By signing a card, you are authorizing ALPA to petition the NMB to conduct a secret ballot representation election. When ALPA receives a strong majority of cards from the WGA pilots, ALPA will submit them to the NMB. The NMB will then review the cards for accuracy. The cards are kept confidential and never shared with management! If the NMB determines the cards are accurate, they will conduct a secret ballot election. A majority of those voting will determine the results. If a majority of votes cast are votes for ALPA representation, ALPA will be certified by the NMB as your exclusive collective bargaining representative under the Railway Labor Act.
All Western Global pilots are eligible to apply for ALPA membership when the National Mediation Board certifies the Association as the representative of Western Global pilots. ALPA will email membership applications to pilots on file; pilots can also download the form, with instructions, from the website after Western Global pilots complete a successful representation drive.
No. If ALPA is certified as collective bargaining representative, it is is required by law to represent every pilot at Western Global; however, the Association cannot require a pilot to become "a member" at any time. But over 98 percent of pilots represented by ALPA choose to be members. That membership statistic underscores the value of membership and affirms the importance of strength and unity.
Western Global pilots could be required to pay a "service charge" for ALPA representation if that arrangement is negotiated with the company and included in an agreement. ALPA Collectively Bargained Agreements (CBA) typically do contain an "agency shop" provision, so pilots who decline to become ALPA members fairly share the costs of collective bargaining and contract enforcement that will benefit them.
The service charge amount is equal to member dues. But pilots who elect to pay a service charge and decline membership will not be able to participate in member activities that include:
- Voting on contracts;
- Holding union office; and,
- Attending member meetings.
Nonmembers are also not eligible for assistance from ALPA’s Aeromedical Office or to enroll ALPA-sponsored benefit programs such as Loss of License or Long-Term Disability insurance.
When does the dues obligation for Western Global pilots begin?
A membership drive follows NMB certification. That period, useful to build on the unity and success of the organizing efforts and demonstrate support for the pilot group's bargaining, is typically a few months long. Dues obligations for pilots who apply during that period don't start until the end of the membership drive. You will not pay dues until at least 90 days after the Association is formally certified.
Pilots who don't apply during the membership drive can still apply for membership later, but dues are assessed for the period that membership was available to them—in other words, from the end of the membership drive forward.
A membership drive follows NMB certification. That period, useful to build on the unity and success of the organizing efforts and demonstrate support for the pilot group's bargaining, is typically a few months long. Dues obligations for pilots who apply during that period don't start until the end of the membership drive. You will not pay dues until at least 90 days after the Association is formally certified.
Pilots who don't apply during the membership drive can still apply for membership later, but dues are assessed for the period that membership was available to them—in other words, from the end of the membership drive forward.
After Western Global pilots elect ALPA, interim pilot leaders will be appointed quickly to begin work on behalf of the pilot group. Most important are (1) the steps to put democratically elected permanent representatives in place and (2) preparation for work to address key concerns in negotiations.
Very soon after NMB certification, the ALPA Executive Council will create a local council for the Western Global pilots, and then appoint interim representatives for each local council. The appointed representatives will also serve as the initial Master Executive Council (MEC) for Western Global pilots as a single council MEC.
The MEC will be able to establish committees in its first few months of operation. These committees are likely to include the Safety Committee, Retirement and Insurance Committee, Contract Study Committee, and others. ALPA professional experts in each area will meet with the committees soon after their formation to outline resources available, provide necessary training, and outline the committee's goals and work schedule.
The interim local council representatives will get things started for the Western Global pilots, but as soon as a strong majority number of pilots have become members, the interim representatives will start an election process so that Western Global pilots can choose their own representatives. That process will start with a nominating meeting. It's critical for Western Global pilots to submit their membership applications as soon as possible after certification in order to attend local council meetings and vote to elect representatives.
There is not just "one way" to negotiate. So, the bargaining process can take many shapes depending on pilot group input and goals. ALPA looks at negotiations as an information-driven, problem-solving exercise that, at the same time it achieves pilot group CBA goals, creates and solidifies constructive labor relations with management.
At Western Global, a Negotiating Committee will be put in place by the MEC to bargain the first CBA. Prior to that, the MEC may consider establishing a Contract Study Committee very soon after certification to begin the process of preparing for negotiations. The Contract Study Committee could compare Western Global terms and conditions to other similar carriers, analyze the company's financial performance and projections, survey and poll Western Global pilots to understand their goals, and prepare draft language in more or less standard contract areas like grievance/arbitration, physical standards, and leaves of absence.
Once a Negotiating Committee is in place, it will quickly undergo intensive training, work with ALPA's professional negotiators and specialists in each area, formulate and discuss with the MEC its strategy and approach to bargaining, develop contract proposals based on member input from surveys and polling, and seek to meet with company management representatives to begin talks.
There is no rule that says each and every proposal for a full contract needs to be ready in order to start bargaining. In other words, nothing prevents the Negotiating Committee and MEC from authorizing and conducting negotiations as soon as they are ready with parts of a contract. In fact, it's not unusual to build a contract in pieces by implementing letters of agreement (LOA) in different areas. A good example is a grievance and arbitration LOA that would provide Western Global pilots and management an efficient way of handling potential disciplinary matters. That LOA could be made a section of the CBA when the entire contract is finished.
