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News from ALPA International

September 25, 2012

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In This Issue:

Senate Passes EU ETS Legislation
The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, hails the passage by the U.S. Senate of The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2012 (S. 1956), which provides the U.S. Secretary of Transportation with the authority to protect U.S. aircraft operators and their employees from the market-distorting effects of the European Union’s emissions trading scheme.

“Protecting U.S. airlines and their employees from this harmful tax has been an extremely high priority for ALPA because of the scheme’s potential to cost U.S. airlines $3.1 billion over the next eight years and threaten airline pilots’ jobs,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. “ALPA thanks Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) for their steadfast leadership in advancing this bill.

“For years, ALPA has collaborated with the airlines and regulators to reduce aircraft emissions and our industry has achieved remarkable results. We are committed to pursuing international guidelines through the International Civil Aviation Organization and to continuing to engage in work to advance high-tech engines and airframes, alternative fuels, and NextGen procedures. Labor and industry can work together and these efforts are the true solution to doing even more to reduce aircraft emissions.”

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ATI, CCI MEC Crewmembers Ratify Joint CBA
The crewmembers of Air Transport International (ATI) and Capital Cargo (CCI) ratified the joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) Monday by a majority vote. With 89 percent of the combined membership participating in the vote, 63 percent voted in favor and 37 percent voted against the JCBA.

“Our future is at ATI and it is time to move forward. The crewmembers of Capital Cargo and ATI provided management with the means to run a single, secure airline with room for growth,” said F/O Chuck Hill, CCI MEC chairman.

“Let there be no misunderstanding—an unmistakable message was sent today—a message that we will stand strong. Our focus now will be enforcing our contract and welcoming our brothers and sisters from Capital Cargo into the ATI family,” said Capt. Brendan Twomey, ATI MEC chairman.

The next step in this merger process is to continue the integrated seniority list (ISL) negotiations. If an agreement cannot be reached by the merger representatives on an ISL, the ISL will be determined by the mediation-arbitration process.

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NAA Pilots Ratify Revised TA
The pilots of North American Airlines ratified a revised tentative agreement (RTA) on Monday, September 24. Of the 96 percent of pilots who cast ballots, 76 percent voted in favor of the agreement.

“The results of this vote underscore the North American pilots’ unity, resolve, and commitment to our goal of preserving our jobs and our carrier,” said Capt. Rob Lewis, NAA MEC chairman.

NAA’s parent company, Global Aviation Holdings, filed protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code in February. Under threat of Section 1113 filing, the pilots engaged in bankruptcy concessionary negotiations, but rejected the initial tentative agreement two weeks ago. As a result, NAA’s management signaled its intent to file a motion this week to reject the pilots’ contract unless a new consensual TA was reached before then.

Read more.

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CMR MEC Celebrates 35 Years with More than 1,700
On Friday, September 28, the last flight of Comair will land and the doors will close, not only on an airline, but also a proud history of unity and commitment. This past weekend, current and former employees of Comair, as well as pilots from other airlines, gathered at the Florence Freedom Ballpark in Florence, Ky. to reminisce and celebrate Comair’s legacy. The evening kicked off with hot dogs and burgers, as well as live music and face painters for the kids. When night fell, the crowd was treated to a fireworks display paid for by the Comair flight attendants.

“As a group, we’ve been through so much together—from a strike to a bankruptcy and everything in between,” said Capt. Erik Jensen, MEC chairman. “We wanted this event to be for everyone who was part of that story, and invited back those who are retired or are flying elsewhere. Comair pilots have serious challenges ahead of us, but this was an opportunity for us to gather and have an evening of fun and friendship with our entire Comair family.”

Comair’s last flight will occur Friday morning, with the airline officially shutting down on Saturday, September 29. Comair Airlines was founded in 1977, with the pilots joining ALPA just six years later. Delta Airlines bought Comair in 1999 and operated it as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Only July 27, 2012, Delta management announced that Comair would be shut down effective the end of September.

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Transport Canada Fatigue Management Report Now Public
Pilot fatigue mitigation continues to be one of ALPA’s top strategic priorities. In Canada, the process for creating new flight-/duty-time regulations took another step forward last week. Transport Canada made public the report of the Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council (CARAC) Flight Crew Fatigue Management Working Group.

The report—which was coauthored by the working group’s cochairs, Capt. Dan Adamus, ALPA Canada Board president; and Jacqueline Booth, chief, Technical Program Evaluation and Coordination, Standards, TCCA—is posted on Transport Canada’s website.

