After I quit skywest I got an email from the ALPA organizing committee in response to an email sent out to skywest pilots. can someone enlighten me as to what that email was all about. The ALPA response is below:
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April 19, 2007
Fellow SkyWest Pilots,
On April 13, 2007 all SkyWest Pilots received an e-mail from the chief pilots regarding an increasing number of ATC reportable pilot deviations. This communication from the chief pilots provides yet another opportunity to discuss the difference between having legal representation and protection provided by ALPA, and what we currently have, which is no legal representation or protection at all.
·If the SkyWest ASAP was operating as intended, and if SkyWest pilots had ALPA representing them on the Event Review Committee (ERC), ASAP should have identified the increase in pilot deviations long before an ATC facility could have. In a working program, individual pilots would be submitting sole source reports on any deviations that occurred and which ATC did not identify.
·The e-mail from the chief pilots describes a process (ATC calling the chief pilot directly) for identifying and resolving pilot deviations that is contrary to the normal FAA coordination process between ATC facilities and Flight Standards offices. Normally, when ATC becomes aware of a pilot deviation, they would notify the local Flight Standards District Office who would then coordinate with the SkyWest Certificate Management Office, because SkyWest has ASAP. Assuming the ATC had properly notified the flight crew of the deviation, the crew would have already filed an ASAP report and the ERC would then handle the matter in accordance with ASAP policy and procedures. If the process worked as intended under ASAP, the pilots involved would be afforded the protections under the program.
·In addition, the disciplinary action described in the e-mail, i.e., the counseling of individual pilots, does nothing to correct the behavior of the individuals involved in the incident. More importantly, this individual counseling does nothing to educate the remainder of the pilot population about the details of the incident so that they can protect themselves from falling into the same trap. If ASAP is working properly, the ERC, with the help of the involved crew members, would identify the safety problems, develop corrective actions for implementation and educate the rest of the pilot group at SkyWest so that the same error was not repeated.
·In any case, whether you have made an ASAP report or if ATC took notice and you failed to report the incident, as an ALPA member you would have personal representation, including an ALPA attorney if necessary, when dealing with the Chief Pilot, other SkyWest management representatives, or the FAA. Without ALPA representation, if you make a mistake and ATC notifies your Chief Pilot, you will be called into the Chief Pilot’s office for counseling. This counseling could result in a number of different actions by the Chief Pilot, including placing information in your file that may well be transferable to future employers under the PRIA Act. Additionally, if the incident was not reported to ASAP you could be facing direct enforcement action by the FAA. Furthermore, at SkyWest, filing an ASAP report does not protect you against company discipline.
To ensure that you are fairly represented in these matters, the Organizing Committee urges all SkyWest pilots to return your Authorization for Representation Election card today to enable you to have a voice in a representation election. And, when that election is held, we urge you to vote FOR ALPA as our collective bargaining agent and the benefits that ALPA membership provides.
As the SkyWest Pilots ALPA campaign continues, the Organizing Committee will continue to bring to your attention the benefits of representation. Please contact us if you have any questions about how ASAP works at other ALPA carriers, and make sure to look for an article about the history of ASAP in the upcoming issue of the SkyWest ALPA Update.
SkyWest Pilots ALPA Organizing Committee
www.skywestalpa.org
1-888-SKY-ALPA