Elected Local Council Reps Train to Become ALPA Leaders

By John Perkinson, Senior Staff Writer

One of the many benefits of being an elected ALPA pilot leader is the extensive training the organization offers to help these pilot representatives better understand their duties and responsibilities. The cornerstone of this training is the annual Leadership Training Conference, which more than 70 local council status representatives and local executive council officers from 19 ALPA pilot groups attended on February 8–10 at the Association’s McLean, Va., offices.

For three days, attendees learned about the support and services available to them through presentations, engaging group discussions, and interactive breakout sessions. Activities were designed to help frontline pilot leaders develop their leadership skills and broaden their knowledge of the union’s capabilities and resources while improving their effectiveness in representing their members.

“I want to thank you for being here today and for taking up the mantle of responsibility to represent the pilot groups of this mighty union,” said Capt. Joe DePete, ALPA’s president, who welcomed the group. Explaining the advantages of representing the world’s largest pilot union, he noted, “You can draw on more than nine decades of experience that the ALPA members had who came before you. You can count on the professionalism, the expertise, and the dedication of the ALPA staff who stand behind you.”

ALPA’s Leadership Committee conducts this comprehensive training seminar, and F/O Mark Lockwood (Delta), ALPA’s Leadership Committee chair, shared his thoughts about the advantages of participating. “One of the benefits of attending this interactive training is the opportunity to make contact with pilot reps from other airlines,” he remarked. “In networking with your peers, you have the chance to tap into their knowledge and personal experiences, which can make your job that much easier when confronting new processes or challenges you’ve never previously handled.”

A component of ALPA’s Professional Development Group, the Leadership Committee routinely conducts the Leadership Training Conference to advance the strategic objective of enhancing elected pilot leaders’ effectiveness in carrying out their union responsibilities. Other Leadership Committee members assisting with this year’s event included Capt. Sean Creed (Spirit), ALPA’s Group B1 executive vice president; F/O Will DeShazer (United); and F/O Glen Gorrie (WestJet).

On the Agenda

A look at this year’s conference agenda offers a glimpse of what local council reps routinely do. In a segment titled “You’ve Just Been Elected…Now What?” Capt. Bill Couette, ALPA’s vice president–administration/secretary, explained that elected reps are likely to spend the bulk of their time

• Communicating with their members about council, pilot group, and airline issues, events, and activities;
• Representing pilots at ALPA’s governing body meetings and in interactions with management;
• Recruiting ALPA volunteers for committee positions and other roles; and
• Serving as real-time ALPA and pilot group references.

“Being a good ALPA rep takes perseverance, teamwork, and an openness to learn,” he said. Emphasizing the importance of promoting pilot unity, Couette added, “If we move the mountain an inch together, we make things better.”

Approximately 200 elected status and seniority block reps serve the union on multiple organizational levels—representing the pilots in their local councils and their pilot groups as members of the Master Executive Council (MEC). They also serve as members of ALPA’s Board of Directors (BOD), the Association’s highest governing body, playing a crucial role in the union’s governance and the conduct of its business.

Recognizing these multiple roles, the conference agenda covered duties like conducting union business. Couette, who oversees the Leadership Committee, reviewed requirements for how often local council meetings should be conducted, who can participate in local council voting, and the rules governing the use of quorums and proxies. In addition, he led a separate discussion on Robert’s Rules of Order, a widely accepted procedural guide to ensure that meetings are conducted fairly and efficiently. After seeing videos of “bad” and “good” ways of conducting a meeting, attendees participated in breakouts during which they put what they learned into practice—taking up and deliberating on a proposed resolution.

In another training segment, members of ALPA’s Strategic Planning and Leadership Committees joined staff from ALPA’s Representation Department to stress the importance of strategic planning at both the Association-wide and MEC levels. As BOD delegates, status reps will gather this fall for this governing body’s biennial meeting, in part, to continue ALPA’s strategic planning process and formulate and adopt a new two-year plan for the Association.

The group emphasized that for MECs, strategic planning provides a framework for identifying goals and the pathways to achieve them, while maximizing efforts to build pilot unity and support. In the ensuing breakout exercise, attendees collaborated on developing a timeline and prioritizing activities to support the negotiations process.

Conference attendees heard from staff attorneys in ALPA’s Legal and Representation Departments who explained the duty of fair representation, outlining the union’s obligation under federal law to represent all pilots in an ALPA-represented pilot group fairly, in good faith, and without discrimination. They outlined the union’s and management’s duty to bargain in good faith, detailing specific cases that affected various pilot groups. They also covered communications issues for union leaders and gave guidance on using social media.

Event participants also received briefings on the current economic outlook for the airline industry, learned about methods for effective interactions with pilots, and reviewed ALPA’s successful approach to handle member disciplinary cases. In addition, they heard a presentation from Dr. Quay Snyder, ALPA’s aeromedical advisor, who summarized the support his organization provides regarding pilot health issues and medical certification.

Fresh Perspectives

Attendees at this year’s event brought a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds, but all expressed an interest in improving their effectiveness as pilot leaders. “I’m new so the more information I can get on how to do my job, the better,” said Capt. Paula Battreal (FedEx Express), who’s the Memphis, Tenn., Seniority Block #2 rep for her pilot group. Battreal indicated she was attending the training seminar “to learn more about the resources available to do the job, which will make me a better and more effective rep.”

Entering office before attending training can be particularly difficult, even for a seasoned labor volunteer. F/O Marc Cervantes (Delta) started as Council 66’s interim vice chair when the previous officer, in the middle of the term, transferred to a new base. “I was overwhelmed,” said Cervantes, adding that the conference answered many of his questions. He noted that he attended the training, in part, to develop a better understanding of Section 6 negotiations.

Another attendee brought previous labor experience with another pilot union to the conference discussion. Capt. Shane Neville (Cargojet) serves as both the Council 203 captain rep and his pilot group’s MEC chair. The union’s newest pilot group, the Cargojet pilots joined ALPA last September. “This is my first ALPA experience, and I’m quite impressed,” he said.

F/O Sean Lee (Hawaiian), based in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Seniority Block #4 rep, said that he particularly enjoyed the segment from longtime labor pollster Phil Comstock. “I want to know what’s going on in the heads of our members and how to better engage with them,” Lee said.

“I’m always blown away by how truly dedicated the staff is,” said F/O Will Outlaw (Sun Country). “They’re here to help you with anything you need.” While this is Outlaw’s first Leadership Training Conference, he’s participated in numerous ALPA events, including media and Pilot-to-Pilot® training and Strategic Preparedness and Strike Committee functions.

Perhaps Capt. Ryan Fawcett (PSA), the Dayton, Ohio, council captain rep for his pilot group, best summarized what many of the attendees shared about the conference. “I want to be able to represent the pilot group better and develop the knowledge of what ALPA national can help us do at the local level,” he said.

ALPA’s local council leaders are elected to three-year terms based on their assignment to one of three election groups. The staggered cycles and assigned election groups help to ensure continuity at all governing body levels and the passing of historical knowledge. The Leadership Training Conference may be held at different times throughout the year to correspond with pilot group demand but is typically conducted in February to prepare those who will assume office when the next term begins on March 1.

This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of Air Line Pilot.