January 22, 2014

Fellow ALPA Members:

In light of the recent ASA/ExpressJet contract rejection and the American Eagle negotiations, I’ve received e-mails from many pilots. I’ve responded to the individual e-mails but want to make sure my views and ALPA’s actions are more widely known. The life of pilots at Fee-for-Departure carriers is hard. Low pay, career stagnation, and aggressive management efforts to erode ALPA pilot leaders’ hard-won contract victories are the norm these days.

You have expressed concern about current negotiations and your future. Starting in 2000, ALPA leadership, fellow ALPA members and ALPA staff supported Comair pilots during their 90-day strike, rallied behind ExpressJet pilots in 2003 to negotiate an industry-leading contract, and in 2011 applied massive resources to help Pinnacle, Mesaba and Colgan pilots gain a superior single contract in just over 100 days. In between those landmark victories, the same commitment and resources were put to work at Air Wisconsin, Jazz, Atlantic Coast/Independence, ASA, Piedmont, PSA, Mesa and many others -- whether making improvements or protecting pilots during company bankruptcies.

So what has changed about ALPA's actions? Nothing. We are the same hard-working Union that supported those negotiations. In fact, I firmly believe your Union's commitment to all pilots -- no matter what company they work for and what kind of airplane they fly -- has only gotten stronger. But the airline industry has changed. Financial scrutiny resulted in consolidation and capacity reduction at brand carriers, and the same thing is now happening industry wide.

As hard as ALPA works to shape the landscape, we aren't in complete control of the industry changes underway, or company financial decisions to stop doing business like Comair, or file for bankruptcy like Pinnacle. Those decisions impact other industry competitors too. Pilots aren't to blame, and we have to think our way through the industry cycle that's underway. The response by pilot groups in this environment has been varied. Last week, pilots of ASA and XJT overwhelmingly rejected a concessionary contract and sent a message to their management team. The Association is working aggressively with elected pilot leaders on a path forward there.

ALPA is founded on the principle that each pilot group, and its local leaders, gets to make bargaining decisions. As always, the Association provides support from fellow pilots, professional resources, financial backing and legislative and regulatory access among other things.

Next week your elected leaders will be getting together as a group at ALPA headquarters in Herndon, Virginia to discuss these issues, and we will be here to help plot the course and execute on their direction.

Your Union will continue to dedicate the necessary resources to the fight, call for airline brands to take more responsibility for your carriers, and enlist the National Mediation Board to help solve these problems. As our record has shown, working together we can emerge with stronger contracts and more robust career opportunities.

ALPA is unyielding in its mission. Our Union will devote its full resources to protect and improve the careers of all our members. In the end, we are all pilots. And I believe in Pilots – Period. Full Stop.