. There can’t always be a winner

Pilots Break New Ground Using Interest-Based Negotiationsby Doug baj Manager, Communications Department

tentative agreement without the pilots’ taking a strike vote or threatening a labour dis-pute. And the pilots haven’t filed a single grievance in the last eight years. The MEC says it’s the positive relation-ship with management that moves the airline in the direction both sides want and need. The MEC leaders also believe that their relationship will continue to allow them to mitigate any potential labour-management disputes, as well as successfully navigate their objectives in the ever-changing airline industry.

The new four-year con-tract—which at press time was drafted and nearly ready for distribution to the pi-lots—includes cost savings for the company from increased

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One of Bearskin’s 18 Metroliners.

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1997n Number of pilots: 95, with 9 on furloughn Operations: Scheduled passenger and cargo service throughout northern Manitoba and Nunavut, the newest and largest territory in Canada, includ-ing destinations along the western shores of Hudson Bay and into the high Arcticn Pilot bases: Thompson, Man., and Winnipeg, Man.n Headquarters: Thompson, Man.n Fleet: 1 Hawker Siddeley HS748, 2 ATR 72s, 6 ATR 42s, and 2 30-seat Fairchild Dornier D328 jetsn Fun fact: The name “Calm Air” was not chosen to embody smooth fly-ing—it’s an acronym of the founder’s initials: Carl Arnold Lawrence MorbergC

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Air

At Canada’s Calm Air, an airline-wide refleet-ing project is making

the carrier more modern, more competitive, and bet-ter equipped to take on new business, while also creating what’s hoped are only short-term growing pains.

The combination of seat movement and training, unexpected layoffs, and preparing for upcoming contract negotiations has led to unanticipated turbulence for the close-knit pilot group, which flies to northern Manitoba and the Kivalliq region of Nunavut from bases in Winnipeg and Thompson, Man.

Formerly an exclusively turboprop operation, Calm Air

agement again announced it would lay off almost 10 percent of the pilot group—nine pilots—on December 9 because of economic pres-sures, strong competition in key markets, and difficulty acquiring suitable aircraft to replace the Saab fleet at a fast enough rate.

It was a huge blow to the pilot group, says Capt. Dan Cowan, the pilots’ MEC chair-man. “We offered many solu-tions to keep our members working, but unfortunately the viable options were very limited,” Cowan observes. “We have not stopped trying to find solutions. We’re told [our furloughees] may be recalled next spring, and we hope we can bring all of them back.”

to grow and prosper.”Calm Air is one of the

four ALPA pilot groups with a representative on the new ALPA President’s Committee for Remote Operations, which is examining the unique chal-lenges airlines face working in high Arctic regions in an effort to improve service and safety. Some of the ideas being con-sidered include creating RNAV approaches at every airport, improving approach lighting, and reducing the number of unpaved runways.

Like many airlines that serve the Arctic, Calm Air was born as a bush pilot op-eration, using floatplanes to serve remote fishing camps in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s, a boom in mining and hydroelectric power produc-tion in northern Manitoba brought rapid expansion to the airline.

In 2009 Exchange Income Corporation (EIC), a Winnipeg-based holding company, pur-chased Calm Air. EIC is rapidly expanding its airline holdings, having bought another carrier, Bearskin Airlines, whose pilots ALPA represents, in 2011 and Custom Helicopters, Ltd. last February. The company also owns Perimeter Aviation and Keewatin Air.

added the first jets to its fleet in early 2012: two Dornier-Fairchild D328 jets brought in to provide medical services while flying under a contract with the territorial govern-ment of Nunavut.

In the summer, the airline announced it was embarking on a comprehensive fleet renewal plan. All of Calm Air’s Saab 340s would be replaced with ATR turboprops as well as the D328s. At almost the same time, management an-nounced it would be required to reduce pilot staffing levels. The pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) responded by working with the company to negotiate voluntary leaves, which prevented forced reductions and layoffs.

But in November, man-

Refleeting Leads to Turbulenceby rusty ayers Senior Communications Specialist

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Those same economic pressures will also complicate the pilot group’s contract negotiations. The current five-year agreement expires at the end of April 2013, and the Negotiating Committee began its preparations almost a year earlier.

“We’ve had a strategic planning summit in June with our ALPA staff experts and collective bargaining and Strategic Planning Committee representatives from other ALPA Canada pilot groups. Our negotiators got a strong response from the pilot group in a contract survey in July,” says Cowan. “We’re ready to get started bargaining for an agreement that will recognize our pilots’ value to the airline while enabling the company

Calm Air’s Hawker Siddeley HS748 is configured for cargo only.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 2011n Number of pilots: 133n Bases: Edmonton and Calgary, Alb.n Headquarters: Yellowknife, NTn Operations: Scheduled flights and cargo services throughout Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, as well as charter operations throughout Canada and the United Statesn Fleet: B-737-200s, B-737-300s, and Dash 8-100sC

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thFlying in the northern-

most territories of Canada, Canadian North

pilots transport daily both passengers and cargo in what most of us would consider challenging conditions. Land-ings and takeoffs on remote ice and gravel runways in the polar Arctic weather are the norm for these pilots, whose distinctive skills are required to “bend the throttles” for this unique airline.

Capt. Chris Kampen, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman, says that his airline has been steadily hiring new pilots for this demanding operation to fulfill its plans for expan-sion. Canadian North has announced that it will acquire additional B-737-300s to

charters, and cargo and has been with the airline since its beginnings, and the MEC looks forward to working with Hankirk.

With the ratification of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, the Canadian North pilots insti-tuted a new credit system as part of the overall scheduling process. “That’s probably the biggest positive change as far as lifestyle goes,” says Kampen. “It has taken us out of the previous max-blocking system and is one of the big-gest gains from our last round of negotiations.”

Because of the nature of Canadian North flying, pilots bid for days off and have traditionally worked 18 or 19 days a month, depending on

hardships that come along with flying in extremely chal-lenging conditions. The pilot group is also developing a post-accident/-incident check-list to supplement the infor-mation ALPA provides on its Worldwide Accident Hotline “orange” card. The MEC pilot representatives, through both personal experience and member feedback, recognize that there are issues specific to Canadian North operations and that this new reference item will address the airline’s fleet and the nuances of flying in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

Along with these efforts, the pilot group is ramping up its current communications efforts and plans to establish a website as a resource for Canadian North pilots some-time early in 2013.

Sporting the slogan “Seriously Northern,” Canadian North was estab-lished in 1989 as a subsidiary of Canadian Airlines to provide air transportation for northern Canadian communities. The airline is owned by Norterra, an aboriginal-owned holding company divided between the Inuvialuit Development Corporation, representing the Inuvialuit people of the western Canadian Arctic, and the Nunasi Corporation, representing the Inuit people of Nunavut. Canadian North maintains its headquarters in downtown Yellowknife.

supplement its current fleet, which includes B-737-200s and Dash 8-100s in addition to B-737-300s.

F/O Wade Bowman, the MEC vice chairman, notes that 19 new pilots were added at the end of the third quarter of 2012.

With the next round of con-tract negotiations not set to begin until December 2014, the MEC is concentrating on quality-of-life improvements for its pilots. Facilitating this effort is the reasonably amicable relationship that labour and management share. Steve Hankirk recently replaced Tracy Medve as president of Canadian North. Hankirk has served as vice president of operations,

Pilots Confront Extreme Weather Conditions, Scheduling Challengesby john Perkinson Staff Writer

whether it was a 30- or 31-day month. The new system provides pilots with more credits for time away from base, allowing them to work as few as 14 days a month (although 16 to 17 days is probably more common). The MEC is also pressing for new scheduling software, as the current program is extremely outdated and pilot leaders would like to see the com-pany move toward a system that allows pilots to bid for actual trips.

On its to-do list for 2013, the Canadian North MEC is working to establish a Professional Standards Committee to support pilots who need assistance in overcoming the additional

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A Canadian North B-737-300 at Yellowknife.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Airlines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuvialuit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Canada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 2006n Number of pilots: Approximately 130n Operations: Provides subcontract-ing services to vacation charter airlinesn Fleet: 5 B-737-800s and 7 B-737-800s leased during high seasonC

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tCanJet pilots are keep-

ing their spirits high this season, flying

passengers to sunny vacation destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and beyond while also navigating contract nego-tiations with the company.

“I think, for the most part, we are being realistic about what we can achieve,” says Capt. Alex Sirros, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman. “Our goal is to get a fair contract for our members while ensuring that the company maintains the flexibility it needs to continue its operations successfully.” The pilots are making prog-ress in what have been

contract. When a collective agreement expires in Canada, it remains in effect until a new contract is ratified, except in a situation in which the employees strike or the employer locks out the employees. Otherwise, the employer cannot unilaterally change or modify the working conditions in the contract during the negotiations process. In the United States, contracts under the Railway Labor Act do not expire. Instead, they become amend-able and remain in place until an amended agreement is negotiated or the National Mediation Board releases the parties to self-help.

ratification vote. At that time, the MEC plans to begin road shows at pilot group bases in Halifax, N.S.; Montreal, Que.; Toronto, Ont.; and Vancouver, B.C., to discuss the TA.

The group’s Pilot-to-Pilot (P2P) communications—which are a key part of their strategic plan—will also play an important role in informing the pilots about the TA. P2P pilot representatives will have face-to-face discussions with crewmembers on the line, in crew rooms, and at airports to provide factual information from the MEC and an open forum for asking questions and getting answers. P2P has been under way during the negotiations process.

Another key aspect of the pilots’ communication plans is a new branding initiative. With the help of ALPA’s Communications Department, the pilots are unveiling a new look that will reflect their unity and their work. The brand-ing will be included in the pilots’ e-mail updates known as “PayDay Hotlines,” the website, newsletters, presenta-tions, and social media tools that the MEC is considering using to better connect with the pilot group.

“Unity is our focus,” notes Sirros. “We need to maintain positive relationships and break down any barriers that exist between us and management. At the end of the day, our goals are all the same—both ours and man-agement—to have a success-ful company that we can work at for a long time.”

deemed smooth but tricky negotiations.

After seven negotiat-ing sessions—which officially kicked off on Feb. 20, 2012—the pilots’ Negotiating Committee has made considerable headway on administrative items, which have been tentatively agreed to, and plans to begin addressing financial aspects, including salary and per diem, this year. The pilots’ current contract, which was ratified in May 2008, expired at the end of March 2012.

While the labour laws in Canada are different from those in the United States, collective bargaining agree-ments are treated similarly upon reaching the end of a

Pilots Navigate Negotiationsby jessie Cornelius Public Relations Specialist

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Capt. Alex Sirros, MEC chairman, heads to Cuba in 2012.

The CanJet pilots are optimistic that they will keep negotiations moving forward in 2013 and out of arbitra-tion or litigation, which can severely delay the process and turn control of the outcome over to a third party. The MEC says that negotiations, so far, have been smooth and productive.

“ALPA gives us the tools that we need,” says Sirros. “From negotiations to strategic planning to commu-nications, the ALPA support system is in place and always there for us.”

Once the negotiations are complete and a tenta-tive agreement (TA) is announced, the agreement will be sent to the pilots for a


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 2007n Number of crewmembers: 115, with 68 on furloughn Headquarters: Orlando, Fla.n Operations: Capital Cargo is an aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) carrier that provides airport-to-airport cargo transporta-tion services both domestically and internationallyn Crewmember bases: Home-basedn Hub city: Cincinnati, Ohion Fleet: Currently operates B-757-200 PCFs—all aircraft are freighter conversionsC

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goThe dedication and hard

work of the Capital Cargo International

Airlines (CCIA) crewmembers in the face of economic and operating challenges they confronted in 2011 did not go unnoticed by parent com-pany Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (ATSG). In 2012, ATSG focused on eliminating redundant costs and provid-ing a stronger, more secure workplace by merging Capital Cargo with another of its airlines, Air Transport Interna-tional (ATI).

Although early conversa-tions between the two group’s pilot leaders and management began in February, ATSG didn’t publicly announce the merger until May 10, 2012. The merger pace intensified after the parties negotiated a transi-tion and process agreement (TPA) with management that streamlined the merger’s pro-gression, which was ratified on May 29 by 90 percent of CCIA’s voting crewmembers.

The TPA first required both the crewmembers’ and management’s negotiating teams to begin joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) expedited negotiations in June and concluded with an agreement-in-principle in early August. The CCI MEC then unanimously approved sending the agreement to the crewmembers for member-ship ratification. The ATI MEC mirrored the CCI MEC’s actions.

A planning meeting with the ATI MEC and ALPA’s Representation Department and Communications Department staff then focused on preparing edu-cational information about the JCBA. That meeting lasted two days in Arlington, Tex., where a road show schedule, presentation, and informational packet were developed. The MEC strongly

believed that the CCIA crew-members needed a thorough JCBA briefing as the contract is based mainly on the ATI agreement with important modifications, including new pay rates for the B-757 freighter and the B-757 combi, dual qualification on the B-757 and B-767, expedi-tious transition of CCIA crewmembers to ATI, and some other CCIA provisions that the parties recognized as beneficial to the larger group.

In September, the pilot groups jointly ratified the JCBA by 63 percent vot-ing in favor.

“It was ap-parent to the crewmem-bers that this agreement would eliminate the whipsawing against each other, which drove down unity, pay, and quality-of life-issues. It also produces a larger, unified pilot group that will speak with a stron-ger voice than two smaller groups,” says F/O Chuck Hill, the CCI MEC chairman. “Our future is at a combined ATI that provides management with the means to run a single, secure airline with room for growth.”

The TPA similarly required an aggressive schedule for integrating the two senior-ity lists. Direct integrated seniority list (ISL) negotiations began in August and were followed in September by meetings with a mediator/ar-bitrator. The MECs submitted final written arguments to the arbitrator on October 15.

The CCIA crewmem-bers patiently await the arbitrator’s issuance of the integrated seniority list, which will then be presented

to management. This will complete ALPA’s primary TPA obligations and allow management to complete the regulatory requirements in merging operations.

As the year closed, un-fortunate news came to the crewmembers as manage-ment parked the remaining B-727 aircraft and delayed an additional B-757 joining the fleet in an attempt to reduce costs and weather the tough economic storm. This decision resulted in more than 40 furloughs, which included all of the airline’s flight engineers.

A Year of Change for Crewmembersby Tawnya burket Communications Specialist

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Capt. george Savage and F/O Curtis Waldeck performing a preflight check in Cincinnati, Ohio, before their flight to Nashville, Tenn.

“We received some dev-astating news from manage-ment and while we knew this day was coming, no one knew it was coming so quickly,” says Hill. “I am hopeful that this setback is temporary and that once the economy and ATI recovers and grows, everyone will have the opportunity to return to work.”

