ALPA Pilots Join AFL-CIO Rally in Support of TSOs’ Right to Organize

Uniformed ALPA pilots stood out in a cheering crowd of hundreds of loyal union activists Tuesday, February 23, in front of AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C. Pilots joined the AFL-CIO–sponsored rally alongside representatives of a multitude of other AFL-CIO unions to support collective bargaining rights for Transportation Security Officers (TSOs).

Despite being denied the right to bargain collectively for the last eight years, over 12,000 TSOs have joined the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). At the demonstration, AFGE announced that it had filed a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to be the exclusive union representative for 40,000 Transportation Security Officers.

“ALPA supports the Transportation Security Officers’ intrinsic civil right to form and join a union,” said Captain John Prater, ALPA president. “Nobody should be denied the right to organize, seek workplace protections, and bargain collectively with a unified voice.”

Although their day was already packed with responsibilities during ALPA’s Leadership Training Conference, IFALPA director US-ALPA Captain Chris Lynch (CAL) and ALPA Leadership Committee chairman Captain Bill Dressler (XJT) took their lunchtime to travel into the District to join Captains Tim Royston (FDX) and Glenn Klopfer (UAL) in front of “labor’s house.” The pilots, who were greeted warmly by the exuberant crowd, carried ALPA signs and responded with the masses to repetitive chants of “What time is it? Union time.”