Depending on the pilot group's goals, the approach and strategy chosen by the MEC, and management’s willingness to quickly establish a good working relationship and problem-solving approach like ALPA's, the length of time to complete a first contract can vary.
A key element in convincing management that it makes sense to establish a constructive relationship is pilot unity and the strength of the membership drive.
ALPA is a democratic union organized with pilot members driving decision-making from the bottom up. It is a member run, staff-supported union. Here's how it works:
Local councils are established at most pilot bases, and each local council elects a representative for each status (captain or first officer) or seniority block. The elected representatives from the local council will also make up the Master Executive Council (MEC) for the Western Global pilots.
Each MEC is given primary responsibility for determining its relationship with management, making decisions about its contract and bargaining goals, and given discretion over dispute resolution and contract administration. ALPA assigns professional staff to work with and advise local leaders, but elected pilot representatives make final decisions.
At a national level, ALPA is governed by three groups: the Board of Directors, the Executive Board, and the Executive Council.
The Board of Directors (BOD) is the largest group, and it has the greatest authority. It consists of the local council representatives from every ALPA local council—approximately 220 pilots. It meets at least every two years, and it is responsible for setting the Association's course, modifying (when necessary) the governing documents, and electing national officers.
The Executive Board is the second largest group, and its authority is second to the Board of Directors. The Executive Board is made up of the MEC chairmen from each airline—so it presently has 35 members (Western Global’s MEC chairman would be the 36th member). It meets at least twice a year to make sure that the BOD's decisions are being implemented, and to consider certain significant decisions reserved to the Executive Board in the ALPA Constitution and other policies.
The smallest group, the Executive Council, is charged with overseeing the administration of the union, which includes such things as establishing and overseeing the budget and making day-to-day interpetations of ALPA’s governing rules. In addition, the Executive Council makes recommendations to the Executive Board or Board of Directors for final decision. The Executive Council currently has 13 members: 4 national officers and 9 executive vice presidents elected from “election groups” described in the ALPA Constitution.
The process for selecting executive vice presidents has changed many times over the years as the membership and needs of the Association have changed. Under the current structure, each airline with more than 4,000 members or 10 million dollars in annual dues, elects one executive vice president. Smaller U.S. airlines are placed in one of four election groups, and each of those groups chooses a single executive vice president. Canadian airlines choose a single executive vice president.
In the portion of the ALPA Constitution that describes executive vice president elections, the letters A, B, and C are used to designate the different groups from which executive vice presidents are chosen—A for the largest carriers, B for the other U.S. carriers, and C for the Canadian carriers. The letters are just that—letters. They’re not grades or designations of importance. In fact, airlines assigned to the B and C groups get proportionally more representation per member on the Executive Council than airlines in the A group.
Approximately 50–75 percent of your dues will remain within our local pilot group, depending on size, to be used as we wish (e.g., Pilot Unity Building events, family events, grievance meetings, items branded with a Western Global ALPA logo, etc.). The remainder goes to your representatives’ support system: the ALPA staff in the United States, which includes experienced aeromedical, legal, economic and financial analysis and representation resources, as well as aviation safety and security experts. In addition, ALPA offers optional insurance programs, such as loss of license insurance, life insurance, long term care and group auto/home insurance and, are available as well. ALPA also has a strong network of peer support representatives, and the Pilots for Pilots program aids members and their dependents who fall victim to natural disasters.
As members of ALPA, Western Global pilots will have direct democratic control over their activities and will decide on issues that are important to them. When certified by the NMB, internal elections among the pilot group who are members of the union will be held to elect individuals both to serve on the Master Executive Council (MEC) and to represent you on a Bargaining Committee to negotiate a collective agreement. The Negotiating Committee, assisted by experienced professional negotiators, economic analysts and lawyers from ALPA, will negotiate your first CBA based on your representatives' direction and with assistance and input from you, the members. This tentative collective bargaining agreement will be brought back to the members for ratification before it can be finalized.
Union dues represent the fee paid by members to support ALPA's activities on your behalf. The rate—currently 1.85% of gross monthly airline earnings—is established by ALPA members and reviewed periodically.
Please review the ALPA Constitution & By-Laws for income exempt from dues. ALPA member dues are used to pay for contract negotiations, legal fees, and general operating expenses, as well as salaries for its staff of communications, safety, technical, financial, and legal experts. The vast majority of ALPA workers are in fact unpaid volunteer pilots, like you, who serve as elected board members and committee representatives. With ALPA, you will not pay dues until 90 days after the Association is formally certified.
The orange card is issued to all ALPA members and contains contact information for the ALPA Worldwide Accident/Incident Hotline, which connects members to immediate support and professional assistance. This critical service is one of the fundamental reasons for ALPA's existence. If you are involved in an aircraft accident or incident, you are entitled to and will receive extensive professional legal and technical representation. The hotline is staffed 24/7/365 by knowledgeable experts who have extensive experience in aircraft operations. They will provide you with guidance on how to proceed and, if necessary, immediately dispatch a team of legal and technical experts to assist you. An ALPA accident investigator will be assigned to the NTSB investigation on your behalf. Companies often say they will look after you in the event of an accident, but the end result can be quite different. ALPA is completely committed to supporting your needs, and the protection it offers continues—even in the unfortunate event of your death, protection will be extended to your estate.