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AtaGlance n Founded: 1989 n Number of pilots: Approximately 190n Pilots joined ALPA: 2008n Headquarters: South Burlington, Vt. n Pilot bases: Cleveland, Ohio; Newark, N.J.; and Dulles, Va.n Operations: CommutAir flies to more than 25 cities in the Midwest, Northeast, and Canada under a capacity-purchase agreement with United Airlinesn Fleet: 16 37-seat Dash 8-Q200s and 5 50-seat Dash 8-Q300sC

omm

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irFor an airline pilot, “pro-

ficiency” is defined in a number of ways: aircraft

and operational knowledge, mastery of flying the airplane, good CRM skills, and a profes-sional bearing. Most of these traits are not natural skills but must be learned.

That same learning curve applies to union-building—a successful and unified pilot group is built not in a day, but over time, through attention to detail and doing the little things right. After five years of ALPA membership, the CommutAir Master Executive Council (MEC) is demonstrat-ing its proficiency in repre-senting its pilots, many of whom are first-time members of the Association.

“CommutAir is the first airline job many of our mem-bers have ever had,” explains Capt. Todd Harris, the pilots’ MEC chairman. “It’s also their first time being union mem-bers. Our mission as an MEC is to help our people learn to become the best possible pilots and ALPA members so that they can get their careers off to a good start.”

CommutAir pilots joined ALPA in mid-2008 and almost immediately began work on getting their first union contract. After several years of bargaining, the pilots negoti-ated a collective bargaining agreement that took effect on Dec. 1, 2011.

They were among the lowest-paid turboprop pilots in the U.S., but their new contract raised salaries to near industry standards while giving them more time off and securing other benefits and work rule improvements.

Throughout 2012, the CommutAir Contract Implementation Team began the complex but necessary work of fine-tuning and enforcing the new agreement. The team met with manage-ment on a regular basis,

identifying areas in which contractual language needed clarification or improvement.

Through their efforts, the pilots were able to negotiate several letters of agreement (LOA), including a vacation LOA that clarifies and im-proves the annual vacation bidding process. In addition to the LOAs, the MEC made sure pilots facing disci pline had their newly negotiated due process rights up held, prevent-ing arbitrary management disciplinary actions.

An MEC is fortified by its committees and as such, com-mittee members collaborated with management on issues

of new hires with limited flight hours. To help build proficiency, the committee developed a detailed Dash 8-Q200/Q300 study guide and quick reference guide, as well as a mentoring program for all new hires and upgrades so that they have a pilot to turn to with questions or issues on the line.

Other active volunteers were those on the Scheduling Committee. Trained on the company’s trip-building soft-ware, the committee helped create less fatiguing, more commuter-friendly trips. When management opened a third pilot domicile, the MEC and the committee convinced the company to move the base from Syracuse, N.Y., to Dulles, Va.

A looming challenge facing the CommutAir group in 2013 is its future relationship with United Airlines, where the United-Continental merger is putting many regional part-nerships in transition.

“We feel we’re well positioned to succeed. We continue to add pilots, we are profitable and cost-effective, and the union continues to show its value both to our members and to the company by helping make our operation as productive as possible,” says Harris. “We hope United feels the same way and gives us even more responsibility as it grows.”

Building Proficiencyby rusty ayers Senior Communications Specialist

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great and small in 2012: join-ing the Known Crewmember® program, getting pilots out of substandard hotels, and creat-ing safe zones around aircraft operating in busy, congested ramp areas like those at IAD and EWR.

The newly created Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP) Committee came into existence just before superstorm Sandy hit, acting immediately to support members who were potentially affected by the hurricane. All pilots who lived within 100 miles of EWR were contacted to ensure the safety of the pilots and their families. CommutAir’s Training Committee is keenly focused on professional development, especially that

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AtaGlance n Founded: Compass Airlines was created as a Northwest Airlines subsidiary and began operations on May 2, 2007n Pilots joined ALPA: 2007n Number of pilots: 440n Sale and acquisition: On July 1, 2010, Delta Air Lines sold Compass to Trans States Holdings, Inc., which is running it separately from its other airlines, Trans States and GoJetn Operations: More than 190 flights daily to 57 destinations throughout the United States and Canada as Delta Connectionn Pilot bases: Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minn., and Detroit, Mich.n Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minn.n Fleet: 36 Embraer E175s and 6 Embraer E170sC

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Airlines are the latest group to embrace the

concept of fast-tracking the negotiations process in or-der to bring positive change faster than the traditional Section 6 process.

In November 2012, the Minneapolis-based airline exchanged contract openers with the pilots, and the two sides began direct negotia-tions in December. But the structure of the talks is radi-cally different from the usual bargaining track, thanks to an unusual caveat that dates from Compass’s birth almost six years ago.

Compass was originally created as a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, and the former Northwest Master Executive Council (MEC) negotiated its current contract in 2007. The contract included a let-ter of agreement (LOA) that requires Compass and its management to enter media-tion-arbitration to amend its current collective bargaining agreement, instead of using the typical Railway Labor Act contract model.

“While mediation-arbitra-tion is often used for settling grievance cases, bargaining an entire contract via mediator-arbitrator is a novelty for an ALPA pilot group. The process demands a clearly defined time line,” says Capt. Dan Schultz, the pilots’ MEC chairman.

“Under the terms of the LOA, our direct bargaining with the company will last no longer than 175 days from Dec. 11, 2012, and the entire bargaining cycle should be completed by the end of this year,” explains Schultz.

If no agreement is reached by 175 days after the start of direct negotiations, the company and the pilots will engage in mediation with a mediator-arbitrator. After

265 days of negotiations, the unresolved issues (no more than 20 issues per side) will be submitted to the arbitrator for a final and binding award, to be issued no later than Nov. 25, 2013.

However, a lot has changed since the ink dried on the original Northwest agree-ment. Northwest merged with Delta, and Compass became a Delta subsidiary. Then in 2010, Delta sold the airline to St. Louis-based Trans States Holdings, which owns Trans States Airlines and GoJet, whose pilots ALPA does not represent.

Compass remains a Delta Connection airline, and al-most half the pilot group has

the arbitrator decides are industry-standard pay rates and work rules.

“The big question is whether the 330-day clock is realistic,” Schultz notes. “We are committed to bargain within the time constraints, and we hope management is prepared to do so as well. Anything that keeps the nego-tiations from dragging on for years should be welcomed by both sides.”

Compass is one of the top performers in the Delta system, operating Embraer aircraft of similar size and flying routes similar to those once flown by Northwest’s Douglas DC-9s.

“It’s a stretch to call us a ‘regional’ carrier, because like many of the fee-for-departure airlines, we are doing everything the mainline does—we fly internationally and transcontinentally using mainline-gauge aircraft, doing everything the DC-9s used to do,” says Schultz.

While other regional airlines have merged or con-tracted, Compass continues to expand. The airline is slowly adding new-hire pilots to the group, which is organized in seniority blocks under the aegis of ALPA’s Council 19.

Liftoff, and The Clock Is Runningby rusty ayers Senior Communications Specialist

flow-up rights to Delta under a previous flow agreement.

A fast-track negotiation could be beneficial for the Compass pilots, since Trans States Holdings is notorious for its drawn-out bargaining. But there are challenges as well: if the process goes to arbitration, the arbitrator’s award could be based on management’s last offer, the union’s last offer, or whatever

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Capt. Ryan Breznau is one of three pilot negotiators who will be conducting Compass’s fast-track contract talks.


AtaGlance n Pilots rejoined ALPA: 2001n Number of pilots: 5,019 n Pilot bases/hubs: Newark, N.J.; Houston, Tex.; Cleveland, Ohio; Guam; Los Angeles, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; and Chicago, Ill.n Headquarters: Chicago, Ill.n Fleet: B-787-8s/-9s, B-777-200ERs, B-767-200ERs/-400ERs, B-757-200s/-300s, and B-737-500s/-700s/-800s/-900s/-900ERsC

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lFor Continental pilots,

2012 culminated in the joint ratification of

a joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) with United pilots, a considerable feat in itself, and an important step toward becoming a single, uni-fied pilot group. The achieve-ment was significant, given the more than two and half years spent in negotiations for the JCBA and the enormity of combining two disparate con-tracts into a single agreement that would be acceptable to all United pilots in this merger of equals. The task, critical to the successful creation of the world’s largest airline, was un-matched in complexity, even when compared to previously record-setting airline mergers. The result was an industry-leading contract that provides substantial benefit to both Continental and United pilots, and advances the airline pilot-ing profession by setting new standards for other airlines to use as the basis for their own negotiations.

Contracts of this value do not come easily. They require strategic planning, commit-ment, and a unified effort, such as the tremendous show of unity by Continental and United pilots in July 2012 as they overwhelmingly granted their union leaders authoriza-tion to strike, with 99 percent of those voting in favor of the authorization. This vote followed many months of joint efforts, including infor-mational picketing, family awareness events, legislative efforts, news media commu-nications, and other actions that were designed to exert leverage during negotiations and demonstrate the depth of solidarity between the two pilot groups.

The year was also signifi-cant for Continental pilots in other ways. With the delivery of the first B-787 Dreamliners, United Continental Holdings

became the first U.S. airline to fly this aircraft. The Conti-nental pilot ranks grew as furloughed United pilots, fondly nicknamed “U-hires,” were welcomed into the cockpits.

As 2013 unfolds, the Continental pilots will increas-ingly see the benefits of these efforts and their unity with United pilots through the JCBA, following gains in pay rates, per diem, retirement plan contributions, and other increases that became ef-fective retroactively to Nov. 30, 2012. The other parts of the agreement, including industry-leading provisions in scope, work rules, and retire-ment and benefits, as well as the new FAR Part 117 regula-

follows policy outlined in ALPA’s Administrative Manual, Section 45, as well as the provisions negotiated between the two pilot groups in a protocol agreement developed at the time the merger was announced. The integration follows a defined time line designed to begin arbitration (if necessary) no later than 140 days from the date of the tentative agree-ment. Continental pilots and United pilots will be joined on a single, integrated seniority list—another large step closer to complete unity and well on their way to solidifying their position as a leading pilot group within the industry.

If the past is any indicator of the future, the future for Continental pilots will be both challenging and rewarding as the merger with United is finally completed. Work remains, but the last steps are being completed to interlace the strands of both groups into a new fabric that is stron-ger and more vibrant.

Says Capt. Jay Pierce, the Continental pilots’ MEC chair-man, “Most everything of value is the product of hard work and sacrifice. I cannot sufficiently thank the pilots and ALPA staff who have worked so hard and given so much over the years to get this contract done. I am con-fident that the day is upon us where we are not Continental and United pilots, but truly all United pilots, standing together.”

Continental, United Pilots Begin a New Chapterby alPa Staff

tions, will be implemented on a defined schedule under the guidance of a joint implementation team, staffed in equal part by ALPA pilots. (United management agreed to implement FAR Part 117 in conjunction with the new agreement, ahead of the fed-erally mandated January 2014 implementation date.) The undertaking and its results will be no less significant than the achievement of the initial agreement in moving the Continental and United pilots forward toward a new future.

The Continental Master Executive Council (MEC) Merger Committee will continue on a parallel path toward integrating the two seniority lists. The process

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Capt. Jay Pierce, the Conti-nen tal pilots’ MEC chairman.


AtaGlance n Number of pilots: 11,997n Joint ventures and alliances: Delta is the founding member of the SkyTeam Alliance and participates in joint ventures with Air France-KLM-Alitalia and Virgin Australian Operations: Delta and its Con-nection carriers fly to more than 331 destinations in 60 countries on six continentsn Pilot bases: Atlanta, Ga.; Cincin-nati, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; New York City; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Seattle, Wash.n Hub cities: Amsterdam; Atlanta; Cincinnati; Detroit; Memphis, Tenn.; Minneapolis–St. Paul; New York (JFK); Paris (CDG); Salt Lake City; and Tokyo (Narita)n Headquarters: Atlanta, Ga.n Fleet: More than 700 mainline air-planes: A319s, A320s, A330s, B-737s, B-747s, B-757s, B-767s, B-777s, DC-9s, MD-88s, and MD-90sD

elta

In 2012, the Delta pilot group endorsed a game changer in the form of a ratified collec-

tive bargaining agreement, Contract 2012, which improved pay, work rules, and career opportunities more than six months before the contract’s amendable date. Among the hallmark details that led to the successful negotiations and ultimate ratification were preparation, flexibility, an early opener, an intense eight weeks of negotiations, and a ratified agreement.

Initial preparations began in January 2011. Early strategy included contract modifica-tions resulting from the joint Scheduling Optimization Team and ongoing problem-solving negotiations, working with senior executives on high-level business discussions, and engaging the pilot group in an informational and educational effort. These three aspects set the table in case the right op-portunity to negotiate a new contract presented itself.

First, the optimization team concept capitalized on the opportunity to achieve meaningful mid-contract improvements in an effort to clear away the underbrush, even though these improve-ments were of the magnitude that normally would have been negotiated during Section 6 negotiations. For this reason, the optimization team concept remains valu-able even after reaching the recent agreement.

Second, the Master Executive Council (MEC) was on the lookout for the right strategic opportunity to open and leverage nego-tiations, recognizing that a well-developed, efficient plan would most likely yield more meaningful gains than the traditional long, drawn-out Section 6 process. The MEC spent much of its time in strategic planning, and the right opportunity revealed

itself in early 2012. As Capt. Tim O’Malley, the pilots’ MEC chairman, explained in a letter to Delta pilots, “We believe opportunities exist—right now—to reach a comprehensive agreement on an expedited time line, but let me make this point perfectly clear. While we will attempt to expedite the process, we will not compromise the product.”

By early March, 10 months ahead of the amendable date, the MEC was prepared to enter negotiations. The MEC approved a contract opener and directed the Negotiating Committee to engage with management. O’Malley wrote to the pilot members an ambi-tious statement, “We chose not to wait.” The goal was an expedited, comprehensive agreement.

Third, critical to the pilot education process was the Delta Pilot Network (DPN), which provided opportunities to share information with the goal of building unity through pilot unity building, or PUB, tours across the country in which pilots interacted with each other, ALPA, and DPN leaders.

The MEC also emphasized accessibility to informa-tion. DPN and Pilot-to-Pilot maintained a Frequently Asked Questions database. Additionally, the MEC dis-seminated more than 1 mil-lion pages of printed material to pilots and their families, and LEC representatives remained available in pilot lounges around the clock, all with the goal of providing the correct information necessary for the members to make an informed decision by the end of June, just 3½ months after negotiations began.

Section 6 negotiations often take years to complete, during which the probability increases that external stra-tegic and economic events will affect negotiations. If the

Pilot Contract 2012: A Game Changerby Kelly regus Senior Communications Specialist

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F/O Len Empie, MEC Aviation Security Committee vice chairman, passes through the Known Crewmember® checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

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National Mediation Board becomes involved, the time line can be substantially lengthened and more people who care less about pilot is-sues become involved at each step along the way.

