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News from ALPA International |
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November 13, 2012 |
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UAL, CAL MECs Send TA to Pilots for Ratification Vote |
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The United and
Continental MECs have
voted to accept a
tentative agreement on a
joint collective
bargaining agreement
reached with United
Continental Holdings,
Inc. The agreement now
goes before the pilots
for a ratification vote.
UAL MEC chairman Capt.
Jay Heppner and CAL MEC
chairman Capt. Jay
Pierce said the
following in a joint
statement:
“With this step, we are
closer to a new contract
that will provide gains
in compensation, work
rules, job protections,
and retirement and
benefits for our pilots
and their families. We
will finally begin to
see the benefits of the
merger that were
promised to us and an
end to the concessionary
and bankruptcy-era
contracts we have lived
and worked under for
more than a decade.
“This agreement represents years
of determination and unity demonstrated by the pilots of both airlines during
the two-and-a-half years of negotiations for a new contract following the merger
announcement. Pilots from both United and Continental Airlines will now
determine whether this agreement addresses their contributions to the success of
the airline.”
Read more.
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ALPA Applauds House Passage of EU ETS Prohibition Act |
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 The
Air Line Pilots
Association, Int’l,
applauds passage of the
bipartisan Thune-McCaskill
European Union Emissions
Trading Scheme (EU ETS)
Prohibition Act (S.
1956) by the U.S. House
of Representatives
today. S. 1956 provides
the U.S. Secretary of
Transportation with the
authority to prohibit
U.S. carriers from
participating in the EU
ETS. The legislation
will now be sent to the
president.“We urge
President Obama to
swiftly sign this bill
into law. By doing so,
he will protect U.S. air
carriers from paying an
illegal tax and
safeguard American jobs
and the sovereignty of
our nation,” said ALPA
president, Capt. Lee
Moak. “We thank members
of Congress for
supporting this bill,
which will allow the
International Civil
Aviation Organization [ICAO]
to focus its efforts on
creating a global
solution to reducing
aircraft emissions.”
Under the EU ETS, all
airlines using EU
airports would be
required to pay
significant taxes for
each ton of carbon used
over historical
emissions. The EU ETS
could cost U.S. carriers
an estimated $3.1
billion over the next 10
years, which could lead
to lost airline jobs.
Read more.
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DPCF Contribution from SMRA Refund |
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 In
August 2012, the Delta
MEC voted to refund a
substantial portion of
the Special MEC Reserve
Account to the Delta
pilots. The SMRA refund
represents a return of
over $7 million of those
dues, while
demonstrating the MEC’s
confidence that it will
continue to remain
financially well
prepared to face any
challenges that may lie
ahead.
Pilots were offered
the opportunity to
donate any portion of
their refunds to the
Delta Pilots Charitable
Fund. In total, the
Delta pilots contributed
$50,911.61 to the fund.
The DPCF was formed in
1999 by Delta pilots and
supports nonprofits that
provide services to
children primarily in
areas where Delta pilots
work and live.
Since its inception,
the DPCF has donated
over $1 million to over
50 children’s charities.
The charity is managed
and funded entirely by
Delta pilots and their
fund-raising efforts.
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ALPA Responds to Seasonal Employment of Foreign Pilots in Canada |
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 ALPA issued the
following response to
the Canadian
Transportation Agency
(CTA) release this week
of two decisions. The
CTA confirmed that
Sunwing Airlines Inc.
operates within Canada’s
foreign ownership and
control limits. The
agency also approved
Sunwing’s application
for wet lease of foreign
aircraft and pilots
through spring 2013.
“The Canadian
Transportation Agency’s
recent decisions
confirming that Sunwing
Airlines continues to be
controlled by Canadians
and approving the
airline’s application to
use foreign flight crews
and aircraft on a
seasonal basis
underscore a growing
concern in the Canadian
airline industry.
“While we respect the
CTA’s decision on
ownership, the fact of
the matter is that for
this winter season, more
than half of Sunwing’s
pilots will be foreign,
and two-thirds of their
aircraft will be leased
from abroad.”
Read more.
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ASO Plans for Improved Training Programs in 2013 |
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The ALPA Air Safety
Organization (ASO)
conducted a two-day
workshop in ALPA’s
Herndon conference
center November 6–7 to
review the curricula of
all ASO-sponsored
training courses and
prepare for the 2013
training year. Fifteen
pilot
instructors—representing
ALPA’s Safety, Security,
and Pilot Assistance
disciplines, and
Engineering and Air
Safety department
staff—collaborated in an
effort to ensure the
quality, efficiency, and
integration of all their
training events for the
coming year.
As part of this
review, ALPA’s Safety
Two School (STS) course
curriculum was reviewed
by subject matter
experts with a focus on
Safety Management
Systems (SMS), the
Aviation Safety Action
Program (ASAP), Flight
Operations Quality
Assurance (FOQA), and
central air safety
chairman (CASC) duties.
The group agreed to
separate the current STS
content into two
separate training
events. The STS course
will remain available to
central air safety
chairmen, local air
safety chairmen,
technical group leaders,
and project team
leaders, and continue to
provide them with a
foundation in the
administrative and
managerial skills needed
to efficiently and
effectively lead safety
representatives.
