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July 8, 2014

In This Issue:

Breaking News:
     • ALPA’s Drive to #DenyNAI Intensifies as Congress Returns to D.C.
Feature:
     • ALPA Family Members Awarded Scholarships
National News:
     • Fly to ORD? FAA Wants Your Input on New Signs and Markings
     • Revised ALPA Constitution and By-Laws Online Now
     • It’s Coming; Are You Ready?
     • Emergency Relief: P4P Is Here for You
News on the Net
 

ALPA’s Drive to #DenyNAI Intensifies as Congress Returns to D.C.

The fireworks opposing Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) application for a U.S. foreign air carrier permit were on vivid display across Capitol Hill, even as Congress returned to Washington, D.C., after the July 4th holiday in the United States.

In Aviation Daily’s July 8 edition, ALPA’s president, Capt. Lee Moak, repeated the union’s call for the U.S. Department of Transportation to reject NAI’s application in an opinion piece titled “Norwegian Air International Can’t Fly Above the Law.” In the “Departures” department commentary, he said, “Simply put, NAI was created expressly to allow its parent company to skirt Norway’s labor, tax, and regulatory law.”

On July 7, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.) characterized NAI’s proposal as a “shell corporation,” in “Don’t Skew the Marketplace Against U.S.-Based Airlines,” an opinion piece published in The Daily Caller, a web news publication.

In the halls of Congress, in a letter to Transportation Secretary Foxx sent on July 1, eight members of Georgia’s U.S. House delegation expressed concern that “NAI’s recently granted air operator certificate from Ireland will put it at a competitive advantage over U.S. airlines if the application for a U.S. foreign air carrier permit is approved, thereby threatening U.S. airline jobs at a time when our economy is still weak.”

Read more recent Deny NAI developments.

ALPA Family Members Awarded Scholarships

Union Plus recently awarded $150,000 in scholarships to 116 students representing 39 unions, including two winners representing the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), in the 2014 Union Plus Scholarship Program. In this 23rd year of the program, more than 5,300 applications were received from union members and families in all 50 states. This year’s ALPA winners are:

Scott Gardner of Vacaville, Calif., whose mother Vera Tu is a member of UAL ALPA Local Council 34, has been awarded a $500 scholarship.

Elizabeth Godfrey of Helotes, Tex., whose father Mark Godfrey is a member of EGL ALPA Local Council 83, has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship.

“There are a lot of benefits to being a union member. Economic security is number one, and education is the first building block. Education sets up our kids for success, leadership, and happiness,” said Leslie Tolf, president of Union Privilege, the organization behind Union Plus benefits and the scholarship program. “By awarding these scholarships we level the playing field—everyone deserves an equal shot at a quality education. We help union families feel just a little more secure in embarking on successful lives.”

Meet the 2014 ALPA honorees and learn more about the Union Plus scholarship program.

Fly to ORD? FAA Wants Your Input on New Signs and Markings

ALPA’s continued work to reduce runway incursions with the FAA Runway Safety Council’s Root Cause Analysis Team (RCAT) has led to the FAA Technical Center’s Airport Safety R&D branch developing a new sign and marking combination to better identify and properly use “approach hold” areas. The surface marking in the test is the ILS “ladder” hold marking being used in conjunction with a new design for the sign.

For the next five months, the FAA will be conducting a full-scale operational research evaluation study at a limited number of specific points on the Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to determine the effectiveness of these signs and surface markings (see images after the jump). The FAA is soliciting your views on these proposed visual aids via an online survey. This is a subjective evaluation and all responses will be anonymous.

Questions may be directed to Engineering & Air Safety at 800-424-2470 or project manager Lauren Vitagliano (lauren.vitagliano@faa.gov, 609-485-8198, Airport Safety R&D, FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center, www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov), or support contractors Jennifer Klass (jennifer_klass@sra.com, 609-601-6800 ext.137) or Garrison Canter (garrison_canter@sra.com, 609-601-6800-Ext. 117).

Read more on the new signs and markings at ORD.

Revised ALPA Constitution and By-Laws Online Now

The ALPA Constitution and By-Laws, revised as of June 26, 2014, is now available in the ALPA e-Library on the members-only website. Additionally, related administrative changes also were made to Section 40 (Collective Bargaining), Section 90 (ALPA Voting Procedures), and Section 100 (Government Affairs/ALPA-PAC Steering Committee) of the ALPA Administrative Manual; these are available in the e-Library as well.

Please contact Lee Alger (Lee.Alger@alpa.org) if you have any questions.

It’s Coming; Are You Ready?

The July issue of Air Line Pilot will hit mailboxes soon. See the highlights here. Did you miss this year’s Legislative Summit? We’ve got all the coverage in this issue along with a fair share of #pilotselfies from the days on the Hill. And don’t miss our feature story on the caravan captains at Wasaya.

Can’t wait? Read ALP online.

Emergency Relief: P4P Is Here for You

This hurricane season, remember that Pilots for Pilots (P4P) stands ready to assist our pilots in need. In the years since its creation, P4P (formerly known as the ALPA Emergency Relief Fund) has provided financial assistance to hundreds of ALPA members and their families affected by hurricanes, wildfires, river flooding, and other widespread disasters. To learn more about P4P, request a grant, or make a contribution, visit www.alpa.org/relieffund. Contributions to the fund are tax-deductible in the United States.

News on the Net

ALPA represents more than 51,000 pilots at 31 airlines in the United States and Canada.
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