I’ve been in some elected union position or another for nearly a decade, and I’ve seen both weighty and lighthearted matters, both difficult and easy choices. Every choice an elected official makes typically has winner and losers, and more often than not no one choice will benefit nor please everyone. However, if every decision is made with a consistent eye towards doing the highest amount of good for the largest number of pilots, in the long run you will represent everyone well.

In any business, one does not obtain the gains they feel they deserve. Gains are obtained only by identifying and building leverage, and then using this leverage to influence a sought-after outcome. Sounds simple enough, right, just find some leverage.

In the airline business it is exceedingly difficult to build leverage because airlines are very critical to the smooth functioning of interstate commerce and political and judicial leaders are loathe to upset voters by enabling/allowing wide-spread disruption of cheap & easy travel. The Railway Labor Act prevents us from outright withholding our services (job action) and management knows we need to show up and perform our work or face the wrath of the law, a fact that they exploit against us with regularity and near impunity.

Outside of naturally occurring leverage (some recent examples include the regional pilot shortage, Green Christmas, our CheckAirman shortage, and management’s desire to get a Covid vaccine protocol), the only way the pilot group can bring management to heel is to exploit the exceedingly complex nature of the airline business. Quite simply, it’s near impossible to move a Part 121 aircraft in a Part 121 operation from one airport to another without lots of people going above and beyond their basic job description found in the JCBA and company manuals. All workgroups, including pilots, “lean forward” and roll up their sleeves to help make it happen. It’s all the little things: like calling for gas when we’re approaching departure time and the fuel truck is nowhere to be seen, negotiating with Operations or ATC for better treatment when running late, etc… Exceptional Efforts are not part of the job description but help give management the thing they value most besides revenue: on time departures and arrivals. D-0, A-14 and completion factor is literally the lifeforce flowing through management’s veins.

This is all leading up to the actual answer to your question, which is: we squeeze the things management wants. And this will take education, involvement, and unity. The path to serious contract gains is this Association deploying strategic resources that bring pilots closer together, gets them speaking a common language, and gets them acknowledging the black and white fact that only when management’s lifeblood is threatened can we achieve the results we desire.

I bring the will and the skill-set to make this happen.

The best grievance is the one that never happens. Whether it's because our team proactively fought in real time to correct an erring manager and protect the pilot's JCBA rights, or because we got the pilot made whole via a dialogue that didn't involve the actual (time-consuming and resource-consuming) System Board of Adjustment process, the best grievance is the one that never happens. I think it’s under appreciated how many talented pilots and staffers are constantly battling on the pilots’ behalf every day.
But is obvious that there are disagreements that can’t be resolved without resorting to actual arbitration (the System Board of Adjustment per the RLA). If I were President I would encourage the Association to invest some negotiating capital into codifying a minimum number of quarterly or annual arbitrations into the JCBA so that management can’t continue to kick the can down the road.

During the time I was MEC Chairman, the team processed:
Countless daily questions re appropriateness of Company actions
273 dispute settlements outside of the System Board of Adjustment
74 ‘minor’ Arbitrations in System Board hearings with 48 wins and 26 loses
18 full System Board arbitrations (presidential grievance) with
-5 settlements
-6 wins
-7 loses (4 of which were difficult termination cases where the evidence wasn’t in our favor)

We must continue the daily fight. We must also refine the JCBA so that the stage is set for our successors to have an arena in which they can do battle. We can’t win an arbitration if the Company is free to make excuses to not schedule a System Board hearing and prolong the matter for years and years.

We need to start executing on the basics of running a labor union: having two-way communication between the leadership and the membership, and we need to start executing strategies and tactics that provide wins for our membership. It’s a bit of a Catch-22, because we need unity to enable the wins, but we’ll start small and work our way big. Everyone wants to be on a winning team, and we need to put some points in the win column and show that we’re a force to be reckoned with.

A bit more touch-feely and kumbaya: APA need to marshal manpower and resources to bring pilots closer together, literally eye-to-eye, get them talking, get them speaking a common language, and get them acknowledging the fact that only when managements lifeblood (operations) is threatened can we achieve the results we desire.

Umm, Thank you? Meet me in person and it's hard to miss the gray hairs; every single one was hard earned... a gray hair for every time I defended the CBA, obtained a gain in negotiations, or dealt with wayward BOD members.
Also, I'm running because whatever experiences the incumbents have brought to the union (and the other candidates want to bring to the union) IS NOT WORKING.
It's the definition of insanity to keep electing the same people and expect different results.
It's true that I have not flown a 777 trans-Pacific under an AMOC, and while I'd love to have that under my belt, that's not the experience needed to put efficacy back into APA's advocacy.

