Release #01.111
October 19, 2001

Pilots Union at Northwest Airlines Reelects Officers to Two-Year Terms

MEMPHIS--- Leaders of the unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, representing Northwest Airlines pilots today reelected their incumbent slate of officers to new two-year terms. The vote among representatives on the Northwest pilots union governing body, the Master Executive Council (MEC), yielded a second two-year term for Capt. Mark McClain (chairman), Capt. Scott Donaldson (vice-chairman), and First Officer Don Burnham (secretary/treasurer). The new terms will begin Jan. 1, 2002.

"I’m honored to be elected to a second term as chairman of the Northwest pilots MEC, and Scott, Don, and I look forward to serving our fellow pilots for two more years," McClain said. "These are unprecedented times, but our pilots will be well represented as NWA emerges from the recent events and once again builds a reputation as an industry leader."

Before becoming the pilot group’s chairman in December 1999, McClain served on the union’s negotiating committee for three-and-a-half years, a period that included contract negotiations and a 15-day strike that ended in September 1998. He flew for Republic Airlines in 1985, one year before that airline’s merger with Northwest. McClain has served in a variety of ALPA positions in his tenure with Republic and Northwest. He became DC-9 captain in 1995, and began flying as a B-727 captain in 1999.

Northwest hired Donaldson in February 1985, after he served seven years in the US Navy. Since then, he has flown mostly international operations on the B-747-200 and -400. Until 1996, he also flew A-7s and F-16s for the Air National Guard out of Sioux Falls, SD. Donaldson has worked as a Northwest Airlines instructor pilot and has held several union positions.

Burnham came to Northwest in November 1988. Except for short periods of duty on the B-727 and the DC-10, he has spent the majority of his time flying B-747s. Before being elected to serve as the Secretary/Treasurer of the MEC, he served two terms as an ALPA Local Executive Council representative for Council 55 in Anchorage.

The Northwest pilots Master Executive Council is made up of 18 representatives and three officers elected from the more than 6,500 Northwest pilots. The Air Line Pilots Association is the world’s oldest and largest pilots union, representing 66,000 pilots at 47 carriers in the United States and Canada. ALPA’s website is cf.alpa.org.

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ALPA CONTACT: Will Holman (612) 840-7749