Therefore, expediency in capitalizing on a favorable advantage was the soundest strategy to yield the most posi-tive results in a timely manner. In his letter endorsing the tentative agreement, O’Malley summarized, “When viewed in the aggregate, this [contract] represents a huge win for the Delta pilots, particularly in the areas of scope, sick leave, and reserve work rules.”


AtaGlance n Flightcrew members joined ALPA: 2007n Number of flightcrew members: 214, with 135 on furloughn Headquarters: McMinnville, Ore.n Pilot base: New York (JFK)n Operations: With a fleet of 5 B-747s, Evergreen specializes in charter and contract freighter opera-tions around the globeE

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The crewmembers of Evergreen International Airlines continued their

battle to secure a new contract in 2012 after being in negotia-tions for eight years—many of which were in mediation conducted by the National Mediation Board (NMB).

The pilots rejected the first tentative agreement in 2010 by a 96 percent margin because, based on the company’s financial condi-tion, it lacked pay increases. Company finances continued to deteriorate and negotia-tions remained at a standstill in 2012 until March, when the crewmembers’ Master

Notwithstanding pay increases, no concessions in the key business travel areas of the contract, and manage-ment’s attendance at road shows to explain the compa-ny’s dire financial condition, pilots again voted against the agreement—this time by an 80 percent margin—in late November.

“The members have spoken, and they have refused to accept the proposed agree-ment. There is too much doubt in their minds to trust manage-ment, with Evergreen making late payments on payroll and to vendors, furloughing more than half of the crew-

between the parties remains under the supervision of the NMB, with which the MEC and ALPA will consult to determine future steps.

Similar to other airlines in the cargo arena that are struggling with the current economy, Evergreen decided to park its B-747 Classic fleet in December, which triggered additional furloughs—includ-ing its remaining professional flight engineers.

“This is a very sad time and an end of an era,” says Touchette. “Each flight engi-neer has always performed his or her duties in the most professional manner that I

Executive Council (MEC) Negotiating Committee informally explored ideas that might provide avenues to a contract that included pay increases. On September 11, the NMB resumed media-tion in Washington, D.C., to attempt to close out the last two open issues, compensa-tion and business-class travel. While a comprehensive agree-ment couldn’t be reached, pilot leaders agreed to put out for pilot ratification manage-ment’s last offer. It included pay increases in year two and three of the three-year offer.

The Future Remains In Doubtby Tawnya burket Communications Specialist

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ofAlPA 2013

This photo of Mt. Etna in Siganella, Sicily, was taken during a period of frequent volcanic activity from the outside of one of Evergreen’s B-747-200s.

members, and training delays occurring because of financial constraints,” says Capt. James Touchette, the crewmembers’ MEC chairman. “We will remain unified as we await direction from the NMB and ALPA officials, and continue down the path to achieving a contract that will satisfy the needs of the pilot group.”

The current contract signed between TAG (the pilots’ previous independent labor organization) and the airline in 1999 remains in effect, as do all subsequent letters of agreement. Bargaining

have ever witnessed. We have laughed together, we have cried together, and we have succeeded together. They will all be missed.”

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 2004n Number of pilots: More than 2,800n Operations: Flies as United Express to 42 states plus destinations in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbeann Pilot bases: Chicago, Ill.; Cleveland, Ohio; Houston, Tex.; and Newark, N.J.n Headquarters: Atlanta, Ga.n Fleet: 249 airplanes, including ERJ135s and ERJ145sE

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tSeveral airline mergers

and other types of air-line transactions have

occurred in the past few years, and throughout the U.S. airline industry continued consolidation will be the wave of the future. For the pilots of ExpressJet, the news that SkyWest, Inc., was again court-ing their company and subse-quently announced in 2010 a merger with its subsidiary, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, came as no surprise.

ExpressJet had long since distinguished itself as a leader within the regional airline industry and was looking to further its legacy. Pilot leaders, while optimistic that the merger would provide additional opportunities for long-term success, were

sections, and all sections have been opened for discussion. Negotiations ceased for a brief period in mid-2012 so that each of the three parties could evaluate their bargain-ing priorities and positions. JCBA discussions have since resumed, and the parties have made progress in some additional areas.

Over the past year, pilot leaders have also worked with management to harmonize their systems and programs. With scheduling, for example, management was interested in moving the line bid process to a preferential bidding sys-tem as is done for the Atlantic Southeast operation. The ExpressJet pilots investigated all available programs and worked to bring the one that

best met their needs to the pilot group for testing. That program is currently being used for phase-two bidding to provide reserve pilots with some

control over their schedules. Additionally, management

has leaned on the pilot group for support with its employee assistance programs after some corporate staff cuts resulting from the merger. The ExpressJet pilots’ Pilot Assistance program is highly regarded and serves as a model for employees helping their fellow employees. Work was done to develop training, protocols, and procedures to meet the needs of the combined employee group. Through this program, pilots and other employees are get-ting the help they need at a time when they need it most.

Contract enforcement and education efforts, meanwhile, also remain high priorities. The backlog of issues that

accumulated before the merger has been addressed, and any new grievances filed are typically dealt with in a timely manner.

In December 2012, the ExpressJet MEC met to assess the current situation and de-termine the course for achiev-ing the goals established by the pilot group. Key to their strategy is communications.

The MEC has made a fundamental shift in the way it keeps the pilots informed. Pilot leaders are working to provide line pilots with as much information as possible on where issues stand in the bargaining process. This, they believe, will help the pilot group better understand the negotiating process and end result. Members will also have more opportunities to speak directly with their union leaders, ensuring that they are informed and prepared to take action when called upon. Family Awareness events were held at venues near each of the pilots’ four bases in 2012, and more events will be held throughout 2013 in areas with a high pilot population.

“We’re committed to the success of the new ExpressJet Airlines,” Grable says. “It was formed to be a powerhouse within the industry. As we work collaboratively to fulfill this objective and protect our pilots’ interests, the resul-tant airline will attract and retain business and qualified professionals so that all may prosper.”

determined to protect their pilots’ interests throughout the process. Now two years into the merger, neither their focus nor their commitment has wavered.

“Our pilots are our high-est priority,” says Capt. Chris Grable, chairman of the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC). “We are, among other things, working to secure the right contract for the collective pilot group—one that recognizes pilot contribu-tions, protects pilot jobs, and improves the quality of life for all our pilots.”

Currently in negotiations for a joint collective bargain-ing agreement (JCBA), the parties have reached tenta-tive agreements on more than half of the contract

Focused on Securing the Futureby lydia jakub Senior Communications Specialist

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F/O Joe Costanza prepares for a flight at Newark International Airport.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: June 1993–1996; rejoined ALPA in June 2002n First ALPA contract: October 2006n Number of flightcrew members: 4,581n Headquarters: Memphis, Tenn.n Fleet: 35 B-727s, 77 B-757s, 21 B-777s, 71 A300s, 35 A310s, 69 MD-10s, and 64 MD-11sFe

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At the close of 2011, the FedEx Express Master Executive Council

(MEC) knew several issues would need to be addressed beginning in 2012. The new year began with an important decision—should the pilots elect to accept the 12-month extension to their agreement ratified in 2011 or reject the extension and reenter Sec-tion 6 negotiations? After carefully considering survey results and briefings from key subject-matter experts, the MEC unanimously decided to retain a 3 percent across-the-board pay increase for 2012 and maintain the current contract through March 2013.

“The decision to extend the agreement an additional 12 months aligned not only with the opinions of the subject-matter experts but also with our crewmembers. Notwithstanding this deci-sion, the MEC unanimously believed that the remaining contractual issues could not wait years to be settled and therefore used the better part of 2012 to resolve outstanding issues through interim discus-sions,” says Capt. Scott Stratton, the pilots’ MEC chairman.

Extending the duration of the contract did not delay tackling contract issues. In fact, the company and ALPA met every six weeks throughout 2012, pursuant to an interim discussion model agreed to during the 2010 negotiations. ALPA negotiators maintained the MEC-sanctioned focus on a limited number of core issues. The result was good strategic positioning for 2013. “Our negotiators have steadily worked their way toward the pilots’ cornerstone objectives. They have had detailed discussions on a number of issues that our pilots deemed critical, and they did it while every pilot enjoyed the ben-efit of a pay raise. The fact

that we were at the table with the company also enabled us to tackle a number of unexpected issues associated with the newest FedEx foreign duty assignment, Cologne, Germany. Considering that our amendable date is Feb. 25, 2013, we are pleased with our position and anticipate a timely conclusion to Section 6 bargaining,” notes Stratton.

Regarding the FAA’s new flight-time/duty-time rules, the pilots were disappointed by the government’s decision to exclude cargo operations from the new modernized, science-based regulations. However, the FedEx MEC,

This legislation would advance ALPA’s campaign for “One Level of Safety” for pilots by directing the Department of Transportation to apply the FAA’s flight- and duty-time regulations and minimum rest requirements to all-cargo op-erations in the same way that the regulations currently apply to passenger operations. As we move into 2013, this issue will continue to keep FedEx pilots engaged and fighting for One Level of Safety.

The 4,581 FedEx Express pilots are spread across the globe, represented by seven councils located in three domiciles as well as pilots as-signed to foreign duty in Hong Kong and Cologne, Germany. Understanding the com-munication challenges that a global pilot group presents, the MEC continues to engage its members through a variety of media designed to better reach pilots, including interac-tive conference and video calls, video messages, e-mails, a revamped website, and text notification. The MEC office also underwent major con struc - tion to provide more meeting space and committee offices, all improvements designed to better serve the pilots.

With more than 375 airports served worldwide, the airline has an extensive and varied fleet. The pilots deliver approximately 3.5 million packages and 11 million pounds of freight daily to more than 220 countries and territories, including every ad-dress in the United States.

Pilots Meet Challenges In 2012 and Look to Build On Past Successes In 2013by Courtney bland Communications Specialist

pilot volunteers, and ALPA national have been working diligently to remove the cargo “carveout” from the new rules. Immediately following the an-nouncement, the MEC worked extensively with ALPA’s leaders and the Government Affairs Department, along with key Scheduling and Legislative Committee experts, to develop a course of action to urge the FAA to adopt the same rules for cargo operations as for passenger operations.

By spring 2012, Reps. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) and Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) announced the introduction of the Safe Skies Act of 2012. “The introduction of this act speaks volumes about the work being done by ALPA and the FedEx MEC legislative team,” Stratton says.

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F/O Amy Allen spends time with one of the children at Memphis Hope House during the pilots’ annual visit.


AtaGlance n Founded: 1946, as Bradley Air Service, now owned by Makivik Corporationn Number of crewmembers: 142n Pilots joined ALPA: 2008n Pilot bases: Ottawa, Ont.; Yellowknife, NT; Iqaluit, NU; and Edmonton, Alb.n Headquarters: Kanata, Ont.n Operations: Provides scheduled passenger and cargo service between 30 northern communities plus charter service worldwiden Fleet: 7 B-737-200s (four combi), 1 B-767F, 9 ATR 42-300s, 2 ATR 72-212s (all combi), and 2 Lockheed L-382 HerculesFi

rst A

irAt First Air, the pilots

are currently facing the challenge of man-

agement turnover, as the revolving door of executives has forced the pilot leaders in the past two years to work with three different CEOs and three flight operations vice presidents.

“There’s been no consis-tency whatsoever in the ex-ecutive suite, and it’s made it very difficult to get anything done,” says F/O Devin Lyall, the Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman for the 142 pilots and flight engineers. “We can’t build relationships with our senior management, whose first reaction when a new CEO comes in is to restructure the operation and look for things to change.

parade of airline executives have not reached agreement on key issues. Federal concili-ation also failed, and the MEC is now preparing to apply for arbitration.

“We are not seeking major increases, but we do need cost-of-living raises since so many of us live in remote areas. We are also trying to make our work rules and other contract language more consistent with language contained in other ALPA pilot group contracts,” says Lyall.

In August, the crewmem-bers observed the first anni-versary of the crash of Flight 6560, a B-737-200 combina-tion passenger/freighter that crashed on approach to the tiny airport at Resolute in Nunavut Territory, 600 miles

This has motivated the creation of ALPA’s new President’s Committee on Remote Operations, aimed at improving safety at rugged airstrips ALPA pilots fly into and out of in Alaska, Nunavut, the Northwest Territory, and the Yukon. Capt. Peter Black, First Air’s MEC vice chairman, chairs the committee.

Looking back over the past few years, joining ALPA was one of the pilot group’s best decisions, says Lyall. “Being members of ALPA gives our small group the resources to effectively represent all of our pilots and flight engineers. With this great support, we’ve been able to remain strong and unified so that we can go to work and do our jobs like the professional flight crews we are,” he says.

Flying scheduled service to some of the most remote and inhospitable places on the planet, “the Airline of the North” provides a lifeline to a few dozen communities scattered across the Canadian Arctic and also flies cargo charters around the world.

The airline is wholly owned by the Inuit people of Quebec through the Makivik Corporation, which spent much of 2012 trying to sell the airline before it aban-doned those plans.

It’s really beginning to take a toll.”

This frustrating inconsis-tency, along with a tragic accident, increased competi-tion, declining government subsidies, stalled contract negotiations, and the recent news of layoffs, has created tension and uncertainty at First Air. In November 2012, management announced plans to lay off more than 10 percent of the airline’s flight crews and close its B-737 base in Yellowknife, NT.

First Air flightcrew members joined ALPA more than four years ago with the hopes of contract resolution. However, they are still operat-ing under an old contract after more than two years of negotiations because the pilots and the ever-changing

Seeking Consistencyby rusty ayers Senior Communications Specialist

north of the Arctic Circle. The accident took the lives of all four crewmembers, as well as eight passengers. Three passengers survived. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the accident.

The Flight 6560 crew left behind seven young children, and all of ALPA has rallied to support the children and their families. The pilots created an aviation calendar that to date has raised almost $20,000 for the survivors’ education fund.

The Flight 6560 accident highlighted the realities of Arctic flying, where modern landing aids are rare. Most of the runways in the polar region are gravel at best and sometimes only temporary, bulldozed from the ice of a frozen lake or glacier.

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A First Air ATR 42 at Cambridge Bay Airport, Nunavut, Canada.