The President’s role is to provide the BOD with timely, relevant data and resources and help the BOD contemplate and craft marching orders. The President then marshals the resources to execute those orders. The President’s role is part cheerleader, part relationship counselor, part financial analyst, part visionary, part attorney, and part disciplinarian. My job as President is to ensure every single APA resource works in lockstep and unison to carry out the needs of the pilot group. Any effort I can undertake to effectuate progress for our pilot group will be utilized.

There is a time and place for closed sessions, however they should be the exception and not the rule. The pilots, as a group, are incredibly capable of providing input, guidance and suggestions as to a best course of action. It’s imperative to me that pilots be given the chance to provide their intelligence and feedback to association processes and decisions. Ultimately the BOD decides when sessions are open or closed, however I would use whatever influence I have to ensure closed sessions are only for the most sensitive of matters.

I find it lacking. There seems a disconnect between the national officers and the BOD, and a disconnect between both the NO and BOD and the various committees that provide communication, and this naturally gives rise to a disconnect between the association and the pilots it represents.

Speaking in broad terms, I would advocate that the NOs and their designees speak on behalf of the BOD through the various committees that provide various channels of dissemination. That’s simultaneously a simplistic statement and also a tall order, but one that we as pilots must demand.

The NOs and the BOD must be unified (they presently are not), the various committees need to be properly funded and staffed, and there needn’t be any sacred cows or ancestor worship about how things are accomplished.

Point Blank: The job isn’t getting done to the fullest, and it’s a primary function of our association. We must do better.

I would be open to changing the structure, but only with an eye towards ensuring that all seniority bands are represented. We could require one CA and one FO from each domicile. We could do true seniority-band representation wherein our 15,000 pilots are divided into bands of 1000, with each band having a representative. There are a number of ways of structuring representation.

Having said that, I think the existing ‘open’ structure we have now is pretty ecumenical, and provides access to anyone desiring to run for a position, however given the quirk of the lost decade and the resulting stagnation in seniority we are top-heavy on senior pilots, and typically don’t have enough junior pilots in a domicile to elect a fellow junior pilot. I think this is sorting itself out now given the hiring over the last few years, and it will continue to sort itself out over the next 12-24 months. Very soon each domicile will be less top-heavy on seniority and we will naturally see more junior pilots standing a chance of getting elected into union office.

We need a well funded Association with the resources to do battle on our behalf. We’re up against a well armed foe with much deeper pockets. We are beyond the amendable date of our JCBA and there are negotiations happening presently. We should not waiver from filling our coffers and preparing for battle. Nobody else is going to advocate for our careers.

I think it unwise to negotiate in public, to tip our hand as to which is the most sought after goals, but it’s no secret that doing less work (with favorable and adjustable schedules) for more money is always high on the list.

We can’t take for granted that management knows what its doing, and we must proactively advocate for the kind of corporate decisions that we believe will lead to a strong and successful business.

Likewise, it's equal folly to believe the BOD is a group of all-knowing wizards working in secret and disseminating missives from atop an imaginary mountain of knowledge. They're not, and sometimes this lack of introspection causes important personnel and resources to be overlooked. Also chest-thumping and sacred cows often impede true progress.

We pilots – and especially those of us who enter elected positions must primarily function as a body that enables the officers and committees to do the best work possible, and not get in the way of that work with political shenanigans or self-serving interests.

The best strategy to mitigate future furloughs is to have a strong, robust airline executing on the basics of running a smart schedule and providing customers what they want, when they want it. Become indispensable to travelers. It would be wise for the Association to be even more involved in the leadership process, including working with investors, stakeholders, and managers to restore AA to a place of indispensable prominence in the industry.
And, naturally, if a moment of leverage occurs we should codify into the JCBA language that lessens the likelihood and impact of any furlough imposed upon our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.

I suspect we're having the ALPA conversations because some APA members feel the association isn't providing them maximum benefit. Obviously I agree that the association isn't firing on all cylinders, which is why I'm running for office.

Let’s get OUR house in order first. Let’s fix OUR internal shortcomings through smart decisions and smart management of OUR association. Let's be an organization that ALPA desires as a partner.
Then let's form the Merger Committee and see what a merger would look like. I advocate getting our house in order and proposing a merger because we would be better served merging from a position of strength rather than joining from a position of weakness.
There is a huge difference between merging the two associations versus simply voting to decertify APA in favor of ALPA. If we were firmly in control of a desirable entity and chose to merge, we control the terms and conditions of our marriage. If we were to simply to decertify APA as some are proposing then ALPA would be in the driver's seat and our pilots would be living under dictated terms and conditions for the next 30-40 years.

I think this is best answered by others who worked and volunteered alongside me over the years, I’d urge anyone interested to seek those people out.

