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Colgan Certifies ALPA

Old 12-17-2008, 01:12 PM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by nicholasblonde View Post
You "guess" it's better??? C'mon dude...you KNOW it's better....
Actually I speak from experience with ALPA and Colgan.
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Old 12-17-2008, 02:00 PM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Russ View Post
At 1405 today, the pilots of Colgan Air were successful at becoming the newest group to become part of ALPA.
Congrats Colgan pilots!!!!!!!!
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Old 12-17-2008, 02:02 PM
  #23  
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The deed is done, was it really 70 percent?
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Old 12-17-2008, 07:15 PM
  #24  
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Default Colgan Votes to Join ALPA

It looks like ALPA has been voted in at Colgan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/2008121...e_to_join_alpa
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Old 12-17-2008, 07:18 PM
  #25  
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Uh, I responded to someone in another thread and it ended up here.

Anyway, congratulations Colgan guys & gals. The newbies that I know will really benefit too.

Last edited by proskuneho; 12-17-2008 at 07:51 PM.
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Old 12-17-2008, 08:21 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by skidmark View Post
The deed is done, was it really 70 percent?
447 eligible voters ... 313 voted for representation ... so yeah, almost 70% right on the nose
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Old 12-17-2008, 08:24 PM
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Congratulations and welcome.
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Old 12-17-2008, 10:12 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by SAABaroowski View Post
Congrats fellas, nicely done. I wish I could have seen the faces on management when they found out the results.

Once again congrats, and nicely done
The management representatives definitely had their tail between their legs as the vote tally was displayed. It was great. They certainly got what they deserved......from the smug comments by M.F. last year when we lost by a very narrow margin.

First came the write ins.....only 27, all for the IBT. Then, the other votes......286 for ALPA. Out of 449 eligible voters....our total of 313....makes nearly 70% in favor of representation.

It was a great victory for the pilot group at CJC.....and all 121 pilots out there. Here's to improving labor's standing w/in the industry.
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Old 12-17-2008, 10:13 PM
  #29  
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A little late but I feel its still relevant read.
Letter of Support from Capt. Bill Dressler, XJT MEC
Letter of Support from Capt. Jay Pierce, CAL MEC - December 1

Colgan Air Pilots Vote to Join ALPA

NMB Election Results Show Overwhelming Support for Union
WASHINGTON – The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), welcomes today’s announcement by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that the pilots of Colgan Air, Inc., have selected the union as their collective bargaining representative. According to the NMB, 313 of 449 eligible voters cast a ballot in support of representation, well above the threshold required for certification. Prior to the election, the Colgan pilots were unrepresented.

“We are pleased that the pilots of Colgan Air have elected to join the 53,000 members of ALPA and secure the benefits of representation by a powerful international union,” said Capt. John Prater, president of ALPA. “We look forward to working with them to improve their careers and to the Colgan pilots’ active participation in the Association’s ongoing work to enhance the professional futures of all ALPA pilots.”

Capt. Mark Segaloff, one of the leaders of the Colgan Air Pilots ALPA Organizing Committee, added, “We thank all of our pilots who took the time to find out more about ALPA and to cast their vote in the election. Thanks as well to the many ALPA pilot volunteers who gave their efforts to the campaign. It is now our duty as Colgan pilots to take the unity we have built, along with ALPA’s vast resources, and transfer that into negotiating a contract that we deserve.”
http://www.alpa.org/DesktopModules/A...12567&Tabid=73

Last edited by Nevets; 12-17-2008 at 10:21 PM.
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Old 12-17-2008, 10:14 PM
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Building Our Union
Our Next Steps

We are providing this guide to give every pilot a better sense of what will happen after the election and to answer your questions about what having ALPA representation will mean to us as Colgan pilots. But until December 17, our primary focus must remain on the task at hand: winning the election and securing ALPA representation. Every pilot needs to vote—not voting is a vote against representation under NMB rules!

If you have already voted, we thank you and encourage you to remind others to cast their vote. If you are still undecided, please attend one of our informational meetings, check out our website at www.alpa.org/colgan, or contact any member of the Organizing Committee listed on the back cover for more information about how joining ALPA will help our careers here at Colgan.

Working Within ALPA: The Fee for Departure Working Group

You may not know that ALPA already represents 14 different fee-for-departure carriers, representing
over 16,000 pilots flying under the colors of every major airline. With all of those groups working
together, we can increase the bargaining power of fee-for-departure pilots who currently find their
flying coming and going at the whim of mainline partners.