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AtaGlance n Number of pilots: 625n Headquarters: Honolulu, Hawaiin Pilot bases: Honolulu and Seattle, Wash.n Operations: Hawaiian operates more than 150 daily flights between Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. It offers nonstop service to the Hawaiian islands from 10 cities on the U.S. mainland and also has direct, nonstop flights from Honolulu to American Samoa, Tahiti, Australia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Japan. In 2013 it will be the first U.S. airline to fly to New Zealand and also plans to serve China in future yearsn Fleet: 18 B-717-200s; 4 B-767-300s; 12 B-767-300ERs; and 9 A330-200s, with 3 more to be deliv-ered. Firm orders: 6 A350-300X, to be delivered 2017–2020. The airline is also acquiring 2 ATR 42-500s and wants to purchase as many as 12 B-737 MAXs or A320 NEOsH

awai

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If you want a great illustra-tion of how management and labor work well togeth-

er, you need look no further than Hawaiian Airlines, where a new atmosphere of pilot-management cooperation has helped make the carrier one of the nation’s leading airlines.

After the airline emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2006, the company’s new management began the difficult task of rebuilding the airline’s route structure and stabilizing its finances. Almost three years of sometimes contentious negotiations ended with an industry-leading contract in January 2010, and the pilots and CEO Mark Dunkerley have collabo-rated to bring Hawaiian to its

to fly to New Zealand. “We’re now seeing the

result of some of our deci-sions in years past beginning to bear fruit,” says Capt. Rick Horne, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman. “Working with management has been a win-win for both sides, but some-times you need patience and foresight to make it happen. We won’t always agree, but we strive to develop creative solutions to the challenges we face as the airline industry continues to change.”

Hawaiian’s rapid growth has been fueled in part by a new equipment LOA the MEC approved in 2008 that allowed management to buy fuel-efficient A330 widebodies as a replacement for their aging

And just last month, the MEC tentatively approved an LOA that could add a completely new aircraft type: the B-737 MAX or A320 NEO. If approved, the new narrowbodies would expand service to the islands from smaller mainland markets that cannot be efficiently served by widebody airplanes, and would also allow nonstop service from the mainland to smaller island airports like Maui and Kona to better compete with rivals flying similar airplanes.

The expansion has more than doubled Hawaiian’s pilot group since 2008. Many of the new hires have come from the former Aloha Airlines, which ceased op-erations that same year, and Hawaiian has also become a “carrier of choice” for pilots from many other airlines.

“We have an incredibly diverse, talented group,” notes Horne. “One of our MEC’s current goals is to educate our newer pilots as to how much work went into achiev-ing the contract we have and get them more involved with ALPA.”

strongest financial position in decades.

Since contract ratifica-tion, the pilots’ Negotiating Committee has continued to work nonstop, achieving a to-tal of 19 letters of agreement (LOA) with management. Many of these LOAs were trig-gered by the dramatic changes in the airline’s route structure as it has evolved from a luxury niche player to a full-scale international airline.

Currently, Hawaiian is expanding in every sector of its operation: transpacific, interisland, and international. It’s building a fleet of new state-of-the-art airplanes, is consistently hiring pilots every month, and soon will become the first U.S. airline

Cooperation Pays Big Dividendsby rusty ayers Senior Communications Specialist

B-767s. The A330’s longer range has enabled Hawaiian to add destinations in Australia, Japan, and South Korea. The airline now flies nonstop from Honolulu to JFK, has plans to add additional East Coast destinations, and will have opportunities to increase its global route structure when its first A350 arrives in 2017.

The airline is also focusing on its interisland operations. In July 2012, Hawaiian an-nounced it would be adding turboprops to establish a sub-sidiary airline serving smaller islands not currently in its system, including Molokai and Lanai. The pilots authorized a turboprop operation in their 2010 contract, which becomes amendable in 2015.

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A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200 at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda ) in 2011.

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1989 n Number of pilots: 50 n Operations: Approximately 36 daily flights plus charter service to seven airports throughout Hawaii n Service: Island Air is Hawaii’s lead-ing regional airline, serving airports on all major Hawaiian islands with 331 weekly flights between the islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai, and the island of Hawaii n Fleet: 4 Dash 8-100sIs

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To further position itself as the leader in inter-island travel by taking

advantage of the rebounding travel industry in Hawaii and new business opportunities, Island Air spent much of 2012 making changes from the inside out. The company developed a new business plan and appointed a new executive team to implement the plan, which includes a new brand image and a new airplane fleet type.

In February 2012, the com-pany announced its intent to introduce three ATR 72-212s into the fleet by the end of the year and three additional ATRs in 2013. However, this was amended in September 2012, and the company now plans to add a total of five

only Dash 8-100s, so manage-ment’s plan to introduce new aircraft triggered a provision in the pilot contract to begin negotiations for appropriate pay rates. The contract also states that if an agreement is not reached by the in-service date, the issue will be pre-sented to a neutral arbitrator on an expedited basis, and the rates, once established, will be retroactive to the in-service date.

Since the company an-nounced its plans to refleet earlier this year, MEC officers and ALPA negotiators have been meeting regularly with management to address issues arising from the new equipment and to provide pilot input on business op-portunities that management

to provide more flexibility to the company (while improv-ing pilots’ quality of life), and several changes intended to provide management with some scheduling efficiencies and cost savings.

Meanwhile, the company proposed current Dash 8 (37-seat) pay rates for the ATR 42, which has 47 seats; a 10 percent increase over current pay rates for the ATR 72, which has 66 seats; and other changes to pilot pay calcula-tions and work rules.

“The company cannot expect our pilots to be paid less for flying larger aircraft and working longer hours,” Vories says. “We are commit-ted to the success of Island Air and want it to prosper. Our proposals have been reasonable, recognizing the challenges within the industry while allowing pilots, manage-ment, and other stakeholders to benefit from the refleeting. We stand by our goals and will continue working to achieve fair compensation and work rules for our pilots either through a consensual agreement with the company or arbitration.”

It has become clear in recent months that securing a mutually acceptable agree-ment with management will be challenging. Though not their preference, the pilots are fully prepared to move the is-sue to expedited arbitration if an agreement is not reached in the near term.

ATR 42s. The airline took delivery of the first in October 2012, and expects several more through 2013 to replace the current fleet.

“We welcome the opportu-nities that these new aircraft will bring and are excited to take advantage of the burgeoning interisland traf-fic,” says Capt. Monte Vories, chairman of the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC). “During the economic down-turn, the company went into survival mode and focused on its core business. Island Air is now hiring and acquiring new aircraft. We are encouraged by these actions and hope they are an indication of the company’s intent to expand upon our quality operations.”

Island Air currently flies

The Next Phase of Interisland Travelby lydia jakub Senior Communications Specialist

is considering. They are also working to secure an agree-ment with fair compensation and a reasonable quality of life that covers all aspects of flying the new airplanes. This includes pay rates for the new airplanes, how sick time and vacation time will be paid and administered with the new rates, training, and other related items. Unfortunately, these discussions have not yet yielded a satisfactory agreement.

The pilots’ goal is industry-standard wage rates for similarly sized airplanes. In addition, they provided man-agement with a comprehen-sive proposal that included the resolution of several pending grievances, a duty rig, several changes intended

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

F/O Jonathan Bernath and Capt. Will Hall with their Dash 8.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1997n Number of pilots: 1,521n Operations: Jazz transports ap-proximately 9.1 million passengers annually on 800 daily flights to 82 destinations across Canada and the United States.n Pilot bases: Vancouver, B.C.; Calgary, Alb.; Toronto, Ont.; Montreal, Que.; and Halifax, N.S.n Headquarters: Halifax, N.S.n Fleet: 127 aircraft, including Bom-bardier Dash 8-100/300s, Bombardier CRJ 100/200/705s, and Bombardier Q400s.Ja

zzJazz pilots are charting

their own course, using their strategic plan as a

guide to brighten their future and overcome challenges pre-sented by a volatile industry.

The pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) is committed to helping the airline become even more competitive in the marketplace. The airline and the pilots have doubled their efforts to improve stakeholder relationships and to keep po-tential new market opportuni-ties in their purview. Although the pilots were disappointed when Air Canada—their ma-jor customer—announced in October 2012 that it would be

all stakeholders.”One of those stakehold-

ers is their company, Jazz Aviation. The MEC has been working with management to continue to improve their re-lationship. At MEC meetings last year, Jazz management gave presentations on issues ranging from operations to crew scheduling. The MEC and management also joined forces to launch FLiCA, an innovative tool that gives pilots the ability to be hands-on with their schedules and allows them to swap, add, and drop trips online. The improvement was part of the pilots’ industry-leading collec-

produced videos, and triannual MEC meetings are a core part of the pilots’ communications efforts. The MEC members also conduct meet-and-greet sessions at pilot bases to have face-to-face conversations with their pilots.

At the end of last year, the MEC was working through changes resulting from the end of mandatory retirement in the federal jurisdiction of Canada, which became effec-tive Dec. 15, 2012. The pilots had been planning for these major changes since last May.

An agenda item for late 2013 will be rejuvenating the pilots’ Negotiating Committee for the next collective bar-gaining round; their collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30, 2015. While the Jazz pilots realize that their biggest challenge will be for management to maintain a fair and equitable agreement with Air Canada, their goal is to retain an industry-leading contract that promotes the pilots’ quality of life and pro-vides them with job security at a viable airline.

“The MEC will do every-thing necessary to advance the interests of the pilot group,” notes Buraglia. “I believe in the Jazz pilots and that we have a lot of poten-tial. I also believe that sooner or later, opportunity will cross paths with that potential.”

transferring 15 Embraer 175 jets to Sky Regional Airlines as part of its plans to expand and diversify, the move has only strengthened the pilots’ resolve.

“Jazz pilots have dem-onstrated the ability to be creative and innovative in other challenging circum-stances,” says Capt. Claude Buraglia, the pilots’ MEC chairman. “Our goal is to convince our customers of the advantages, flexibility, and value they have in utiliz-ing Jazz’s full potential. With regard to safety infrastruc-ture, pilot experience, and on-time performance, we have set the standard, and we will continue to do so. We are a high-value airline. We will continue to reach out and work collaboratively with

Pilots Focus On Building Relationships, Working with Stakeholdersby jessie Cornelius Public Relations Specialist

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

tive bargaining agreement. “We believe in engaging

our members more in the business at hand,” observes Capt. Terry McTeer, the MEC vice chairman. “We’re also looking to be prudent with our members’ money and providing them with the best bang for their buck.”

Reorganizing committees so that they are more effective and revamping communica-tions with the help of ALPA’s Communications Department have been a key part of the MEC’s stewardship. The MEC provides regular online communications to keep its coast-to-coast pilot group— with bases stretching across Canada from Vancouver, B.C., to Halifax, N.S.—well informed. MEC e-bulletins, e-newsletters, online ALPA-

Capt. Isabelle Caron and F/O Marie-Clair Beaulieu.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1997 (became an ALPA-represented pilot group when CALPA merged with ALPA)n Number of pilots: 125n Headquarters: Kelowna, B.C.n Pilot bases: Hamilton, Ont.; Vancouver, B.C.; Halifax, N.S.; Thunder Bay, Ont.; Regina, Sask.; Calgary, Alb.; and Kelowna, B.C.n Fleet: B-727s, Convair 580s, and DC-10s

Preparing for contract negotiations is a top priority for the pilots of

Kelowna Flightcraft Ltd., a Canadian executive charter and cargo airline. Talks are slated for 2014 (the contract expires October 31), and the pilot group has already begun spooling up its communica-tions and contract studies efforts, as well as grooming its Negotiating Committee mem-bers. The pilot group recently enlisted it first full-time com-munications chair, F/O Mireille Pare, who is bilingual and will be overseeing the Master Ex-ecutive Council’s (MEC) e-mail updates, website, and other communications tools to keep the pilots informed.

Keeping Kelowna crew-members educated and

relations with management in recent years. “We get along quite well with the company,” notes Wynn-Williams, who says that “since 2009 when we negotiated our latest agreement, we’ve gotten better at working together.”

With many pilot schedules that include late-night and early-morning hours, the MEC is interested in adopting a fa-tigue risk management system (FRMS) but is waiting to see what changes the Canadian government will institute. The process to update fatigue rules has been long and arduous.

In the most recent phase, Transport Canada’s Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council (CARAC) Technical Committee last fall reviewed recommendations from the CARAC Flight Crew Fatigue Management Working Group. The CARAC Technical Committee then made these proposals public, encouraging feedback from industry stake-holders like ALPA.

The challenge will be to foster provisions that are tied to the latest science and understanding about human fatigue. The MEC is monitor-ing this situation closely to ensure that the final rule does not contain a cargo “carveout,” as is the case in the United States.

With contract talks on the horizon, the MEC is consider-ing all of its options. “At this point, we’re watching with interest to see how other negotiations are going for our fellow Canadian pilot groups like Wasaya,” Wynn-Williams says. “We want to see what the playing field is going to look like.”

Steady contracts with Purolator Courier and Canada Post have allowed Kelowna to maintain its fleet size and staffing levels. “We’ve been replacing the people who’ve left to pursue their careers elsewhere, but we have not

grown or shrunk in the last year,” notes Wynn-Williams. “It’s been status quo.”

The MEC, also led by Capts. Derek Porter, chairman; Serge Fortier, secretary; and Kenneth Morrison, treasurer, has concentrated much of its effort on maintaining contract compliance and promoting a safe and secure operation. To help with the former effort, the pilots instituted a dispute tracking system to monitor and act on grievances in a more timely basis. And the airline can once again offer flight deck access to commut-ing pilots from other Canadian airlines, a benefit that hasn’t been available since 9/11.

Kelowna Flightcraft is Canada’s largest cargo airline. With its fleet of DC-10s, B-727s, and Convair 580s, Kelowna touts its ability to transport 1,000,000 pounds of air freight nightly across the nation. The airline also has an executive charter division and forest-fire patrols. In its other division, Kelowna is a leading aircraft maintenance operation and signed two contracts in 2012 with WestJet to maintain and update the carrier’s B-737 fleet. Kelowna’s Allied Wings Operation provides mainte-nance support to the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Last year, Kelowna contrib-uted a B-727-100 to Mohawk College to assist its aviation program at Munro Hamilton International Airport.

up-to-date about contract goals and the MEC activities will be a challenge, as they are dispersed over a vast region. “Our pilots are spread out over bases from as far east as Halifax to as far west as Vancouver and commute from all corners of the country,” says F/O Tim Wynn-Williams, the pilots’ MEC vice chairman. “We’re not a large group, but we cover a lot of terrain.”

The Kelowna pilots are contemplating using interest-based negotiations (IBN) for this next round of bargaining. Wynn-Williams observes, “Part of IBN is being able to have some sort of civilized discourse with our employer as opposed to being at loggerheads.”

Fortunately, the MEC, which includes local councils in Hamilton, Ont., and Vancouver, B.C., has maintained positive labour

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Pilots Focus On Upcoming Negotiationsby john Perkinson Staff Writer

A Kelowna Flightcraft B-727.

