APA News Digest

June 21, 2024

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In This Edition ...

APA President Hosts National Town Hall

On June 19, APA President CA Ed Sicher hosted a national telephone town hall meeting, with the bulk of the town hall devoted to a question-and-answer session with participating pilots. APA Vice President CA Chris Torres, Safety Committee Chair CA Todd Wissing, Strategic Planning Committee Chair FO Scott Yancy, and Director of Benefits Marcy Scott were also on hand. Among the topics they addressed:

  • The status of The Line forums, with CA Sicher detailing the reasons for the suspension and expressing support for restoring the fleet forums.
  • The APA Strategic Plan, with FO Yancy providing an update on plan implementation.
  • The state of American Airlines, with CA Sicher enumerating management’s shortfalls — including its continued focus on short-haul domestic flying while outsourcing more and more long-haul international flying — and reiterating calls for a timely course correction.
  • APA’s safety-related concerns, with CA Wissing detailing management’s handling of ferry flights of non-airworthy aircraft.
  • The ALPA card drive, with CA Sicher and Ms. Scott addressing some of the risks of a decertification vote, including the eventual cessation of APA’s supplemental benefits plans if APA is decertified as the bargaining agent for American Airlines’ pilots.

You may listen to a recording of the entire town hall here.

Also, in response to reports from some pilots that they weren’t contacted before the town hall began, we have followed up with Telephone Town Hall Meeting, the vendor that assists APA with these events. The vendor is taking steps to ensure that our town hall caller ID, 817-302-2171, is not tagged as spam to ensure pilots receive the call to connect. (Keep in mind you always have the option of connecting to town halls via the toll-free number we provide beforehand, as well as through the link we post to the AlliedPilots.org member home page.)

Thanks to the more than 3,000 pilots who participated in the town hall.

APFA Tells Members to “Prepare for an Upcoming Strike”

On June 20, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants’ negotiating committee announced that “weeks of intensive negotiation ended without an agreement” and advised APFA members “to prepare for an upcoming strike.” The announcement also indicated that “we do not believe further negotiations will be scheduled prior to the National Mediation Board determining to release the parties into a thirty-day cooling-off period.”

APA President CA Ed Sicher will meet with APFA President Julie Hedrick next week to discuss how best to deploy APA’s resources in support of the flight attendants, and we will remain in close contact with APFA leadership throughout this crucial period to ensure effective, ongoing support. Based on our own protracted Section 6 negotiations, management intransigence is the obvious culprit for the predicament American Airlines now finds itself in just as the peak summer travel period gets underway. We look forward to seeing how management chooses to respond.

If the NMB declares a 30-day cooling-off period, it would have an adverse impact on the airline’s bottom line as passengers take their business elsewhere to avoid the risk of any disruption in their travel plans, while a strike by the flight attendants would be tremendously costly for American Airlines. A negotiated solution is always the preferred outcome in Section 6, and we therefore urge management to rethink its approach to bargaining with the APFA before it’s too late.

“Professional and Moral Obligation to Protect You”

When Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testified before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, APA spokesman CA Dennis Tajer was in the room, as were APA Government Affairs Committee members CA Tim Knutson and CA Jan Paladino. The hearing was also attended by relatives of many of the people who died in the MAX crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

Here is a sampling of articles published after the hearing:

In advance of Mr. Calhoun’s testimony, CA Tajer spoke to NewsNation on Tuesday: “Frankly, I’ve got to just say it: Boeing, shut up, build a safe, reliable airplane, and we’ll fly it, and people will feel safe being on it. But today, that’s just not the case.”

On Wednesday, CA Tajer appeared on the Morning on Merit Street program. He assured that show’s hosts and viewers that professional pilots will make up for Boeing’s failings: “We’ve got this, and we have a professional and moral obligation to protect you from all adversaries when it comes to safety. We will do that, no matter what, so you’re going to be safe out there.”

APA Medical Minute – FAA Form 8500-8

In the latest edition of the APA Medical Minute, APA Medical Advisor Cassie Bien reviews what pilots need to keep in mind when filling out FAA Form 8500-8 – Application for Airman Medical Certificate or Airman Medical & Student Pilot Certificate.

Broken Tow Bars are Dangerous and Costly

This is a new message from the APA Safety Committee.

American Airlines has experienced a rash of broken tow bars over the past 24 months, so the APA Safety Committee is collaborating with the Transport Workers Union to reduce these occurrences. CA Gavin Tade of APA Safety Operations has participated in “ramp rides” with our Fleet Service colleagues as part of the Ground Operation Safety Improvement (GOSI) program.

Broken tow bars cause millions of dollars’ worth of damage to aircraft and other equipment. They also delay flights and endanger our teammates on the ramp. Please comply with all standard operating procedures on the ground, and be cognizant of the ground safety briefing before aircraft pushback.

Contract Training Offered in MIA on July 11

This is a new message from the APA Contract Compliance Committee.

The Contract Compliance Committee wants to do everything we can to ensure that all APA members are well acquainted with the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Join us on July 11 in MIA for a full day of training on the new CBA. This session will include a preview of the Electronic Communication System and the Reserve Assignment System, which are both scheduled to go live on Aug. 31.