I can’t think of a more perfect textbook example of how self-interest, political shenanigans, and political maneuverings stole more than a month of efficacy from our efforts to mitigate negative consequences to our workgroup. We lost respect, we lost time, we reduced leverage with management, and we pretty much lost any hope of finding a better path forward.

About the only thing missing: If I were management, I would have thrown the pilot group a bone outside of any negotiations, just to do some union-busting and add salt to wound of the association’s inefficiency.

This crap can never happen again.

One must be very careful in contemplating a complete rewrite. We have decades of experience and interpretations as to how the current JCBA functions day-to-day, and we risk losing something we take for granted in a complete rewrite. I believe the most efficient path to a better contract now is to keep what we like and tweak what we don’t like. (But to be clear, this can and should include a massive overhaul of what we don’t like.)

There’s a place for alliances to fill planes and expand the network, but given AA’s history of shortcomings I view such alliances with skepticism. I hope and pray that this management team provides a great product that people want to use. We need AA to be successful and strong, with well filled pockets, into which we can dip our hands.

I’ll take the high road and say: it's my sincerely held belief that the AA pilots (and indeed all Part 121 pilots) are family, and as such, we should be doing what it takes to support everyone in the family, sacrificing somewhere if necessary. As professional pilots, we have soooo many things to worry about, however worrying about whether or not the rent will be paid shouldn’t be among them.

First of all, I don't think we're headed in that direction, and I don’t think there is much our labor group can or should give up if management asked us again to ‘save’ our airline. AAG’s pilot labor costs are something management should NOT be focused on, our Joint Agreement is already the laggard of the major airline industry. AAG’s financial misalignments lay elsewhere and so I’m inclined to be very, very leery of any concessions asked of this group.

Having said that, I was involved with the AMR bankruptcy in 2011-2013, working on behalf of pilots, and I saw firsthand how easily both management and labor can lose control in the process. Management (more so than labor) can nudge the process in a particular direction, however even they aren’t truly calling the shots. (Witness AMR management losing control and getting replaced.) If we aren’t firmly in control of our fate, a worse fate might be imposed upon us.

I also watched (from afar) the AMR labor groups trying to stave off bankruptcy by providing financial and work rule relief to management in the 2003 - post 9/11 era, only to watch management enrich themselves and squander the potential and advantages provided by labor. That can not happen again.

I see some amazing times ahead for our union and for our pilot group. At all levels of commercial aviation, pilot labor has leverage and advantages not seen in decades. My vision is to work with the BOD to create a team that will repeatedly extract gains from AA management, bring rational, clear-headed thinking to the association’s executive offices, and to be a passionate but disciplined President, who speaks firmly and intelligently represents the interests of the pilots and the BOD.

APA is not a business, it’s a service provider. However, we must have businesslike efficiencies, in both our day-to-day operations, and how we identify and execute our strategies. I was elected to three consecutive times as Chairman (President) of my last pilot union because I worked constantly and diligently to engage fellow leaders, the various committees, and our pilots to identify what best moved us forward. I am passionate about eliminating waste, ancestor worship, and the personal fiefdoms that hinder progress. I strive to identify talented volunteers and give them the opportunity and resources to do amazing work on behalf of their peers, free from political shenanigans and interference.

My vision is to work with the BOD and repeat that proven successful formula here.

First and foremost – and this is very important – I’ve already worked with the highest levels of AA management. There will be no long, drawn out “get to know you” period during which management wonders if the person sitting across the table offers relevance and credibility. They already know me, my character, and my results; and that I will only speak with the full backing of the pilots and BOD.

Secondly, we often take for granted the belief that upper management has data and clear vision. AA has so many layers of managers all doing their very best to not rock the boat and protect their positions on the corporate ladder that sometimes what is right and what is wrong doesn’t naturally work its way to the top. This is where being respected and having an outsider’s perspective, coupled with an operational knowledge of what works and what does not work, can help steer AA back towards being an industry leading competitor.

Given AA’s history and size, it’s no secret that our membership is fragmented into tribal groups. In addition to the typical stratified layers between junior and senior, each pilot has a story as to how they got here; some seemingly blessed by fortune while others have experienced quite the opposite.
No matter your story, we’re all on the same ship and as the old saying goes “a rising tide lifts all boats.” My aim is to help ALL American pilots. To achieve this we need unity. We can’t have 15,000 independent contractors whom all have a different relationship with the airline.

How do we achieve unity? Well, I’m no Pollyanna and I know there’s no magic wand to wave and have everyone suddenly singing Kumbaya, but I do believe we can start with two-way communication. APA seems to have recently found some religion with improved comms, but we need two-way communication; dialogue rather than dissertations. Other than sounds-offs, what mechanisms exists to enable that dialogue? How do you, the line-pilot, know that you’re being listened to?