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1987n Number of pilots: Approximately 800, including 211 on furloughn Operations: Mesa Air Group includes go! and Mesa Airlines, and operates as United Express and US Airways Express under contractual agreements and independently as go! in Hawaii. Serves 96 cities, 37 states, Canada, and Mexico with 465 daily departuresn Bases: Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago, Ill.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Kahului, Hawaii; Lihue, Hawaii; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Washington, D.C.n Headquarters: Phoenix, Ariz.n Fleet: 62 airplanes, including CRJ200s, CRJ700s, and CRJ900sM

esaIn an industry where “every-

thing matters,” the pilots of Mesa Air Group are leaving

nothing to chance when it comes to their livelihoods. They are working vigilantly to protect and enhance the careers of all Mesa pilots and using innovative methods to fulfill this mission. In 2012, pilot leaders secured contract improvements for the entire pilot group and more than $325,000 for pilots whose rights had been violated by the company’s management.

“We are proud of the work accomplished by our union volunteers and pilot group, especially considering the state of our company and

complex cases were mediated twice and were scheduled to go to arbitration in mid-2012.

By that time, the pilots had also reached tentative agreements during their negotiating sessions with management on 11 of the 26 contract sections.

In an unprecedented decision, the MEC approved a settlement agreement that provided payment for pilots downgraded out of senior-ity order and gains for all Mesa pilots. This agreement included a $200,000 payment to be divided among those on the affected pilots list, im-mediate implementation of the 11 tentative agreements, resolving an additional four grievances, establishing com-mon negotiating protocols, and opening the company’s books to ALPA’s Economic and Financial Analysis Department experts for re-view (an important provision, as Mesa is privately held and contract negotiations were beginning to move into the economic issues).

The tentative agreements, which became effective in July 2012, were all current book or better. Improvements include that (1) pilots must now be provided a written state-ment of charges before any company meeting and (2) an enhanced commuter policy be established to help the nearly 80 percent of Mesa pilots who currently commute by allowing the policy to now be invoked twice annually and extending it to offline/non-code-share partners. These contrac-tual improvements—while certainly incremental and noneconomic—helped the pilots immediately, rather than simply delaying implementa-tion indefinitely until a new contract has been completed.

Since then, negotiating progress has remained steady. The parties have reached a tentative agreement on an

additional section, and all but two sections have been opened. As for grievances, only 21 cases were open as of early December 2012.

Along with these successes at the bargaining table and with the grievance process, the MEC is working to secure pilot jobs. Mesa’s current code shares with United and US Airways are set to expire in 2015, as are contracts with other regional airlines. Recognizing the devastating effect a dramatic shift in flying could have on pilot careers, the MEC has formed alliances with other ALPA and non-ALPA pilot groups flying in the United Express and US Airways Express systems. Through these and other efforts, they are working to protect pilot careers and provide a measure of stability within the industry.

“The regional airline in-dustry is changing,” concludes Kolodziejczyk. “While we can - not know what the future may hold, we will continue to build upon our successes of 2012 and forge a path for additional gains in 2013. We are also prepared to address any chal-lenge or opportunity that may arise, from a transaction to a shutdown, and will stop at nothing to protect and ad-vance our pilots’ interests.”

the turmoil within the airline industry,” says F/O Marcin Kolodziejczyk, chairman of the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC). “These suc-cesses demonstrate our high commitment to our pilots, company, and profession.”

Negotiations for an improved contract began in March 2010, just days after the company emerged from bankruptcy as a stand-alone airline. Though ALPA suc-cessfully protected the pilots’ contract during the bank-ruptcy process, more than 400 pilots were furloughed, and hundreds more were displaced and/or downgraded, taking pay cuts of as much as $34,000 per year.

The way in which the displacements were handled leading up to and during the bankruptcy resulted in ALPA filing four grievances; these

Improvements For All Pilotsby lydia jakub Senior Communications Specialist

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

F/O Jacob Clymo at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 2009n Number of pilots: 150n Pilot base: New York (JFK)n Headquarters: Peachtree City, Ga.n Operations: Provides air transpor-tation services throughout the world, operating both charter and scheduled service for the U.S. military, tour operators, government agencies, and sports teams, among others, and as an ACMI carrier for other scheduled airlinesn Fleet: 5 B-767-300ERsN

orth

Am

eric

anNorth American Airlines

(NAA) pilots are highly trained to face the

challenges of daily flying into remote and dangerous loca-tions. Flying to Manas Inter-national Airport in Kyrgyzstan and Kabul, Afghanistan, are just two examples.

But the challenges they have faced since parent com-pany Global Aviation Holdings (GLAH) filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code in February 2012 and dragged the airline and sister carrier World Airways into bankruptcy concessionary negotiations have been more problematic.

The year started out on a positive note, with the Master Executive Council (MEC) preparing for Section 6 negotiations (the pilots’ contract had a December

Department, met with representatives from GLAH and NAA in early March to discuss issues related to the bankruptcy filing. ALPA’s general counsel law firm, Cohen, Weiss & Simon, was enlisted to represent the pilots in bankruptcy court. At the same time, they worked with ALPA Communications Department staff to begin educating the pilot group about the bankruptcy process.

The NAA-ALPA team exchanged proposals with management over the spring and reached an agreement-in-principle (AIP) in mid-June. Then, the pilot group got thrown another curveball: the Teamsters (IBT), which repre-sents the World Airways pilots and flight attendants and the NAA flight attendants, peti-tioned the National Mediation Board (NMB) seeking a determination of single-carrier status for the two airlines.

“Immediately after learn-ing of this, senior ALPA staff contacted me to discuss the situation and our plan for responding,” says Lewis. “They assigned a team to cover the NMB process and act to protect our interests, giving us the same level of attention and resources we received to assist us with our bankruptcy negotiations, financial analy-sis, and legal representation.”

By mid-August, the NAA-ALPA negotiating team had hammered out a tentative agreement (TA) under threat of a Section 1113 filing, but the pilots rejected it in the ratification process.

The Negotiating Commit tee went back to the bargaining table right away, with the goal of achieving a new agreement that responded to some of the concerns pilots voiced about the initial TA. After an intense bargaining session over a 36-hour period, the Negotiating Committee successfully negotiated several improve-

ments over the initial failed TA. On September 24, the pilots ratified the revised TA, with 76 percent voting in favor of the agreement. In addition to minimizing concessions, the new contract provides equity, profit sharing, a seat on the GLAH Board of Directors, and other valuable returns.

Under the new deal, the pi-lots and management agreed to meet within 90 days to discuss the implementation of additional operational sav-ings and revenue-generating measures, review and resolve outstanding grievances, and find and clarify problematic contract language. “We under-stand that this is a critical and fragile time for our company, and we stand ready to work closely with our management to help our company regain its financial viability and advance our mutual goals for the future,” Lewis says. “To achieve success, however, our management must fulfill the commitments it made to our pilots in this agreement.”

Contract implementation is under way. In November, the pilots got the news that the NMB had denied the IBT’s single-carrier petition.

“It’s too early to tell wheth-er the company will reorganize successfully,” Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president, says. “But it tells the ALPA story: we never give up—and we always look for opportunities when the going gets tough.”

2012 amendable date). In late January, the pilots won an arbitration relating to a vaca-tion pay grievance.

Two weeks later, the out-look changed. With the news of the Chapter 11 filing and subsequent downsizing, the group learned that 40 pilots would be furloughed and 14 more downgraded.

The pilot leaders responded swiftly. Capt. Rob Lewis, the pilots’ MEC chairman, along with several other pilot repre-sentatives and ALPA staff from the Representation Department and Economic and Financial Analysis

Pilots Stand Their Ground In Bankruptcy Negotiationsby barbara Gottshalk Lead Communications Specialist

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

Capt. Selim Wehber and F/O Christina Waugh preparing for an early morning departure from Leipzig, germany, enroute to Atlanta.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1984n Number of pilots: 344n Headquarters: Salisbury, Md. n Pilot bases: New Bern, N.C.; Charlottesville, Va.; Roanoke, Va.; Harrisburg, Pa.; and Salisbury, Md.n Fleet: 44 DHC-8sP

iedm

ont

For the last 12 months, Piedmont pilots have revved up activities and

built unity in a pilot group that has—based on its merg-er in the recent past—been disconnected both geographi-cally and demographically.

The challenges for Piedmont pilots are many. While they number fewer than 400, they are spread across five domiciles in four states. With scheduling so tight much of the time, few pilots are available for events and meetings. The pilots also range widely in age and career expectations. Many are extremely senior and nearing retirement. But an increasing number are younger new hires just starting their airline

MEC chairman. “We’ve been careful to listen to our group, explore options, and find our commonalities and focus on them rather than our differences.”

As negotiations continued to drag into their third year, the MEC sent a clear mes-sage to management that the group was unified. The MEC unanimously agreed to put a strike authoriza-tion resolution before the members. This resolution authorized the pilot leaders to call a legal strike if the National Mediation Board concluded that negotiations had reached an impasse and released the groups from mediation, thus triggering a 30-day cooling-off period.

of availability of most pilots due to scheduling—to listen. Those who couldn’t make it accessed the audio files afterward. As the vote neared closing, the MEC was sending messages via every commu-nications medium. A strong vote was important, but so was one that represented a large majority of the pilot group.

On August 10, the results were counted. Almost 93 percent of eligible pilots had participated, and of those pilots, 93 percent voted in favor of the strike authoriza-tion resolution. The message had been sent to manage-ment—and negotiations have been moving forward, albeit slowly.

In late November, Pied-mont pilots and management had a rare moment of agree-ment at an arbitration hear-ing. The two sides opened their wallets and pooled their personal resources and bought Powerball tickets for the $587 million jackpot.

“Our goal is not, and has never been, to call a strike,” says Freedman. “However, we wanted to be sure that management knew that no matter how different this pilot group may seem on paper, we have much more in common. One thing every Piedmont pilot shares, whether they’ve been here 30 years or 90 days, is the desire for a contract that is fair and equitable. We think this is not only achievable, but within reach. We just have to work together to get there.”

careers. In addition, the group has had significant attrition, with hiring unable to keep up with the number of pilots leaving the company. With concerted communications efforts, the Master Executive Council (MEC) and its com-mittees have reached out to the pilots, making sure that every pilot is aware of not only the status of negotia-tions, but also how the group is collectively preparing for the negotiating endgame.

“We are a very diverse group, with a wide range of opinions and—more importantly—expectations for this contract,” says Capt. Bruce Freedman, the pilots’

Finding Common Groundby jen lofquist Senior Communications Specialist

“Our diversity challenged us to find new ways to com-municate with our pilots,” Freedman notes. “We simply couldn’t rely on one method to reach all of our pilots. We had to spread the mes-sages across a multitude of channels, and we used them all—from Facebook to texting to flyers in crew room mail-boxes. But our most effective method was just one-on-one and all-pilot calls.”

The group also held all-pilot calls late in the evening with members of the MEC and Negotiating Committee on the line. The pilots came out in large numbers—es-pecially considering the lack

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

Capt. Russ Denney with the ramp crew for the last Piedmont flight out of Laguardia Airport.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1988 (as Express Airlines I before it changed its name to Pinnacle in 2002); purchased Colgan Air in 2007 and Mesaba Airlines in 2010n Number of pilots: 2,467 n Operations: More than 800 daily flights for Delta Air Lines to 110 airports across the United States and Canadan Pilot domiciles: Atlanta, Ga.; Detroit, Mich.; Memphis, Tenn.; Minneapolis, Minn.; New York’s JFK; Boston, Mass.; and Newark, N.J. n Headquarters: Memphis, Tenn.n Fleet: 141 Canadair CRJ200s and 55 CRJ900sP

inna

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Editor’s note: Details of the tentative agreement reached between Pinnacle Airlines pilots and management on Dec. 17, 2012, were not public as of press time.

Pinnacle pilots have endured two years of turbulence that finally

shows some signs of leveling off as 2013 begins and the pilots are poised to vote on a tentative agreement (TA) reached in the early morning hours of Dec. 17, 2012.

“We appreciate the sup-port of all Pinnacle pilots throughout this grueling, year-long ordeal,” says Capt. Tom Wychor, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC)

on April 1, 2012, and an-nounced that it would cease all of its turboprop flying.

Pinnacle pilots spent most of 2012 putting on a pragmatic defense of the industry-leading contract they ratified in 2011, starting with battling management’s May term sheet of $33.2 million in annual concessions followed by the showdown over the increased August demand for $59.6 million in annual con-cessions—all while Pinnacle Airlines was spending millions of dollars on legal fees and consultants.

Since early May, the MEC had been overseeing bank-ruptcy negotiations and searching for acceptable solu-

million in concessions; Pinnacle’s proposal was not fair and equitable, finding that Pinnacle did not offer enough upside to the pilot group; and ALPA had good cause to reject management’s proposal because Pinnacle overreached in its demands.

“Judge Gerber’s ruling allowed us to avoid imposed terms, but it was not a solu-tion to our problems,” says Wychor “We knew our only future as Pinnacle pilots would come with a consen-sual deal that addresses Pinnacle’s significant financial hurdles while also recognizing our pilots’ needs.

“All along, we were willing to find a resolution to the problems that exist within the organization,” Wychor ob-serves. “Our negotiators and ALPA staff were always more than prepared to discuss alternatives designed to solve the company’s liquidity crisis and provide a viable future for our pilots. This agreement meets both goals.

“This pilot group spent the year focused on getting this deal,” says Wychor, “and if ratified, 2013 will see the start a new chapter for this airline. Without the tremendous support of ALPA, we would have been unable to navigate a successful conclusion to the Pinnacle story.”

chairman. “Difficult decisions were made throughout this process as our negotiators crafted an agreement that preserves a future for our pilots and the airline.”

The bumpy ride for Pinnacle pilots begin in 2010, with the surprise purchase of Mesaba Airlines by Pinnacle Airlines, Corp., and the subsequent successful nego-tiation of an industry-leading joint collective bargaining agreement negotiated in just 100 days. During 2011, the integrated (Colgan, Mesaba, and Pinnacle) seniority list was implemented, and a single MEC was established. However, the turbulence increased dramatically when Pinnacle Airlines, Corp., sought bankruptcy protection

Strength In Unity: Pilots Face Bankruptcyby Kimberly Seitz Senior Communications Specialist

tions to addresses manage-ment’s term sheet. Pinnacle pilots spent four days in October in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, N.Y., arguing their case in front of Judge Robert Gerber. In November, the judge denied Pinnacle Airlines’ 1113 motion to reject the pilots’ collective bargaining agreement and spared the pilots from the immediate threat of imposed terms and conditions.