This training will be conducted in hybrid fashion, with members welcome to participate in person at Dave & Buster’s in Hollywood from 0900 to 1600 or virtually via Zoom. If you plan to attend in person, please RSVP so we have an accurate headcount for the food orders. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Electronic Document Index before attending training. You must be logged in to AlliedPilots.org for the links to be accessible. This index connects you to a vast array of APA documents that we will reference. It is equally useful in the daily operation as a line pilot, so we recommend you bookmark the index for future reference. During training, it may be helpful to have two screens—one to run Zoom, and one to reference these documents.

Help us help you! The Contract Compliance Committee’s goal is for you—the membership—to be informed, educated, and knowledgeable. Every single pilot should strive to be a contract expert or, at the very least, strive for continued learning and engagement. Knowledge is power, and it will assist you in employing and being a watchdog of your negotiated work rules.

How to Look Up an Open Time Hotel Assignment

This is a repeated message from the APA Hotel Committee.

Have you ever thought about picking up a trip in open time but wanted to confirm the hotel assignment first? This is easy to do in the new mobileCCI app.

Open mobileCCI and click on the “Search” function at the bottom right corner (1). Select the “Input Required” command (2). Select “CREW HOTEL LIMO INFO” (3). You will be prompted for the flight number, date, departure station, and arrival station of the layover you are looking up. Once you input this information, click “View” at the top right corner to display the Crew Hotel Limo information (4).

For more information, check out the recently updated QRH – Quick Reference Hotels document. This resource answers 99 percent of all hotel, transportation, and layover questions while providing helpful solutions. Suggestion: Download this QRH document to your AA iPad for easy access in the future.

Pigs of the Week

APA commends American Airlines’ hardworking aircraft maintenance technicians for their outstanding work. We believe they are the best in the business. When repetitive problems do arise, they’re often due to managerial decisions that fail to properly prioritize tasks and to management’s decision to outsource a significant portion of the airline’s maintenance to offshore, third-party repair stations.

  • Since June 3, the cabin interphone on A319 aircraft 801 has been written up 12 times, been on MEL three times, and been out of service eight times. It was most recently signed off on June 16.

APA Welcomes Captains’ Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

Click the image for a closer look.

On June 19, the APA Membership Committee hosted a casual dinner for the following pilots who were in Fort Worth for American Airlines’ Professionalism, Leadership, and Mentoring class: Adam Belt, Wayne Bushmaker, Jeffrey Caouette, Taylor Carlisle, Steven Cates, Scott Elrod, Harold Johny, Timothy Larson, Emmanuel Lindsay, Robert Marsh, Jacob Muraski, Thomas Pappas, Samuel Schoolfield, and Andy Yin.

APA and Staff Union Ink New Contract

On Thursday, APA President CA Ed Sicher and Allied Pilots Staff Employees Association President Kathy Lazenby signed a new four-year contract, which the members of the bargaining unit recently voted to approve. The new contract includes pay rate increases and other enhancements for APA’s non-exempt staff employees.

Domicile Events

Visit AlliedPilots.org/Calendar to RSVP for any of these upcoming domicile events:

Domicile Elections

Pilots based at CLT, LGA, and MIA will elect a Chair and Vice Chair to represent each domicile for terms that will begin on Nov. 1. As of 1500 Central today, these pilots were officially seeking nomination:

  • CLT Chair: CA Heather Ducimo Boulanger, CA Erik DeWinne, CA Casey Granger
  • CLT Vice Chair: CA Heather Ducimo Boulanger , CA Casey Granger
  • LGA Chair: CA Lawrence Cutler
  • LGA Vice Chair: CA Jim Scanlan
  • MIA Chair: none
  • MIA Vice Chair: CA Ken Wells

The electronic submission for nomination process will close at 0001 Central on June 28. For more information, visit the Elections page on AlliedPilots.org.

Week in Review

Here are some recent messages you may have missed.

Are You Willing to Serve?

Each of these national committees or subcommittees has the indicated number of vacancies:

  • Aeromedical Committee (0)
    • Disabled Pilot Awareness Subcommittee (3)
    • Human Intervention Motivation Study Subcommittee (1)
    • Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
    • Project Wingman Subcommittee (3)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (3)
  • Communications Committee (0)
    • National Communications Network (7)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • Scheduling Committee (4)
  • Training Committee (5)
    • Checkmate (1 on 777)

If you would like to serve on one or more of these committees, visit the Member Engagement Portal.

Professional Standards FAQs

How do we add and who selects committee members?
The Domicile Officers are responsible for determining the number of and selecting the candidates for the domicile Professional Standards Committees. Typical volunteers possess qualities such as maturity, empathy, peer respect, tact, and strict adherence to standard operating procedures and protocols. The APA President selects the National Committee members from an approved list of recommended candidates.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

Professional Standards’ 24/7 hotline: 817-402-2181

If You’re 50, Join The Grey Eagles

Are you a pilot for American Airlines, at least age 50, active or retired? Please join The Grey Eagles for food, fun, and fellowship. We offer cruises, conventions, monthly luncheons, retirement dinners, professional mentoring, and assistance to surviving spouses – all for a one-time lifetime fee.

Pilot Job Fairs and Future Pilot Seminars

Future & Active Pilot Advisors’ next Pilot Job Fair and Future Pilot Seminar are scheduled for July 12 at CLT followed by Aug. 23 at IAD. Click here for more information.

Industry News

For more about what’s happening in the industry, be sure to visit the Industry News page on AlliedPilots.org.

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