Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA’s president, gives his report to the Executive Board, noting that some within the airline industry are attempting to implement reduced-crew operations and how ALPA is working to address the issue.

ALPA’s master executive council (MEC) chairs, national officers, and executive vice presidents assembled in Washington, D.C., on September 9–10 for the Association’s 135th regular Executive Board meeting. In conducting the business of the union as well as preparing for the Association’s Board of Directors (BOD) meeting in October, Executive Board members (41 MEC chairs or their proxies) acted on 23 agenda items and heard reports from ALPA’s national officers and several subject-matter experts on key Association initiatives and resources. The meeting began with reports from ALPA’s national officers.

“As I navigate my term as ALPA president, one of my guiding principles is the desire to break down barriers between pilot groups, committees, and across our industry to find new solutions and ways of working that make our union, profession, and industry safer and stronger,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, the Association’s president. Acknowledging that the Executive Board meeting coincided with the first two days of ALPA’s 68th annual Air Safety Forum, he noted, “As we all gather in one place this week, I hope we all have the opportunity to collaborate and break down barriers. As pilots, safety is ingrained into everything we do, and as we meld our governing bodies with our safety bodies this week, let’s keep that spirit of collaboration.”

Ambrosi spoke extensively about efforts within the airline industry to implement reduced-crew operations (RCO) on airline flight decks and how ALPA is working with other groups to address this issue. “We all rely on having at least a second brain, set of hands, and set of eyes on the flight deck,” he observed. “That’s why we’re so concerned about Airbus’s efforts to introduce single-pilot capable aircraft in just a few years.”

During his report, Ambrosi discussed the status of ALPA’s $50 million dues return offer, which represents 16 percent of the total dues collected in 2023. He also acknowledged the efforts of Air Canada pilots who, at the time of the meeting, were confronting a strike countdown. “To Air Canada pilots: we’ll continue to stand with you until you have the contract you’ve earned. We have your back,” he asserted.

Capt. Wendy Morse, ALPA’s first vice president and national safety coordinator, highlighted the work of the Association’s Air Safety Organization, acknowledging the importance of the Air Safety Forum to the mission of the Association. She also discussed the RCO threat; recent NTSB investigations and ALPA’s participation; and the Association’s ongoing “Are You in the Green?” campaign, which promotes pilot self-assessment and evaluation before stepping onto an airline flight deck.

“The work we do together is more than a responsibility—it’s a privilege to help guide this union through a time of significant change and challenge in our industry,” said Morse. “It’s in these moments that our unity and resolve matter most, and I’m proud to be part of a leadership team that is so deeply committed to ensuring the safety, security, and success of our members.”

“Much of the work we focus on—individually and together—involves updating this organization, improving the way we do things to better meet the demands of the airline pilot profession while promoting the North American airline industry,” said Capt. Sean Creed, the Association’s vice president–administration/secretary. “To improve ALPA, we’re looking for new ways to streamline processes and procedures and take advantage of the latest technologies.”

Creed provided examples through the work of the Information Technology Advisory Committee to update available IT tools and preparations and deadlines for the upcoming BOD meeting. He also spoke about the recent efforts of the Association’s Professional Development Group to promote the airline piloting profession to the next generation, train elected pilot leaders, and assist current members through the different phases of their airline pilot experience.

“ALPA is in a strong financial position. That’s evidenced in so many areas, most notably in our ability to conduct the first-of-its-kind across-the-board dues return offer,” remarked Capt. Wes Clapper, ALPA’s vice president–finance/treasurer. “Almost all decisions boil down to funding and finances to fulfill our advocacy efforts and to properly fund pilot initiatives and activities.”

As chair of the Structure, Services, and Financial Review Committee, Clapper talked about how the committee is exploring opportunities to make the most of member dues resources and ensure they’re being allocated in the best interest of the pilots. He reminded Executive Board members, “If there are policies you notice within your pilot group that you think need to be addressed, please get in touch with me and we’ll take a look.”

Association Resources

During the plenary session, Capt. Tim Perry, ALPA Canada president, also briefed the Executive Board on activities in Canada since the group met last May. These included “newly negotiated contracts, progression on a number of our Government Affairs priorities, and major developments in building our communications strategies.” In addition, he addressed organizing efforts and “the challenges of integrating Sunwing pilots into the ALPA family by way of their ongoing merger with WestJet.”

The meeting also featured presentations about important Association member resources. Dr. Quay Snyder, ALPA’s aeromedical advisor and president of the Aviation Medicine Advisory Service (AMAS), discussed the health and medical certification advice his organization provides to Association pilots and the efforts by the AMAS staff to routinely engage with the FAA’s Medical Certification Branch.

Snyder observed that in the last 12 months, his organization has assisted more than 11,200 ALPA pilots. In addition, he covered some of the recent medical certification changes, including the decision to delegate certain FAA-based decisions regarding pilot fitness to the attending aviation medical examiners (AMEs). The agency recognizes that, based on its proximity to pilots, AMEs are in a better position to conduct meaningful evaluations, and this change ultimately expedites the pilot-assessment process.

Last October, ALPA’s president established the President’s Grievance Committee to offer guidance, provide resources, and promote best practices for contract-enforcement actions at the Association’s various pilot groups. Capt. David Kidder (JetBlue), who chairs the committee, addressed the Executive Board, detailing current grievance tools and initiatives to further help protect and defend the contractual rights of all ALPA pilots. He also discussed the development of a more useful and effective dispute-tracking system.

During the second day of the proceedings, Capt. Ronan O’Donoghue (Alaska), ALPA’s Strategic Preparedness and Strike Committee (SPSC) chair, and Creed reviewed how the SPSC and Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) are working together to support pilot groups, highlighting available resources and providing recent real-life case studies. “This is our second year of joint committee work,” said O’Donoghue, who noted that the close collaboration and coordination between the two groups has helped more than 90 percent of the union’s MECs advance their strategic priorities

Both pilots underscored the use of Go Teams—pilots and staff from several departments assigned to MECs—and strategic planning to help pilot groups maximize their efforts. They also described new initiatives such as the use of Fact Teams to keep pilots educated and informed during contract-ratification processes and noted that the committees are revisiting long-standing programs like Family Awareness to determine how they can be more effectively used.

The Business of the Union

For the balance of the meeting, Executive Board members deliberated on agenda items before the governing body—first in one of four delegate committees to which each member was assigned and then as a whole in plenary.

Agenda items included proposed updates to the Administrative Manual that covered areas like outside consultants and custodians, local council communications, and the union’s Major Contingency Fund. Proposed amendments to the Constitution & By-Laws addressed issues such as the approval necessary for the establishment of “super councils,” authorizing the election of additional status reps for local councils that have extremely large memberships. To be put forth by the Executive Board, proposed changes to the Constitution & By-Laws require a two-thirds majority vote, which must be followed by a two-thirds approval vote by the BOD to enact that Constitution & By-Laws change.

To be enacted, changes to the latter document require a two-thirds majority vote by the Executive Board followed by BOD approval.

Summing up the actions of the Executive Board, Ambrosi observed, “The united culture that we’ve built at ALPA is the advantage that we bring with us in everything we do. By working together, we’ve redefined our career and our industry, and we’re just getting started.

“Before we meet again, we’ll face our fair share of challenges,” he added. “But with our strong and united voice, we’ll overcome them and continue to build a stronger and safer profession, industry, and union for every ALPA member.”