A new Risk Management
Course (RMC) course will
further familiarize
experienced safety
representatives with
current safety reporting
programs, such as SMS,
ASAP, and FOQA, and
provide them with the
functional knowledge
required to work
successfully with
management and
regulatory
representatives in the
areas of hazard
identification and risk
management. The RMC is
currently planned to be
offered in the spring of
2013.
ASO pilot reps and Engineering and Air Safety staff meet to discuss 2013 training. |
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Thank You, AERF Supporters! More Help Is Needed |
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 The
ALPA Emergency Relief
Fund (AERF) pilot
directors wish to
thank those pilots and
staff who have answered
the call for donations
to help ALPA members and
their families adversely
affected by Sandy, the
largest Atlantic
hurricane on record.
AERF has raised
thousands of dollars in
recent weeks thanks to
your gracious support,
but more aid is needed
as those who live in the
affected areas continue
to recover from the
storm’s effects.AERF
pilot directors have
been in contact with
ALPA members whose homes
are devastated. Others
continue to have no
clean water or
electricity. Because
AERF provides for the
immediate needs of ALPA
pilots and their
families who fall victim
to these kinds of
widespread disasters,
your donations make a
tremendous difference in
helping these fellow
members begin to put
their lives in order.
If you recently
donated to AERF, thank
you! Your support means
the world to the
affected pilots and
their families. If you
have yet to act, please
make a contribution
today. Requests for
grants are rapidly
eroding this important
ALPA benefit, and new
requests for assistance
continue to pour in.
To make a donation,
please visit
www.alpa.org/ReliefFund.
Remember that
contributions are
tax-deductible in the
United States. Watch a
brief video about
the importance of AERF
and how it helped an
ALPA family in need.
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In the Latest Air Line Pilot |
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 Find
out what decisive action
was taken at the 44th
ALPA Board of Directors
meeting. Check out the
ride on a new Boeing 787
from a passenger’s seat.
Read what effect the
replacement refs had
during the opening games
on this National
Football League season.
Plus, learn about the
ALPA Engineering and
Safety Department’s
Accident Investigation
Lab.
All of this and more
is in the
November 2012 issue of
Air Line Pilot
magazine. Grab your
copy or read the
magazine online today.
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IFALPA Leaflet Addresses Cosmic Radiation |
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 The
International Federation
of Air Line Pilots’
Associations (of which
ALPA is a member)
adopted a new policy on
cosmic radiation at its
annual conference
earlier this year.
Our solar cycle is
now moving into a period
of increased activity,
with the peak estimated
in 2013. In preparation,
IFALPA has issued a
medical briefing leaflet
to inform airline pilots
about the facts and
myths surrounding cosmic
radiation.
Read the
IFALPA medical briefing
leaflet.
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 An FAA-funded survey is
being conducted under
the Airport Cooperative
Research Program’s (ACRP)
Guidebook for Energy
Facilities’
Compatibility with
Airports and Airspace
Project #02-38. The
purpose of the survey is
to obtain empirical
information from pilots
on the sources of solar
glare and their effects.
The survey should
take you only five
minutes to complete, and
your answers are
confidential.
Take the survey.
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Get the Scoop! Read “ALPA Daily” |
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 The
aviation industry is changing faster than ever before. The new
“ALPA Daily”
feature at www.alpa.org will keep you informed
of 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 pilots and the piloting
profession.
ALPA members can sign up to receive ALPA Daily in their e-mail:
•
Visit
this link.
• Log in with your ALPA member number and password.
• Select “E-mail Distribution Lists.”
• Check the box for “ALPA Daily.”
• Submit your request.
MSN Money asks the question “Is the U.S. airline industry facing an impending
shortage of qualified pilots?”
Read the answer.
According to Australian Aviation magazine, Airbus deliveries reached
an all-time year-to-date record at the end of October with 462 aircraft
delivered to 76 customers.
Read more.
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The ALPA Board of Directors held its 14th Convention November 5–12, 1956. During
this week, the BOD extended the ALPA president’s term of office from two to four
years. The group reelected Clarence Sayen to a third term as ALPA president,
established the annual Air Safety Award for “outstanding contribution by members
in the field of air safety,” and created a committee to investigate safety
concerns related to the transportation of hazardous materials. Return to top
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Feedback & E-mail Address Changes |
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| Questions or comments on this FastRead? Give us your feedback at
communications@alpa.org. If you have moved or changed your ISP or e-mail
address, please update your ALPA records. If you don’t, you
will no longer receive the ALPA FastRead and other e-mail bulletins and notices,
and once your postal forwarding order expires, you’ll no longer receive the
magazine and other ALPA mail. You can do it yourself by going to
www.alpa.org and logging
in. Go to “My ALPA” in the menu at the top of the page, and from there, you’ll be
instructed how to make the necessary changes. If you don’t have access to the
members-only section of
www.alpa.org, you can
e-mail your requests by sending them to
membership@alpa.org. Be sure to include your member number or enough other
information so that we can identify you in the membership database, and tell us
what information needs to be updated. Please note that it is not sufficient
just to notify your LEC or MEC of these changes—you should register them with
the ALPA Membership Department in Herndon. Can’t remember your member number
or how to log in? Need information about your ALPA insurance programs? These and
other questions about ALPA services can be answered by contacting
membership@alpa.org. Return to top
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Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW
| Washington, DC 20036 | 703-689-2270 |
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