The Fee for Departure Working Group was founded on the principle that as managements work together, so should pilots. The goals of the Working Group are the same as the goals of all pilots—
ensuring reasonable pay, benefits, work rules, and job security, recognizing the pilots’ contribution to
the success of their company, and improving the quality of life for pilots and their families.

The Working Group is seeking to meet these goals by fostering collaboration between all fee-fordeparture carriers across all mainline partners. Specific goals include:

�� Industry-wide contract harmonization relating to pay, work rules, and benefits
�� Development of career pathways to mainline partners and the ability to follow flying between
fee-for-departure carriers, maintaining seniority and longevity
�� Mutual assistance to reduce the impact of industry consolidation
�� Increasing unity across carriers to improve collective bargaining strength

The Fee for Departure Working Group held a summit in March 2008 and another meeting in May. Prior
to the Board of Directors meeting in October, the Working Group met again, with more than 100 elected representatives from 14 carriers present to share in the discussion. At the October meeting, the Working Group revised its strategic plan to assist carriers heading into negotiations in 2009. The Working Group also hosts monthly conference calls between the MEC leadership of each pilot group.

Capt. Tom Wychor (Mesaba), one of the organizers of the first Fee for Departure Summit, summarized
the goals of the Working Group accordingly: “As members of the industry, we are working toward a
long-term goal. And that goal is to work within airline brands and across corporate lines to create
harmonized contract standards and pilot migration mechanisms that would allow pilots’ longevity and
seniority to follow their flying.”

OUR Careers OUR Choice OUR Union Within Colgan: Our LEC, MEC, and Committee Structure

ALPA at Colgan will include both elected officers and pilot volunteers. Below is a short overview of what ALPA will look like at Colgan. It is up to us to determine what volunteer committees we need; what is provided here is only a sample of the opportunities available to us as ALPA members.

Local Executive Councils
Your Local Executive Council, or LEC, includes the CA and FO status representatives, as well as an
LEC secretary-treasurer. Your LEC is your direct link to the resources ALPA offers and should be your
first call in the event of any company action against you, or if you have an idea to improve Colgan or the Association.

Master Executive Council
Your Master Executive Council, or MEC, is comprised of all the LEC and elected officers. The MEC is the face of Colgan Air inside ALPA and will participate with the MEC leadership of other carriers in collaborative efforts like the Fee for Departure Working Group.

The MEC also appoints the pilot group’s volunteer committees and guides them in their duties.

Volunteer Committees
We will have many volunteer committees at Colgan, including a Central Air Safety Committee, Hotel
Committee, and Jumpseat Committee. Listed below is a small sample of the most well-known ALPA
committees. If you would like to know more about ALPA committees, please contact an OC member.

Negotiating Committee
The Negotiating Committee represents the pilot group in collective bargaining negotiations with management. The Negotiating Committee is appointed by the MEC, which charges the pilot negotiators with the responsibility of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement that reflects the priorities of the pilot group. ALPA’s Representation Department offers a bargaining conference and a negotiations training seminar for committee members, and our pilot negotiators will be accompanied by an ALPA attorney at all times. They will also be joined by ALPA experts in Economic & Financial Analysis, Retirement &
Insurance, Scheduling, and other professional staff at appropriate times in the negotiations process.

The specific duties of the Negotiating Committee include:

• Reviewing all applicable pilot group contracts in the industry.
• Developing appropriate surveys to evaluate and establish crewmembers’ concerns and objectives for
contract negotiations.
• Reporting contract comparison findings and recommending changes to improve our contract.
• Assisting members in understanding the provisions of their contract.
• Maintaining constant and direct communication with the MEC throughout the negotiations process.
• Making periodic progress reports to the pilot group, consistent with good negotiating practices.

Scheduling Committee
The Scheduling Committee is the liaison between the pilot group and management in the bid and line
construction process. The Committee works to ensure that the lines built by the company follow the terms of the contract and the FARs, as well as to identify lines that create unsafe working conditions, such as a line that flip-flops between day and night flying.

