Meet Your APA Government Affairs Committee

Key Points

• We believe the best advocates for pilots ARE pilots – American Airlines pilots. That’s why we have active line pilots lobbying for us in Washington, backed up by professional advisors.
• When we’re not flying the line, we’re meeting with members of Congress and their staff and fighting for the things that all of us care about.
• Having line pilots delivering our message to elected officials ensures the unique concerns of AA pilots are heard on Capitol Hill.
• Line pilots add credibility to the issues we bring to our representatives in Washington. Legislators are frequent flyers who appreciate talking with pilots because they know that pilots understand their issues.
• Our team gets results on the Hill, with APA’s pilots being lauded as lobbyists of the year multiple times.
• We’re independent and proud – and we make our voices heard for the benefit of only our members.
• The Benton House, our base of operations on Capitol Hill, has saved the union tens of thousands of dollars in hotel room costs and has more than doubled in value since its purchase. The property has been showcased by Politico magazine for its location and functionality.

Click the image to watch a short video about your Government Affairs Committee.

Communications Committee member FO Shalyn Marchetti wrote the following profile, one in a series highlighting national committees.

Washington, D.C., is where the laws and regulations that govern this great nation and directly impact us come from, and it’s where APA’s Government Affairs Committee serves as your voice. The Government Affairs Committee works with policymakers to help ensure they understand the impact of their decisions on you.

APA: Working for YOU

The Government Affairs Committee operates differently than the lobbying efforts of other unions. “Every single one of our members is a current, qualified line pilot. It gives us credibility. We bring our experience to D.C.,” Government Affairs Committee Chair CA Harvey Meek said. “Our mission as the Government Affairs Committee is educating members of Congress about what professional pilots do.”

“We want to make lawmakers understand what we need for our careers, not just for us but for the future generations,” Deputy Chair FO Bryan Lingle said. “There’s a certain science to working in Washington. You have to understand the legislative process. But it’s also an art — an interpersonal art. You want to be memorable, and you may only have 60 seconds to do it. You want lawmakers to walk away thinking ‘That guy knows what he’s talking about. We should schedule a follow-on meeting.’”

Deputy Chair FO Brian Bell said brevity is key, because members of Congress or their staffers may have only a minute to spare. “Statistics show that every 45 seconds lawmakers are being approached about a new issue,” FO Bell said. “So, when we talk, we have to be short and to the point. We might have five or six issues that we want to talk about, but we have to focus on the one or two issues that really matter.”

CA Meek said the Government Affairs Committee advocates in three primary areas: safety, security, and jobs. “On the safety front alone, we’re dealing with several separate issues, including minimum First Officer qualifications, flight time-duty time limits, and aircraft evacuation time. When it comes to security, the one that comes to mind is adding a secondary barrier to protect the flight deck door. This has been a long project, starting shortly after 9/11.”

CA Meek pointed out that APA stood firm while regional carriers pushed for a reduction in First Officer qualification requirements and the unions representing regional pilots signaled their acceptance. APA prevailed, and the requirements have remained the same. He also noted that when other unions supported allowing the National Transportation Safety Board to record interviews with pilots after incidents and accidents, without an assurance that the recordings would be destroyed, APA stood firm. And when other unions bowed to pressure and advocated for appointing bureaucrats to positions of leadership within the FAA, we resisted that pressure and maintained our support for candidates with labor and aviation expertise.

“We’re maintaining the gold standard of aviation in the country,” said FO Lingle.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) hosted APA President CA Ed Sicher for a meeting in September 2022.

One Union, One Membership

When it comes to our jobs, the Government Affairs Committee has had a big hand in protecting us. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel demand plummeted, the committee was on Capitol Hill working to secure payroll protection for our pilots. APA enlisted its membership to send tens of thousands of emails to lawmakers, and lawmakers heard our message loud and clear. Without the payroll protection that the federal government provided, the industry would have collapsed. What the committee was able to accomplish with the three rounds of payroll protection in the CARES Act was unprecedented. Your APA volunteers fought for you, and the entire industry benefited from their efforts.

The pandemic isn’t the only threat that could have a profound impact on our jobs. “We’ve been fighting the flag-of-convenience model for years,” CA Meek said. “We’re making sure that U.S. carriers can’t suddenly claim a foreign country’s flag. That would allow them to outsource to countries that have lax labor standards and minimum regulatory oversight.”

Yet you can’t just go into Congress and demand to speak to lawmakers. “There are two avenues for advocating in D.C.,” CA Meek said. “One is through meetings on Capitol Hill. But there we’re meeting with staffers, not the elected members, although the elected members do rely heavily on their staffers for direction on how to vote for individual issues. The other avenue is through PAC events.” 

As an independent union, APA doesn’t encounter any conflicts of interest that prevent us from fighting solely for the pilots of APA. We’re not beholden to a larger entity such as the AFL-CIO. When our Government Affairs Committee speaks, they speak on our behalf and work for gains that benefit the pilots of APA. The Government Affairs Committee works for only you, the pilots of APA.

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) visited APA headquarters to address our Board of Directors in March 2018.

Working for You and Answering Only to You, the Pilots of APA

Donations to the APA Political Action Committee by APA members enable the committee to meet with lawmakers face to face. “It allows us to build relationships. It gives American Airlines pilots a greater voice in Washington,” FO Lingle said. “We’re helping make sure that the laws they pass that are good for us as pilots, whether that’s enhancing aviation security, securing our jobs, everything.”

The PAC serves to give APA credibility in Washington. “For instance, I had a PAC breakfast with a lawmaker awhile back. We spoke about issues for about an hour. It allowed us to build a nice rapport,” FO Lingle said. “And then three weeks ago, that same lawmaker called my personal cell phone to ask about several issues. That kind of relationship doesn’t happen without the PAC. The PAC allows us to operate effectively in that space.”

FO Bell adds, “When we meet with staffers, there’s a funnel of information that goes through to lawmakers. But with PAC events, there’s no funnel. It’s giving us one-on-one time with the lawmakers that are voting yes or no on your piece of legislation.”

The Benton House: APA’s Capitol Hill Headquarters

When APA first committed to maintaining a presence on Capitol Hill back in the 1990s, our pilot lobbyists stayed in hotel rooms. The cost proved exorbitant, particularly because hotels raise their rates when Congress is in session. The union then began leasing a house on Capitol Hill and eventually explored the feasibility of buying property, rather than paying someone else’s mortgage. The Benton House — named after longtime APA pilot advocate CA Johnathan Benton, who tragically lost his life in a January 2023 aircraft accident — has proven to be a superb financial investment and stands as a highly visible reminder of APA’s presence in our nation’s capital.

Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) spoke at the Benton House dedication ceremony in March 2023.

One Union, One Responsibility

“It’s important that we have a seat at the table. What Washington decides directly governs our careers and professions,” CA Meek said. “When we advocate in D.C., it’s for our membership—the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines.” 

And there is one additional thing the committee members want you to know: Feel free to reach out. “We want to make sure members know they can contact us. We’re available, and we’re here to serve you,” CA Meek said. “We’re in D.C. to support our industry, our members, and your careers. Full stop.”