Judge Gerber found that the airline was not able to satisfy the following ele-ments necessary under the bankruptcy code: Pinnacle’s proposal was not necessary to the reorganization, specifi-cally Pinnacle overreached with its demand for $59.6

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

Capt. Tom Wychor, the Pinnacle MEC chairman, center with back to camera, talks to pilots at one of many pilot unity building events conducted in Pinnacle domiciles during 2012.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1988n Number of pilots: Approximately 500n Operations: PSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways Group. It operates 327 flights per day as US Airways Express, serving 65 airports in the U.S.n Bases: Charlotte, N.C., Dayton, Ohio; and Knoxville, Tenn.n Headquarters: Dayton, Ohion Fleet: 35 CRJ200s and 14 CRJ700sP

SA

Our day has value” was the strong message PSA pilots conveyed

to management as they marked the third anniver-sary of the start of contract negotiations in June. With contract talks down to the major economic items, the pilot group wanted to signal to management their unified position: now is the time to reach a deal that rewards PSA pilots for the valuable service they provide to their airline and their passengers.

“Securing a fair, improved contract now not only would recognize the important role our pilots play in PSA’s opera-tions, but it also would provide the necessary stability for PSA to succeed in this dynamic environment,” says Capt. Jesse Coeling, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman who took office in January 2012.

Throughout the summer and fall, the pilot group kept the pressure on management on parallel fronts. At the bar-gaining table, the Negotiating Committee stood firm even as management employed stalling tactics and made little movement, especially in the key economic areas.

Meanwhile, the MEC launched a determined communications drive that in-cluded pilots displaying their support for the Negotiating Committee with stickers, badge backers, and bag tags; taking their message to the news media; and pilot unity building events.

This high level of engage-ment was a key MEC objec-tive as it began charting the pilot group’s course for the future. Led by Coeling, the MEC focused on revitalizing the PSA committee structure and expanding its communi-cations program.

To that end, the MEC developed an MEC policy manual that defines the roles

and responsibilities of each committee. The MEC also provided the committees with ALPA’s full support and resources through various volunteer training programs and participation in Association activities and on ALPA committees.

In May, MEC officers, the Negotiating Committee chair-man, and ALPA staff from the Representation Department and Communications Department began the stra-tegic planning process. “We adopted a strategic approach that centered on building a robust cadre of well-trained pilot volunteers, tapping into the expertise and experience of ALPA’s professional staff, and engaging the pilots in union activities,” Coeling says.

launched an online survey to get pilot input for making improvements to future schedules.

Additionally, the pilots responded in force when Coeling called on them to send a collective message to management to reverse its decision to opt out of the Known Crewmember®

(KCM) program. As a result, management agreed to continue to participate in the program. On October 30, PSA pilot leaders were on hand at Charlotte Douglas International Airport for the launch of KCM there.

The pilots’ main goal continues to be securing a contract that recognizes their importance to the airline’s operations and helps PSA maintain its competitiveness in the US Airways system. In September, the pilot group re-ceived a $1 million grant from ALPA’s Major Contingency Fund. The newly formed Strategic Preparedness and Strike Committee and the Communications Committee are mobilizing to help pilots prepare for the negotiations endgame.

The messages that the pilot group has been sending to management have been getting through. At their bar-gaining session in November, management negotiators finally made a proposal that moved the parties closer to reaching their goal of a con-sensual contract.

Pilots Prove Their Valueby barbara Gottshalk Lead Communications Specialist

This approach is paying off. The PSA Contract Enforce - ment Committee and Griev-ance Review Subcommittee have resolved a number of grievances, often achieving positive results. The Hotel Committee’s collaboration with management, TLX (which administers layover hotels), and the flight at-tendants has led to improve-ments in layover hotels, the hotel selection process, and contractual compliance. The Pilot Assistance Committee, together with ALPA’s Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP) chair, is working with management representatives to enhance CIRP at PSA, and the Scheduling Committee

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

Capt. Mark Hinczynski, MEC secretary-treasurer, left, on an initial operating experience trip with Capt. Chad Frey.

‘‘


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1998n Number of pilots: 211 (including furloughees)n Pilot domicile: Rockford, Ill.n Operations: Ryan International Airlines (not to be confused with Ireland-based Ryanair) provides scheduled and charter services for customers around the globen Fleet: 1 A330-200 and 2 B-767-300ERsR

yanIt’s been a rough ride for the

pilots of Ryan International. Poor decision-making by

former management led to drastic capacity cuts and a bankruptcy filing in March 2012. Consequently, the air-line has experienced sizeable fleet and personnel reduc-tions, compelling the Ryan pilot group to work with the new corporate leaders to find solutions to keep their opera-tion running.

“We’ve been walking a tightrope between enforcing the contract and allowing management some relief to keep the airline in business,” says Capt. Erik Sparks, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman.

Section 6 contract negotia-

service until April.The costs associated with

these government dictates were too much for Ryan, which is owned by a real estate holding company with limited airline experience. In February, the carrier an-nounced it would park two of its B-767s and immedi-ately furlough pilots based on aircraft type rather than seniority number.

“A week after the com-pany’s ill-advised announce-ment, we negotiated a deal to bring those pilots back. We cut our guarantee and days worked for everyone flying the B-767 by 25 per-cent,” Sparks says. “We later learned that, days before the illegal furlough, management

Potter, but they remain frus-trated that more action has not been taken to restructure management.

Although Ryan pilots have done their part to save their airline, losses have continued to mount, and management has furloughed more and more pilots. Since 2011, the active pilot group has shrunk to approximately a quarter of its former size, and Ryan has lost seven of its airplanes.

“We’re a resilient group and have been through tough times before,” notes Sparks. “We’re still working hard for our pilots, even though the majority of our committee volunteers and MEC mem-bers have been furloughed.”

While Ryan’s future remains uncertain, the fact that the airline continues to operate is due in large part to its daunt-less pilots and their spirit of cooperation and sacrifice.

Ryan Aviation Corporation began as a fixed-base opera-tor in 1976, providing fueling and maintenance services in Wichita, Kan. Changing its name to Ryan International Airlines, the organization hired pilots and started transporting freight. By 1984, Ryan began flying passengers on a charter basis. The airline ceased cargo opera-tions in 2004 and moved its headquarters to its current location in Rockford, Ill., in 2006 after its purchase by the Rubloff Development Group.

tions began in fall 2011 but quickly turned into bargaining for a series of letters of agree-ment as management sought short-term solutions to ease its fiscal crisis. By August, ALPA suspended bargaining altogether so that pilots and management could focus solely on saving the company.

The problems began when Ryan received notice from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) in mid-2010 that its military passenger lift would be reduced and larger aircraft would be required to retain its DOD contract.

Management scrambled to find a large widebody to meet the DOD’s demands but lost precious time seeking used B-777s before ultimately leasing an Airbus A330-300 from Virgin Atlantic. Even then, the DOD delayed approving the Airbus for military use until February 2012, and Ryan wasn’t able to put it into

The Future Remains Uncertainby john Perkinson Staff Writer

personnel had awarded them-selves bonuses.”

The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 6, citing a “precarious cash flow crisis” from decreased military contract revenues. A month later, Ryan lost a key U.S. Department of Justice contract and immediately grounded its four MD-80s, which it had used for pris-oner transport. By August, the airline would return the leased A330-300 it had spent so much time acquiring to Virgin Atlantic, replacing it with an A330-200 previously flown by Atlas Jet, a Turkish airline.

Meanwhile, creditors ap-plied pressure to limit the role of Ryan’s owners and to change senior management. Jeff Potter, former president and CEO of Frontier Airlines, was hired as “chief restructur-ing officer” and immediately took positive steps to stabilize operations. The pilots have welcomed the addition of

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ofAlPA 2013

A Ryan International B-767-300ER glistens after a thunderstorm passes in Kansas City.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1996n Number of pilots: 657n Headquarters: Miramar, Fla.n Pilot bases: Atlantic City, N.J.; Detroit, Mich.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and Las Vegas, Nev.n Fleet: 27 A319s, 16 A320s, and 2 A321sS

pirit

With their contract not amendable until 2015, the Spirit

pilots have been focusing their attention on contract enforcement, sending a clear message to management that they will not tolerate its disregard for their collective bargaining agreement.

“For a new contract, and one that very clearly spelled out terms, we are dealing with an enormous number of failures of this management to abide by the very contract it signed,” says Capt. Chris Amongero, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman. “We should still be in the honeymoon phase of a new agreement. Instead, it appears we took our entire

same arbitrator found that management had disobeyed his award, with hearings continuing in an effort to find a remedy.

“The nature of the dis-agreement is pretty simple,” continues Amongero. “We want all our pilots to have an equal opportunity to pick up open-time flying at a set premium. Management executives, however, seem to wish to bestow open-time flying, and the accompanying premium pay, to only certain pilots using a system known only to them.”

Junior manning is only one example of management’s disregard for a contract that extends through the summer 2015. The pilot group, and its leaders, spend an inordinate amount of time filing griev-ances, attending arbitrations, and settling arguments over contract language that leaves no doubt of intention or process.

Using ALPA’s Represen-tation Department, Spirit pilots have responded by filing grievances and refus-ing to roll over when their hard-won contract is violated. Also, thanks to an innovative, expedited dispute resolu-tion process included in the contract, these grievances are being settled quickly. But no matter how quickly one griev-ance is resolved, another one pops up.

“We are winning the vast majority of these arbitrations, which you would think would cause management to think twice about ignoring the contract,” Amongero observes. “But this simply isn’t the case. No matter how clear and precise the contract is, management just does what it wants until an arbitrator says it can’t. Sometimes, as in the case of junior manning, man-agement continues to violate the agreement even after an arbitrator has said it can’t.”

Adding to the struggles are the company’s near-record growth and profits. Spirit currently encompasses just 1 percent of the market share in the United States, but it has announced a goal of tripling that over the next few years. Bolstered by a profit margin of nearly 9 per-cent, in an industry where the norm is just .02 percent, the company is adding new routes and, most notably for pilots, hiring. Currently, it’s adding more than a dozen pilots each month. This has put an additional strain on the pilot group, as it seeks to encourage growth but not allow management to un-fairly take advantage of the airline’s growing pains.

The pilot group has also become more geographically diverse, with a new base in Las Vegas, Nev., that opened in February and a new domicile in Dallas, Tex. The company is also adding new airplanes, planning to nearly double its fleet by 2015.

“With the number of new faces on the property, we also have new challenges,” says Amongero. “Those of us who were here during the strike need to make sure that pilots coming onto the property understand the situation at Spirit. We’ve seen a lot of the newer pilots, especially those who came from other ALPA pilot groups, step up to take leadership roles. It’s this sort of commitment that will protect our contract—now and as Spirit continues to grow.”

list of arbitrators on the hon-eymoon with us.”

As an example, though the contract clearly spells out the procedure for junior manning—calling up pilots to pick up additional fly-ing—management abused the policy almost as soon as the ink was dry on the hard-won collective bargain-ing agreement, which came after a five-day strike in 2010. In April 2012, an arbitrator found that management had violated the contractual limits on junior manning, and he required the company to “cease and desist.” However, management ignored the finding and continued to use junior manning to shore up scheduling. In September, the

Growing in Numbers and Strengthby jen lofquist Senior Communications Specialist

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ofAlPA 2013

Spirit’s fleet includes 27 A319s, 16 A320s, and 2 A321s.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1996n Founded: 1982n Number of pilots: 184n Pilot base: Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minn.n Operations: Based in Mendota Heights, Minn., Sun Country flies scheduled service to 32 destinations, 11 of which are served year-round. The airline also operates charter flights to numerous locations in the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom. The airline is also actively seeking military charter flying and is a member of the Department of Defense’s Civil Reserve Air Fleetn Fleet: 15 B-737NGs, with 3 more planned for 2013 and more aircraft leased seasonallyS

un C

ount

ryAs contract talks enter

the three-year mark at Minneapolis-based

Sun Country Airlines, the Mas-ter Executive Council (MEC) has condensed its negotiating goals into two simple words: parity, period.

With the airline con-sistently making a profit over the last several years, expanding operations, and finding new business after almost going out of business four years ago, pilot leaders believe it should no longer be necessary for employees to provide financial support by continuing to work for subpar wages. “Now that the airline is doing well, we think it’s time that we were brought into parity with our peers,” says Capt. Dennis Vanatta, the pilots’ MEC chairman. “Unfortunately, it’s taking us far too long to get management to agree with us.”

Almost two years out of bankruptcy and a year into its relationship with a new owner, Sun Country’s pilots still languish near the bottom of the narrowbody pay scale, a situation the group’s leaders are working hard to change.

The two sides are still far apart on a number of issues, but most especially pilot pay. When the pilots and management exchanged pay proposals in mid-September 2012, the company proposed a five-year agreement with a 2 percent signing bonus and a one-time 2 percent raise that is conditioned on events over which the pilots have no con-trol. The pilots are currently paid about 20 percent less than pilots at other airlines flying comparable equipment.

In addition to face-to-face negotiations, the pilot group spent 2012 building its volunteer organization. It created Family Awareness, Pilot-to-Pilot, and Strategic Preparedness Committees

and has sponsored several high-profile events to educate and unify the group.

The MEC’s first-ever informational picketing event, held at MSP on September 19, was a huge success, generating strong news media coverage as more than 100 of the airline’s 184 pilots participated.

“We’ve proven we can perform any kind of flying the company gives us, and with a high level of professionalism,” Vanatta says. “We have just begun work with a federal mediator, and we hope he will be able to jump-start our talks so that we can reach agreement on a new contract early in 2013.”

Originally built in the early 1980s with a single

flights. It currently flies U.S. service members to and from Kuwait.

The pilots and Sun Country entered negotiations in 2010 while the airline was still in bankruptcy. In 2011 Cambria Holdings, a Minnesota-based, privately held family company with no labor experience that’s better known for mak-ing countertops, bought the airline for $34 million.

The airline has been profit-able since 2010. But the Davis family, which owns Cambria, has been unwilling to make any further investment in the business, saying any growth in the company—including employee salaries—must come from the company’s own earnings.

“We recognize Cambria’s

Parity Is a Priorityby rusty ayers Senior Communications Specialist

airplane flown by furloughed Braniff Airlines employees, Sun Country developed a comfortable niche market as a vacation airline to Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean. After two bankruptcies in the past decade, the airline is reinventing itself once again as a small-scale network airline with big ambitions.

The airline is slowly add-ing pilots and new aircraft to its fleet of B-737NGs and is building its network of year-round service to business destinations. It added new service to Costa Rica in 2012 and continues to fly from MSP to London’s Gatwick Airport in the summer months.

And after winning ETOPS certification and becom-ing a member of the UPS Contractor Team for the U.S. Transportation Command, in 2011 Sun Country began operating military charter

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ofAlPA 2013

A Sun Country B-737-800.

view, but it needs to under-stand ours: we believe profits are what’s left over after you have paid your employees a fair and reasonable wage, not instead of paying your employees,” Vanatta says.