“The Scheduling Committee coordinates with
management to ensure that lines produced by
the company are lines the pilots want to fly
and are contractually compliant.”
—Cory Tennen, ALPA Economic & Financial
Analysis Department, former Comair captain and Scheduling Committee member

Some of the Scheduling Committee’s duties include:

• Collecting and maintaining data regarding the allocation, assignment, or reduction of crewmember
assignments, trip pairings, reserve assignments, and lines of flying; junior manning; temporary duty
assignments; and schedule changes.
• Verifying daily scheduling practices and assignments to ensure compliance with the collective bargaining agreement.
• Working as an intermediary between the line pilot and the Company on daily scheduling practices.
• Maintaining pilot group knowledge of contract provisions related to scheduling rules.
• Coordinating schedule requirements with company marketing activities to ensure optimum utilization
of pilot time.
• Bringing to the attention of the MEC any suggestion(s) for improvement of bid line construction.

Grievance Committee
The Grievance Committee gathers, investigates, and compiles information regarding members’ grievance complaints. When you believe the company has violated your contractual rights, you should contact the Grievance Committee to bring your case to management. ALPA offers a grievance seminar every year for committee members.

Grievance Committee members engage in many aspects of contract enforcement, including:

• Maintaining grievance files and records in a complete and up-to-date manner.
• Serving as liaison to the ALPA Representation and Legal Departments on all local grievance matters,
and coordinating with them as necessary.
• Ensuring efficiency in processing a grievance or preparing for an arbitration hearing.
• Providing regular written activity reports on current and/or potential grievances to the MEC chairman.

Professional Standards Committee
The Professional Standards Committee maintains the professional standards of the pilot group. This
committee seeks to resolve issues that arise between pilots or that affect the professional standards of the pilot group, such as pilot competence, before management gets involved in the problem. ALPA offers professional standards training through its Engineering and Air Safety and Security and Human Performance Departments.

Members of the Professional Standards Committee:

• Maintain a thorough understanding of company procedures, requirements, and the ALPA Code of Ethics.
• Conduct in-depth investigations of problems referred to the committee and provide a recommended course of action as to the disposition of individual cases.
• Refer professional or ethical problems to the MEC in the event a resolution to a problem cannot be successfully reached at the committee level.
• Hold all interviews, correspondence, and other written material in the strictest of confidence throughout the investigation of a professional standards problem.
• Maintain close contact with the Grievance Committee and MEC chairman.

“As a Contract Compliance Committee member,
it is my job to help pilots enforce their contractual rights. Sometimes that is just making a call to a chief pilot; in other cases, it is helping our ALPA contract administrator prepare for an arbitration hearing.”
—Capt. Chris Grable, ExpressJet
Contract Compliance Committee member

After the Election
After a successful representation election, our work is still only half done to create a functioning, effective volunteer structure and MEC to serve our pilot group and address the concerns that formed the basis for the organizing drive. The first set of initiatives we will take after the election includes:

�� Holding a membership drive to enroll all Colgan pilots as ALPA members. Voting ALPA in does not yet make us individual members; all pilots will still need to fill out membership applications. The membership applications will be mailed within a
couple of weeks after the election ends.
�� Establish our representation structure, including Local Executive Councils.
�� Appoint interim MEC/LEC officers to facilitate the membership drive and begin building relationships within ALPA.
�� Following enrollment of a majority of Colgan pilots in ALPA, holding nominations meetings and elections for status representatives.

No pilot will be charged dues during the first 90 days following the election, to allow time to return and process membership applications. In order to attend LEC meetings, vote, or run for a position or
volunteer, you must be an ALPA member.

Following the acceptance of your application, each pilot will immediately gain access to the following individual benefits of ALPA membership (this list is not exhaustive):

�� Aeromedical services
�� Representation in front of the FAA and other government agencies
�� Emergency Incident Response access, i.e., the “Orange Card”
�� Right to vote and voice your opinions to your MEC and ALPA officers

It is also important to point out that electing ALPA as our representative will not instantly cure all of our ills. Until we have a contract in place, management still retains some rights to change some of our work rules and employee policies, with the caveat that they must have a reasonable business justification for doing so and not implement the new policy discriminatorily or punitively for voting in a union.

We will work, though, to begin the process of negotiating a collective bargaining contract as soon as possible, especially to negotiate and implement a grievance procedure and start the discussion over
work rules and scheduling policies to improve our quality of life. Our strength at the table and our ability to get things done will reflect the unity we show in the election and following.

We urge you again, if you have not voted, to VOTE. And if you have voted, remind a colleague about the role he or she can play to make Colgan better for all of us.
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