ALPA 101 Training for ‘the Future of This Union’

“Being a pilot rep can be one of the most difficult jobs in ALPA—but it can also be the most rewarding,” noted F/O Tyler Hawkins, the Association’s vice president–administration/secretary and Leadership Committee chair.

To help newly elected local council reps and officers step into this essential role, the union held its ALPA 101 Rep Training on August 11–12 at the Association’s McLean, Virginia, headquarters.

“The future of this union is all of you in this room,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA’s president, when welcoming the reps. He thanked them for stepping up for their fellow pilots and contributing to the union’s path forward. “Members like you have been the key to advancing safety and negotiating stronger contracts. Every new contract, every safety win, every grievance is championed by ALPA members who step up and serve our union,” he remarked.

A total of 27 reps from 14 pilot groups attended the training, hearing from Leadership Committee members and staff experts while networking with their fellow reps and the staff who will assist them.

You’re Elected…. What’s Next?

Hawkins began the training with the aptly titled session “You’re Elected…. What’s Next?” He discussed the various paths pilot volunteers took and their reasons for raising their hand and reviewed important tools of the trade: ALPA’s Constitution & By-Laws and the Administrative Manual.

Hawkins also emphasized the network of support available to every ALPA pilot group, including national officers, executive vice presidents, national committees, the ALPA Canada Board, master executive council officers, and professional staff members and subject-matter experts.

“By the end of this event,” he said, “we want you to feel equipped as a rep,” stressing that they don’t need to have all the answers but do need to know where to get answers to support and serve their pilots.

Hawkins reviewed the Association’s governance structure with attendees and their roles, emphasizing that local council status reps also serve as members of both their pilot group master executive councils and the Association’s Board of Directors (BOD)—the union’s highest governing body.

Association Resources and Rep Duties

Other sessions detailed ALPA’s vast resources. During one session, Balloting and Local Council Services staffers highlighted the integral role of council services coordinators in supporting reps. In another session, Human Resources Department staff gave an overview of the various Association departments.

The Engineering & Air Safety Department provided important information on ALPA’s Accident/Serious Incident Hotline, which can be found on the Association’s “Orange Card,” and the Pilot Peer Support network of volunteers. Pilots also heard about propilot advocacy efforts in the United States and Canada from the Government Affairs Department and the importance of the duty of fair representation from the Legal Department.

The course also included primers on some of the duties ALPA reps will carry out during their term. Attendees participated in an interactive discussion regarding representing their pilots in disciplinary matters; reviewed the steps to plan and run a local council meeting; and heard from a panel of experts from the Legal and Representation Departments regarding relevant labor laws, their role in the negotiations process, and best practices for communicating with their pilots.

A number of other pilot leaders joined remotely for the first in a series of virtual town halls designed to prepare delegates for the upcoming BOD meeting. The presentation detailed the work they’ll undertake in plenary session and delegate committees, such as acting on a broad range of agenda items, including updating ALPA’s strategic plan, and electing all four of the union’s national officers as well as Group A, B, and C executive vice presidents.

Takeaways

Capt. Stewart Bloomfield (Piedmont), Council 35 captain rep and vice chair, has been in the position for approximately five months and took the opportunity to participate in this mid-year training.

“I attended to learn how to be a more effective representative for my pilot group,” he said. “As the saying goes, knowledge is power; so to better assist Piedmont pilots, I felt it was vital that I attend.”

Bloomfield noted that the training will better prepare him for the upcoming BOD meeting and his role in helping to shape the union’s strategic plan. As a former law enforcement officer, he appreciated the guidance on how to properly support pilots in disciplinary events, including the emphasis on interviewing and investigating issues.

“I’m always looking to improve things for our pilots, so having a proper knowledge base is extremely critical,” he observed. “Doing right by the ones who elected me to be their voice is important; I need to ensure that I can find answers and articulate pilot concerns, and this training will definitely help me do that.”