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AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1993n Signed first ALPA contract: 1994n Number of pilots: 260n Operations: More than 150 daily flights to 39 cities, serving more than 2.1 million passengers annually while flying as United Express and US Airways Expressn Pilot domiciles: St. Louis, Mo., and Washington Dulles, Va.n Headquarters: St. Louis, Mo.n Fleet: 22 EMB-145sTr

ans

Sta

tes

After working under their new contract for just more than a

year, the Trans States pilots are finally in a position in which their Master Executive Council (MEC), and newly ap-pointed MEC chairman, can focus their energy on enforc-ing their hard-won contract.

“After more than five years of negotiations, it’s important that we ensure that manage-ment adheres to the items it agreed to and that the pilots get the full benefit of their sacrifices and the Negotiating Committee’s hard work during our last contract negotiations,” says Capt. Cliff Simmons, the former Negotiating Committee chairman who was elected to

amid furloughs and a further anticipated fleet reduction. However, things turned around by springtime. “The company reworked the aircraft leases and code-share agreements to maintain our current fleet size at 22,” Simmons says, “and all furloughed pilots are now back.” Trans States, which flies regional jets for United and US Airways, continues to hire 10 pilots per month and plans to hire into 2013 to meet the demands of attrition and the company’s need to reach its desired staffing levels. Additionally, all pilots who were downgraded as a result of the furloughs should be back in the captain’s seat as this issue goes to press.

lished a joint committee to look at various vendors. “Our plan is to run tests as soon as possible so that the pilots can decide if PBS is right for them. We’ll also need to negotiate a separate LOA to integrate PBS with the terms of our current agreement,” Simmons adds.

The pilots also continue to participate in the US Airways Express Pilots Alliance (USEPA), a collaboration of ALPA-represented US Airways Express pilot groups. “USEPA continues to provide invalu-able networking opportunities among regional airlines at our level,” says Simmons. “With a focus on safety, training, and job security, the alliance members work together to

serve as the MEC chairman in September 2012.

Simmons notes that the operations director at Trans States has made it a goal to have a more open and con-tinuous dialogue between the ops team and the pilot group. “We hold planned labor rela-tions meetings,” Simmons says, “and have so far been successful at quickly dealing with important issues and, in some instances, avoiding grievances.”

While the union and the company do not always agree, Simmons says that manage-ment is “working in a positive direction” to effectively and efficiently rectify concerns. “Good labor relations and contract enforcement go a long way in attracting and retaining qualified pilots,” he notes.

The pilots started 2012

Cruise Control Set at Trans Statesby Kimberly Seitz Senior Communications Specialist

The pilots and the airline reached a major milestone in 2012 with the imple-mentation of an Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) training initiative launched in October. A leading objective of AQP is to provide effective training that will enhance professional qualifications to a level above the present standards.

The pilot group’s next challenge is deciding how to test and implement a preferential bidding system (PBS). Historically, PBS adds value to both parties in staffing, efficiencies, and cost savings. The contract contains a provision for the parties to evaluate whether a PBS is beneficial for use at Trans States. The company and the pilots signed a protocol letter of agreement (LOA) at the end of the year that estab-

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

One of Trans States’ 22 EMB-145s.

ensure that our energy is used to support each other during negotiations.”

Simmons explains that information exchanged at USEPA meetings helped his pilot group craft a Flight Operations and Quality Assurance (FOQA) LOA in 2011 and that he continues to collaborate with alliance pilot groups that are in negotiations.


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 1932n Number of pilots: Approximately 7,500 (1,436 on furlough)n Headquarters: Chicago, Ill.n Pilot domiciles: Washington Dulles, Va.; Chicago, Ill.; Seattle, Wash.; Denver, Colo.; San Francisco, Calif.; New York (JFK), and Los Angeles, Calif.n Fleet: A319s, A320s, B-747s, B-757s, B-767s, and B-777sU

nite

dThe pilots of United

Airlines, at last, stand at the threshold of a new

beginning; a day they have been working toward since the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001. The recent ratification of the joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) by the pilots of United and Continental represents a giant step toward the dawning of that new day.

Much work remains before United and Continental pilots can combine to become 12,000 strong. Now the in-tegration of the seniority list must be completed, a process that is expected to take sever-al months. But the ratification of the JCBA cleared a huge hurdle toward bringing these two pilot groups together.

“It really has been a trying and challenging time for the pilots of United,” says Capt. Jay Heppner, the United pi-lots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman. “One would be hard-pressed to find a pilot group throughout the history of the airline industry that has weathered such a sustained series of threats to our jobs and the profession. Arduous schedules, the eco-nomic realities of corporate America, and a company mindset that seemed intent on pitting management against labor at every turn are just a few of the realities that have consumed much of our energy these past several years.

“Through all the challenges and threats to our careers, however, we have continued to stand tall together. Our collective determination led us toward a JCBA that will usher in a new era for 12,000 United Airlines pilots and will help us to put the dark days of working under bankruptcy-era contracts behind us. As United pilots, it would be impossible to reflect on what has transpired in our lives since Sept. 11, 2001, and not

be proud of how we, together, have met each and every challenge with professional-ism and courage. We have honored our profession and continue to set the standard for airline excellence.”

With the combination of two pilot groups, there are bound to be unique chal-lenges. As in any merger, there will be growing pains. But there also will be unique opportunities.

“Bringing 12,000 pilots together, getting the 1,436 furloughed United pilots back on the property, and working shoulder-to-shoulder toward a common goal will unlock great opportunities,” Heppner says. “There is power in numbers. And United management will be dealing

in the areas of safety and training. He calls on United management to, once again, welcome ALPA’s presence at the table and listen to the pilots’ expertise in these arenas. He calls on manage-ment to step up and make a positive change to United’s corporate culture.

“United Airlines is presented another chance to usher in a new start in management-labor relations,” notes Heppner. “Management shouldn’t squander this one. We stand ready to work as equal stakeholders in building the new United. Management must stop viewing pilots as adversaries and recognize us as essential and respected partners in this airline. Once that occurs, our passengers

Pilots Stand At Threshold Of a New Dayby C. David Kelly Senior Communications Specialist

with a group that is not only unified but also determined to be respected as a vital part of the world’s largest airline. United management should not make the mistake of as-suming that the differences in cultures and histories of the two pilot groups will enable it to approach us as separate entities. This group will move forward together with one common goal: to represent the interests of 12,000 United pilots and tirelessly defend our careers.”

Heppner hopes that management will recognize the talents and contributions of this pilot group, especially

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

United operates a mix of A319s, A320s, B-747s, B-757s, B-767s, and B-777s.

and shareholders will finally be able to reap the full syner-gies that were promised by management when it announced the United-Continental merger.”


AtaGlance n Pilots joined ALPA: 2008n Number of pilots: 77n Hub: Thunder Bay, Ont. n Pilot domiciles: Thunder Bay, Ont.; Pickle Lake, Ont.; Sioux Lookout, Ont.; Timmins, Ont.; and Red Lake, Ont.n Operations: Thunder Bay, Ont.; Pickle Lake, Ont.; Sioux Lookout, Ont.; Timmins, Ont.; and Red Lake, Ont. n Fleet: 27 airplanes, including Beech 1900Ds, Cessna C-208Bs, Hawker Siddeley HS748s, Pilatus PC-12s, and Dash 8sW

asay

aAs the Wasaya pilots

enter their fifth year as ALPA members, the

pilot group that came into the union with no contract and few protections has grown not only in number but also in what it would like to achieve in its next contract. As it continues working toward its second collective bargaining agreement, the pilot group has changed tactics and bargaining methods. Unlike the nearly three years it took the pilots to achieve their first ALPA contract in 2010, negotiations are now interest-based rather than under the traditional proposal-based bargaining model.

In interest-based nego-tiations (IBN), the two sides share their ideas for solving

more cooperative labour-management relationship. “Both sides are more collegial and committed to a common goal—a contract that is fair to both pilots and management,” says Harding.

With negotiating sessions planned through March 2013, the group is well on its way to a second agreement that is more mature than the first, which is reflective of a more established pilot group.

Not too long ago, the pilot group had significant, if not staggering, turnover rates. Many junior pilots viewed Wasaya as a stepping-stone for building flight time and then leaving for larger airlines and bigger paychecks. However, with a new contract improving upon the pilots’ achievements,

communities rely on the airline to transport not just passengers, but also fuel, food, and medicine. Given the vital necessity of these flights, and the pilots who fly them, in 2010 the union and man-agement experts determined that Wasaya constituted an “essential services” provider under Canadian law. Stopping, reducing, or even delaying these services could risk the safety and well-being of the northern residents.

The essential services designation is more than just a sign of Wasaya’s importance; it also prevents the disruption of services that a strike or a lockout could cause, according to the Canada Labour Code. This left the door open for alternative negotiating styles, including interest-based, when the two sides began negotiations.

“We strongly believe that management shares our commitment to strengthen-ing and growing this airline,” Harding says. “This commit-ment can only be assisted by pilots who plan to stay at the airline long-term, and thus achieve solutions, not just patches to problems, until they leave. By putting in place an improved pilot contract that makes Wasaya an attrac-tive, long-term employer, we are building an airline that offers greater opportunities for the people on both sides of the table.”

the specific issue on the table and then move toward a collaborative solution, rather than spending time formulating written proposals that can “anchor” a party’s thinking. “Even though we are still in the early bargain-ing stages,” comments F/O James Harding, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman, “we’ve made substantial progress. We’re further along since just September 2012 than we were in our second year of our prior negotiations.” A by-product of the interest-based negotiating approach is that it assists in fostering a better,

Closer to a Contractby jen lofquist Senior Communications Specialist

they are reconsidering their career paths. “The quality-of-life improvements in the first contract and a better relation-ship with management helped transform Wasaya into a place where a pilot could work, support a family, and eventu-ally retire. A new contract will continue this trend—and build a group of pilots commit-ted to the long-term success of Wasaya,” Harding says.

Wasaya’s primary busi-ness remains serving the 25 First Nation communities of Ontario and Manitoba—com-munities often inaccessible by any method of transporta-tion other than air. These

PilotsThe

ofAlPA 2013

A Hawker Siddeley HS748 prepares for loading.


To learn more about

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by john Perkinson Staff Writer

ALPAToolbox

Panel discussion participant and American Eagle

Negotiating Committee chairman F/O Doug Gibbs

talked about what it took for his pilot group to

secure a bankruptcy restructuring agreement.

ALPA Director of Representation Bruce

York discussed the new emphasis on

negotiating specific contract needs on

an ongoing basis to ease the burden on

Section 6 bargaining.

Capt Mike Matyas (Spirit), Capt. Richard Swindell (Air Wisconsin), and Capt. Bryan Lawlor (ExpressJet) prepped for negotiating a protocol agreement.

ALPA Assistant Director of Represen

tation Bill Roberts (left) set t

he ground

rules for a bargaining simulation.

ALPA Assistant Director of Representation

Betty Ginsburg (second from left) consulted

with a negotiating team during a break.

Forty-five pilots from 13 ALPA pilot groups attended the ALPA Negotiations and Contract Enforcement Training Seminar the week of Dec. 3, 2012. Participants heard from subject-matter experts, shared personal experiences, and put their skills to the test in bargaining simulations. With more than a third of ALPA pilot groups in some stage of con-tract negotiations, the seminar provided important tools and insights for realizing and maintaining bargaining goals.

Compass Capt. Justin Berg, Capt. Mark Caruso, and F/O Luke Bagato listened to pilot comments during a presentation on the importance of developing a strategic communications plan.

Training Seminar Snapshots


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Hearing loss:What Did He Say?

by Dr. Quay Snyder ALPA Aeromedical Advisor

HealthWatch

For more information on aeromedical issues, scan the QR code.

Editor’s note: This column is adapted from an article avail-able at www.AviationMedicine.com.

Like the general public, many pilots are affected by hearing loss, which

has many causes. Some causes can be treated, but many are permanent and/or progressive. Fortunately for pilots, the FAA has liberal

hearing standards for all classes of airman medi-cal certification. Pilots not meeting standards usu-ally can obtain a statement of

demonstrated ability (SODA) relatively easily if they func-tion well in the aviation envi-ronment.

The most common cause of occupational hearing loss is repeated exposure to noise. More than 10 million Americans have noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and twice that many work in a hazardous noise environment.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration defines hazardous noise on a time-weighted scale. Chronic exposure to noise louder than 85 decibels for eight hours per day increases the risk of hearing loss. Louder exposures for shorter periods may have the same effect. Even a single exposure to very loud noise may cause permanent effects.

Most pilots are exposed to

loud noises even if they fly an aircraft with a very quiet in-terior. Preflighting aircraft on the ramp or sitting in aircraft with a cabin door open may cause exposure to hazardous noise. Most airline pilots have logged many hours in lighter aircraft without significant noise protection. Many avia-tors’ off-duty activities (e.g., mowing the lawn, boating,

good passive noise reduction. For smaller aircraft with less noise shielding in the cockpit, active noise reduction (ANR) headsets may offer a greater degree of protection than conventional passive headsets.

Noise-induced hearing loss The ear is a very efficient amplification system. Its

a man watching TV not being able to hear his wife speak behind him. In a quiet environment, many people with hearing loss may hear a background noise or hissing (like listening to a seashell or soft static) called tinnitus. These changes frequently are permanent and may be progressive if hearing is not protected.

efficiency is measured by several tests, the most com-mon being the audiogram, measuring the hearing threshold in decibels (dB) at different frequencies mea-sured in hertz (Hz).

In NIHL, microscopic hair cells in the cochlea of the ear begin to lose function. The first frequencies to drop off are near 4,000 Hz. Next, 3,000 Hz and 6,000 Hz are affected. This change is very subtle. It may manifest as decreased discrimination (the ability to understand spoken words clearly), particularly in a noisy environment.

Classic examples include

Fortunately for pilots, as their noise exposure increases with hours of flight time, they become more familiar with radio communications and subtle aircraft sounds. Their hearing may not be as acute as that of younger pilots, but their knowledge of expected standard radio transmissions allows them to function very well in the cockpit. This is one basis for a SODA for those with marked hearing loss.

OtosclerosisAnother cause of hearing loss is otosclerosis, a stiffen-ing of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and the three

Temporal muscle Temporal bone

Stapes

Incus

Malleus

Vestibular nerve

Cartilage Tympanic membrane (Eardrum)

Tympanic cavity

Semicircular canals

Cochlea

Triangular fossa

Scapha

Antihelix

Concha

Auricular lobule(Earlobe)

Cochlear nerve

External acoustic meatus

(Ear canal)

Eustachian tube

or using power tools) expose them to noise. as a general rule of thumb, if you must raise your voice to talk at six feet, you are in a hazardous noise environment.