The working group’s report will be discussed at the Special CARAC Technical Committee meeting, November 6–7. After it is tabled at this meeting, there will be a public comment period. Transport Canada will then evaluate the recommendations included in the report along with the public comments for regulatory consideration.

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We Want Your Photos
We want to see what you see. Share your pictures from the line, and give us some context (i.e., let us know what we’re looking at).

Air Line Pilot encourages you to submit your high-quality prints from a developer or high-resolution digital images. Your photos could be featured in a future magazine!

Send your photos to Communications@alpa.org. Thanks.

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ALPA 2012 Voter Guide
Many states have recently adopted new laws that include changes to early and absentee voting rules and voter registration requirements for the 2012 election. This means that if you have voted early or absentee in the past, changes may be in place in your state that could affect your ability to successfully vote in November.

For our members who are flying on November 6 or may be called to fly on Election Day, absentee and early voting offers a convenient way to ensure your vote is counted in November. ALPA has created a voter information guide, available on our website, with a special emphasis on early and absentee voting rules to accommodate the often unpredictable schedule of our member pilots. We hope you find it useful and we hope that you will vote on November 6!

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Catch the Latest Aviation News! Read ALPA Daily
The aviation industry is changing faster than ever before. The new “ALPA Daily” feature at www.alpa.org will keep you informed of the latest industry developments and analysis from around the globe. Check it out each day to stay up-to-date on the news that affects pilots and the piloting profession.

ALPA Daily continues to grow in popularity, and members have contacted us asking if this information can be e-mailed to their Macs and PCs. ALPA’s Communications and IT Departments are working toward that end. If you want to receive the electronic version of ALPA Daily, e-mail your name, ALPA number, and preferred e-mail address to communications@alpa.org. We’ll let you know when you can expect “home” delivery.

• According to aviationpros.com, the NTSB applauds the Federal Aviation Administration’s action calling for immediate initial and recurring inspections of the fan midshaft installed in General Electric (GE) GEnx-1B and -2B engines that power Boeing 787 and 747-8 airplanes. Read more.

• Yahoo! Finance reports that federal transportation investigators released a preliminary report Monday about two near midair collisions at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport that raises questions about air traffic control at one of the world’s busiest airports. Read more.

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Watch Highlights from 44th ALPA BOD
Won’t be attending the BOD? Interested in what ALPA leaders will discuss? The national officer reports during ALPA’s 44th Board of Directors meeting will be streamed live directly from the meeting.

Bookmark www.alpa.org/bod2012 to access the live feed at 9:00 a.m. (EST) on Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, and listen to the reports of Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA president; Capt. Sean Cassidy, first vice president; Capt. Bill Couette, vice president-administration/secretary; and Capt. Randy Helling, vice president–finance/treasurer.

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Stay Connected
Stay connected with your union, your profession, and your industry by reading Air Line Pilot magazine and watching monthly episodes of The FlightDeck.

Read why scope is so important to your career on page 27 of the September issue of Air Line Pilot magazine.

On the 18th installment of The FlightDeck, learn about the pilots’ bill of rights.

Remember that both Air Line Pilot and The FlightDeck can also be accessed from the members-only portion of the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

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FastFact
On Sept. 26, 1981, the Boeing 767 made its maiden flight in Everett, Wash., under the command of company test pilots Tommy Edmonds, Lew Wallick, and John Britt.

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Feedback & E-mail Address Changes
Questions or comments on this FastRead? Give us your feedback at communications@alpa.org.

If you have moved or changed your ISP or e-mail address, please update your ALPA records. If you don’t, you will no longer receive the ALPA FastRead and other e-mail bulletins and notices, and once your postal forwarding order expires, you’ll no longer receive the magazine and other ALPA mail. You can do it yourself by going to www.alpa.org and logging in. Go to “My ALPA” in the menu at the top of the page, and from there, you’ll be instructed how to make the necessary changes.

If you don’t have access to the members-only section of www.alpa.org, you can e-mail your requests by sending them to membership@alpa.org. Be sure to include your member number or enough other information so that we can identify you in the membership database, and tell us what information needs to be updated.

Please note that it is not sufficient just to notify your LEC or MEC of these changes—you should register them with the ALPA Membership Department in Herndon.

Can’t remember your member number or how to log in? Need information about your ALPA insurance programs? These and other questions about ALPA services can be answered by contacting membership@alpa.org.

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Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW | Washington, DC 20036 | 703-689-2270