APA must do a better job of fostering that dialogue. We can start with utilizing the NCN, we can have leaders engaging you in the crew-rooms, and we can do more in-person events where pilots meet eye to eye. Getting to know your fellow pilots is the first step toward unified with them. From there, we continue having as much personal/in-person contact as this crazy profession allows.

I think question 3 has addressed this, so I’ll take this chance to expound more about unity. It is said (often) that our workgroup’s strength is its unity, that we are only as strong as we are united. It’s said so often that rarely do we actually take heed of that phrase. But it is beyond true. Unity is far and away the strongest tool we have in our arsenal. If you think back to the times AA pilots achieved positive gains, it was when we were united.

With regards to how to work towards this goal: The President is given the chance to function by the pilots and by the BOD, but is only allowed to opreate while on a leash. Everyone knows you can’t push against a leash, you have to pull. The President’s job is to pull the various factions towards the common center. A true unifier needs to pull the divergent views and stances to a place where an effective execution of strategy and tactics is possible. Without a strong central voice, internal collaboration is impossible.

After many conversations with fellow crewmembers, I believe that the main priorities are [in no order] quality of life (efficient, flexible schedules & time off), stronger soft-money opportunities, a scope clause that works more in our favor, enhanced medical and benefits, LTD and – of course – pay rates.

Some other answers herein speak to this question. However, additionally, my being able to speak from experience about what has worked and not worked in past negotiations can be very helpful. The machinations and nuances of Section 6 negotiations are not commonly understood. That the President must have credibility and ability to provide trustworthy expectations of what is possible, and how, and why, is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Also, having a contact list that includes industry and labor leaders who’ve ‘been there, done that’ and are willing to privately share their experiences is a valuable commodity.

We need more, not less, pilot-friendly or pilot-centric individuals working their way into and up through management. But given the potential for misuse and exploitation, I do support a waiting period for those wanting to transition from APA to AA management. I also support a waiting period for the reverse: pilots wishing to exit management and volunteer for the Association should also wait before transitioning.

Occasionally we need to get rowdy for upper management to clearly hear our concerns, however a Temporary Restraining Order is not to be taken lightly. There is a time and place to push boundaries, but that effort must be a tactic in a well thought out strategy. Our tactics must serve our purpose, and ideally they must achieve a desired results with or without a TRO.

Our internal APA analysis must be highly certain that a TRO – especially one that has the appearance of being patently unfair – will, by itself, help rally the membership to unity. Although unity is where the Association finds its strength, purposefully causing a TRO is playing with fire and it’s my position that there are better ways to achieve unity.

Those who know my history know that I won’t shy away from a bruising, boundary-pushing fight, but my job as President is to ensure APA (and the membership’s wallets) receive maximum value out of every action taken.
We must always presume that management will want to be made whole for any losses they’ve convinced a court we caused. Even if management agreed to forgo receiving a literal cheque from the Association, they’d be negligent in their jobs if they didn’t hold that sword over our heads and extract that value from elsewhere in negotiations or elsewhere in the relationship.

Given my in-depth experience with ALPA I am asked about this quite often.

I fully support exploring what the terms and conditions of merger would look like, and if those terms present themselves as favorable, I'd be excited to have our group rejoin ALPA.

I’m running to serve the pilots of AA as President of the Allied Pilots Association, but I'd be thrilled to also be the first AA ALPA MEC Chairman. I’m running because I think APA can do a better job of executing our union mission and duties, however I also think that switching to ALPA would produce enhanced results for the membership.

While it's true that if the same leadership were making the same decisions and executing the mission in similar fashion we’d just have different letters over the front door, ALPA's structure does bring an element of having oversight, or a 'grown up in the room' when the BOD inevitably melts down into a food fight over one matter or another.

If the pilots for whom I work wish to discuss alignment with ALPA, there would be no candidate better suited to manage and guide that conversation.

To answer the second half of your question, there are several ways interested pilots could bring about ALPA representation, but the only mechanism I could ever personally endorse is a (capital M) Merger. I’ve heard chatter about Decertification/Certification, which would lead our pilots to be totally at the mercy of ALPA’s processes and policies. However, in a (capital M) Merger we would be in the driver’s seat and could negotiate more favorable terms and conditions that will benefit us – and likely all ALPA pilots – for the remainder of our careers.

It is critical that we have robust, comprehensive training for all levels of volunteers, from entry-level NCN right up to Domicile Reps and everything in between. It is no secret that there is going to be turnover here. In the very near future, the experienced old-guard is heading off into a well-earned, well-deserved retirement. We need to be actively identifying, recruiting and training volunteers throughout the association.