Foam earplugs and ear-muffs that fit well are very ef-fective in reducing noise. Used together, they offer increased protection. Pilots may preserve their hearing by using protec-tive devices when on the ramp or any time they have to raise their voices to communicate. Many headsets used in cockpits offer

http://www.AviationMedicine.com

http://www.AviationMedicine.com

http://aso.alpa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=6809


HealthWatch

ALPA members can contact the Aeromedical Office at 303-341-4435, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. moun-tain time, or at www.AviationMedicine.com.

Solution to this month’s ALPA sudoku on page 54.

7 6 2 9 8 5 4 3 1

1 3 5 4 6 2 8 7 9

8 9 4 3 1 7 5 2 6

9 1 8 6 2 4 3 5 7

5 7 6 8 3 1 9 4 2

4 2 3 5 7 9 1 6 8

3 4 1 7 9 6 2 8 5

2 8 7 1 5 3 6 9 4

6 5 9 2 4 8 7 1 3

tiny bones responsible for amplifying sound pres-sure waves—the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup. Otosclerosis usually occurs as a person ages and may have a genetic component. Hearing aids may improve hearing in both otosclerosis and NIHL.

Hearing aids in pilotsA pilot may take an FAA physical exam while wearing and using a hearing aid. If the pilot does so, his or her medical certificate usually will bear the restriction “Must use hearing amplification.” While flying with this restriction, the pilot has the option of using a hearing aid, a headset, an earpiece, or an overhead speaker.

Colds, ear blocks, and hearingColds and ear blocks decrease the eardrum’s ability to move fully in response to sound pressure waves. This tempo-rarily reduces hearing, which should return to normal when the condition improves.

Decongestants improve hearing, but be cautious of trying to fly with decon-gestants to clear the ears. Although this practice may allow a pilot to take off safely, he or she may encounter problems as ambient pressure increases during descent.

The risk is an ear block, with possible vertigo or a rup-tured eardrum. Both are very unpleasant and potentially compromise flight safety. Consider keeping a bottle of Afrin or Neo-Synephrine nasal spray with you during flight as an emergency “get me down” treatment, but never fly if you need the medication to clear your ears before flight.

Other causes of hearing lossLess common causes of hearing loss may be more profound in one ear and may indicate the need for thor-ough medical evaluation. Two of these conditions have seri-ous implications for a pilot’s airman medical certificate, but evaluation should not be delayed for fear of losing your airman medical certification.

Acoustic neuromaThe first condition is an acoustic neuroma, a tumor of the eighth cranial nerve, which provides hearing and balance inputs to the brain from each ear. This type of tumor is usually slow-growing but must be removed. It is usually detected by a CT or MRI scan. Surgery is usually curative, although hearing may be permanently affected and balance temporarily affected, depending on the amount of nerve preserved by the surgery.

Again, FAA hearing stan-dards allow using both ears, not just each ear individually, to pass the hearing test. A pilot could be completely deaf in one ear and still meet FAA standards for all classes of medical certification. This may present problems in the cockpit, however, when using an earpiece in one ear for radio communications and spoken voice for crew cockpit communications.

Meniere’s syndromeThe other serious cause of hearing loss in aviators is Meniere’s syndrome (endolymphatic hydrops). Symptoms include sudden, unilateral hearing loss, roaring tinnitus, and episodic vertigo, but not all three symptoms are required for the diagnosis.

The sudden, unpredictable vertigo associated with this syndrome presents a safety risk to a pilot. The condition is disqualifying for all classes of certification.

Some treatments may allow recertification after the condition is resolved. One treatment involves restricting salt intake and using diuretics (fluid pills), as one theory about the cause involves excess fluid in the inner ear. Another treatment is surgical construction of a shunt to

require hearing the spoken voice at six feet while using both ears with the pilot’s back turned to the examiner. Previously the standard was the whispered voice using each ear alone in turn at 20 feet, six feet, and three feet for first-, second-, and third-class certification, respec-tively. For those who cannot pass this test, two other tests are authorized. The second test administered is audiom-etry (hearing pure tones in a headset) as below:

Frequency (Hz) 500 1,000 2,000 3,000

Better ear (dB) 35 30 30 40

Poorer ear (dB) 35 50 50 60

remove fluid from the inner ear. Surgery should be done at a medical center experienced in this condition.

Both treatments have vari-able results. For favorable FAA review of a medical applica-tion by a pilot with a history of this condition, the pilot must be free of vertigo for an extended observation period, usually at least 12 months. Provocative testing of balance (posturography) and vertigo using an ENG (electronystyg-mogram) may be required. The FAA will require periodic reports from the physician monitoring a pilot with a his-tory of Meniere’s syndrome.

FAA hearing standardsThe current FAA hearing standards for all classes of airman medical certificate

If a pilot cannot pass either the conversational voice test or the pure tone audiometry, a formal audiometric speech discrimination test usually given by an audiologist with words given at no more than 65 dB is acceptable for all classes of certification with a score of 70 percent or greater.

The best way to preserve hearing is to protect yourself from hazardous noise. If you do experience a hearing loss, get it evaluated by an expert. The FAA generally will certify or waive most pilots with significant degrees of hearing loss, assuming the condition is stable and not associated with ongoing vertigo.

www.AviationMedicine.com

www.AviationMedicine.com


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Stumped? Go to

www.ALPA.org/doubletake to see how many you got right.

Good luck!

CAN YOU FIND WHAT’S DIFFERENT?WHILE THESE TWO

PHOTOS MAY LOOK THE SAME, THEY ACTUALLY

DIFFER IN 10 WAYS. CAN YOU FIND

THEM ALL?

www.alpa.org/doubletake

www.alpa.org/doubletake


alPa resources and Contact numbers

alPa Sudoku (© paulspages.co.uk)

Complete the sudoku puzzle so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contain all the digits from 1 to 9.

The solution to this month’s ALPAsudoku can be found on page 52.

Too easy, too difficult? Tell us what you think. E-mail [email protected].

7 6 2 9 8 5 4 3 1

1 3 5 4 6 2 8 7 9

8 9 4 3 1 7 5 2 6

9 1 8 6 2 4 3 5 7

5 7 6 8 3 1 9 4 2

4 2 3 5 7 9 1 6 8

3 4 1 7 9 6 2 8 5

2 8 7 1 5 3 6 9 4

6 5 9 2 4 8 7 1 3

Have You Moved?Please call Membership Services at 1-888-359-2572, e-mail your new address to [email protected], or clip out this form—along with the mailing label

on the back cover—and send it toalPa membership Services

PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169

Name ________________________________________

Member # ____________________________________

Airline _______________________________________

New address __________________________________

Apt. __________ City _________________________

State _________ Zip __________________________

National Officers For complete biographical information on ALPA’s national officers, visit www.ALPA.org or scan the QR code below.

Capt. Tim CanollExecutive Administrator

Executive Vice Presidents For more information on which pilot groups executive vice presidents represent, visit www.ALPA.org/evp.

Capt. Joe DePete FedEx Express

Capt. Larry Beck Continental

F/O Scott Smetana Delta

F/O Michael Hamilton United

F/O Todd Ortscheid AirTran, Air Transport International, North American, PSA

Capt. Mark Nagel Alaska, Capital Cargo, Evergreen, Piedmont, Pinnacle, Spirit

F/O William Hanna Air Wisconsin, CommutAir, ExpressJet, Hawaiian, Island Air, Trans States

Capt. Thomas Maxwell American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, Compass, Mesa Air Group, Ryan International, Sun Country

Capt. Dan Adamus Air Transat, Bearskin, Calm Air, Canadian North, CanJet, First Air, Jazz Aviation, Kelowna Flightcraft, Wasaya

Want to know more about ALPA’s EVPs? Scan the QR code.

Capt. Lee Moak President

Capt. Sean CassidyFirst Vice President

Capt. William Couette Vice President– Administration/Secretary

Capt. Randy HellingVice President– Finance/Treasurer



www.alpa.org

www.alpa.org/evp

http://www.alpa.org/Home/WhoWeAre/OfficersBios/tabid/2260/Default.aspx

http://www.alpa.org/ALPAEVPs/tabid/2259/Default.aspx


Spirit–SPA MEC 765-481-9033Sun Country–SCA MEC 952-853-2393Trans States–TSA MEC 610-805-5387United–UAL MEC 847-292-1700Wasaya–WSG MEC 807-624-7270

*Pilot group in custodianship

The following ALPA resources may be reached by e-mail or by dialing, toll-free, 1-888-359-2572 (1-888-FLY-ALPA). Once connected, press the # key on your phone and dial the last four digits of the num-ber listed below. However, the ALPA Main Number, ASPEN, the Membership and Insurance toll-free number, and Member-ship Services number need to be dialed directly. accident Investigation ([email protected]) 703-689-4312accounting and Finance ([email protected])

703-689-4144Air Line Pilot ([email protected])

703-481-4460alPa main number 703-689-2270alPa-PaC 202-797-4033aSPen 703-689-4220balloting ([email protected])

703-689-4173Cashiering ([email protected])

703-689-4385

To obtain membership account information or to update your records or your postal or e-mail address via the Internet, go to the My ALPA area of Crewroom.ALPA.org; or dial the toll-free number 1-888-359-2572 (1-888-FLY-ALPA) and choose menu option 3.

Listed below are the telephone numbers of MEC offices.

AirTran–ATN MEC 404-763-5165Air Transat–TSC MEC 1-888-337-2033Air Transport International–ATI MEC

505-263-8838Air Wisconsin–ARW MEC 1-800-ARW-ALPAalaska–ALA MEC 206-241-3138american eagle–EGL MEC 817-685-7474*aSTar air Cargo–DHL MEC

859-282-1475Atlantic Southeast–ASA MEC

404-209-8566bearskin–BRS MEC 807-628-5683Calm Air–CMA MEC 204-471-1000Canadian North–CNP MEC 780-718-6012CanJet–CJA MEC 1-800-959-1751Capital Cargo–CCI MEC 256-289-0428*Comair–CMR MEC 859-282-9016CommutAir–CMT MEC 440-985-8579Compass–CPZ MEC 952-853-2373Continental–CAL MEC 281-987-3636Delta–DAL MEC 404-763-4925evergreen–EIA MEC 503-474-3880expressjet–XJT MEC 281-987-3636Fedex express–FDX MEC 901-752-8749First Air–FAB MEC 1-877-459-3272Freedom–MAG MEC 602-306-1116Hawaiian–HAL MEC 808-836-2572Island Air–AIS MEC 808-838-0188Jazz Aviation–JAZ MEC 1-800-561-9576

Air Line Pilot is not responsible for un solicited manu-scripts, photographs, or other ma te r ials. Unsolicited materials will be re turned only if submitted with a self- addressed, stamped envelope. Opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily represent official ALPA position or policy.

Subscriptions: Subscription rate for pilot mem bers, $25, included in ALPA member ship dues; for students, $37; for U.S. nonmembers, $50; for foreign, $65. Resi-dents of the state of Washington must add 8.8 percent sales tax. To subscribe online go to www.ALPA.org/subscriptions or call 703-481-4460. To request address changes, call 703-689-4311.

address Changes for members only: E-mail to [email protected].

Air Line Pilot is printed in the United States and pub-lished for professional airline pilots in the United States and Canada who are members of the Air Line Pilots Association, International.

other organizationsALPA Aeromedical Office 303-341-4435ALPA Federal Credit Union 1-800-747-2349

alPa accident/Incident HotlineIf you are involved in an accident, incident, or alleged violation of a federal aviation regulation, contact your local or central air safety chairman, regional safety chairman, or the worldwide ALPA accident/incident hotline at 202-797-4180 (collect calls are accepted) for an immediate response 24 hours per day. As a backup number, call 703-892-4180. To report a safety problem or airspace system defi-ciency, call 1-800-424-2470 or e-mail [email protected].

2013 ebCb ScheduleThe Association’s Election and Ballot Cer t i fi cation Board’s schedule for counting ballots is January 10, February 11, March 11, April 10, May 10, June 10, July 10, August 12, September 10, October 10, November 11, and December 10. Any ALPA member in good standing may be present as an observer during any meeting. Contact the Associa-tion’s Membership and Council Services Department for scheduling.

Director of Communications Marie Schwartz

editor Sharon B. VerebTechnical editor Jan W. Steenblik

associate managing editor Susan FagerDesign and Production editor William A. Ford

Staff Writer John PerkinsonContributing Writer Linda Shotwell

Special Projects Molly Martinmotion Graphics Specialist Eric Davis

ePublishing editor Jesica FerryWeb Coordinators Cicely Jenkins,

Chris Weaver

Communications ([email protected]) 703-481-4440

Computer Help line ([email protected]) 703-689-4357

Council Services ([email protected]) 703-689-4311

Discipline and Discharge ([email protected]) 703-689-4226

economic and Financial analysis ([email protected]) 703-689-4289

election dates leC/meC 703-689-4212engineering and air Safety ([email protected])

703-689-4200Faa enforcement or medical Certificate

Action ([email protected]) 703-689-4226Government affairs

([email protected]) 202-797-4033Human Resources

([email protected]) 703-689-4262Information Technology and Services

([email protected]) 703-689-4223legal ([email protected]) 202-797-4096

703-689-4326

membership Insurance ([email protected]) 1-800-746-2572

membership Services ([email protected]) 1-888-359-2572 (1-888-FLY-ALPA), option 3

IT operations and Services ([email protected]) 703-689-4245

organizing ([email protected]) 703-689-4179

Publishing Services ([email protected]) 703-481-4441

Purchasing ([email protected]) 703-689-4319

Representation ([email protected]) 703-689-4375

real estate ([email protected]) 703-689-4105

Retirement and Insurance (R&[email protected]) 703-689-4115

System board of adjustment ([email protected]) 703-689-4226

Kelowna Flightcraft–KFC MEC 250-878-7950

mesa–MAG MEC 602-306-1116North American–NAA MEC 732-778-6969Piedmont–PDT MEC 339-987-1277Pinnacle–PCL MEC 901-527-0355PSA–PSA MEC 616-405-3962Ryan–RYN MEC 1-800-292-ALPA

alPa Headquarters: 1625 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036

Postmaster: Send address changes to Air Line Pilot, PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169.

Canadian Publications mail agreement #40620579: Return undeliverable magazines sent to Canadian ad-dresses to 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON, Canada N8T 3B7.

ALPA Information Numbers

Membership Services

Capt. Tim CanollExecutive Administrator






Crewroom.alpa.org

www.ALPA.org/subscriptions

www.ALPA.org/subscriptions


























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Air Line Pilot January 2013

Documents

Transcript of Air Line Pilot January 2013