Ian Smith, Opinion on ACPA & ALPA International
Prologue
Ever since the inception of Air Canada, the Air Canada pilots have had a rich history of being considered leaders and strong advocates for the advancement of the Canadian aviation profession. They were, and still are, at the forefront for change when it was necessitated and required. This spirit of advancing our profession led to the formation of the organization known as the Canadian Air Line Pilots Association (CALPA) in 1943. As the Canadian airline industry evolved after WWII, advancing from the prop age into the jet age, there was a realization amongst the Air Canada pilots that improvements had to be made regarding not only the Canadian Air Regulations (CAR’s) that existed at that time but that it was imperative to also improve upon their working conditions. Where the CARs were found wanting in providing oversight with regards to safety and fatigue, the Air Canada pilots negotiated contractual agreements that enhanced those very same regulations by providing them with the protections required to guarantee a high degree of safety in their daily operations. These very same concepts are still in place within our present day contract.
Historical Time Stamp
CALPA had a longstanding affiliation and a professional working relationship with the ALPA organization from 1943 onwards until 1997. In the mid-nineties, the Air Canada pilot group was not satisfied with the level of representation that they felt they were getting from CALPA at that time. The Air Canada pilots decertified CALPA on the 9th November, 1995 as their bargaining agent and at the same time certified the newly formed ACPA as their bargaining agent. At that juncture, ACPA was considered to be a better option for the AC pilot group in their pursuit for better working conditions and wages, rekindling the hope for change and better representation. The opinion of the day for the majority of the AC pilots was that it was the right time to stand on their own in order for their voices to be heard and their expectations to be realized. ACPA was the representative body for the AC pilots during the 1998 strike, the first pilot strike in Air Canada’s history.
ALPA-I was formed in 1931 and is the certified representational body for all the US airline divisions under the ALPA-I umbrella. Presently ALPA-I consists of a number of groupings of airlines categorized as A, B, C. Category B is further subdivided into B1, B2, B3 airlines, predicated on specified criteria contained in their constitution. All the Canadian airlines who are presently represented by ALPA-I are grouped into category C which is titled as the Canada Board. The head office for ALPA-I is based in Herndon, Virginia.
At the beginning of 1997, CALPA formally merged with ALPA and the Canada board was formed shortly afterwards, currently known as ALPA Canada. The roles and jurisdictional duties are strictly restricted to being a representational voice for ALPA-I within Canada regarding lobbying efforts made on behalf of Canadian pilots who are represented by ALPA. They also act as the successor to CALPA for purposes of IFALPA membership and IFALPA representation of the ALPA-C pilots in Canada. The Canada Board President serves on the ALPA-I Executive Board as the Executive Vice President for Group C. The Canada Board directly answers to the authority of the ALPA-I Executive Council for its associated By-Laws and the ALPA-I Executive Board for budget allocations.
Where We Are Today
When I assumed the office of the President of ACPA on January 1st, 2015 it became readily apparent that one of the caveats for the ACPA governance model review that had been sanctioned at the previous policy conference that had been convened had not been fully actioned prior to my term of office. There were three basic caveats that had been agreed to and were sanctioned for review:
1. ACPA Governance model to remain as status quo;
2. New governance model to be incorporated into ACPA;
3. Merger with another union, such as ALPA-I.
At the earliest convenience possible, I made it a priority to contact the newly elected ALPA-I President Tim Canoll. Tim had commenced his term of office at the same time as I had so I felt that it was an advantage for the both of us to start off a new relationship based on that fact. I mentioned to him that there was a keen interest on our behalf in resuming a constructive dialogue with ALPA-I with the intent of fostering a mutually beneficial relationship for all parties going forward. I was quite frank with the ALPA Executive team2 that I initially met with in the spring of 2015. In our initial discussions with each other I expressed in my opening statement that I hoped that we would be able to lay aside all previous animosities that had existed between our two organizations ever since the split from CALPA. The initial design of these meetings was to be exploratory in nature in order to gauge the ALPA team’s willingness to sit down and have frank and honest discussions with myself and other ACPA reps. For two decades the relationship had been frosty and it was my hope that bygones could be settled so that a new cooperative era could be entered into between our organizations if the opportunity allowed us to do so. The global aviation community had evolved in such a manner that in today’s reality it was becoming quite apparent that it was starting to become very difficult for ACPA to survive as an isolated, standalone organization and yet still be an effective force that the membership required and expected.
The formation and amalgamation of the various global aviation alliances that we have seen over the years underlines the important aspect of trying to control the various market forces that have been experienced over the years by the airlines.
It should be no different for us when consideration is given to unifying and solidifying a global union alliance if we are able to. If an alliance can be reasonably realized and achieved with a high degree of success, then why not explore the opportunity to do so if the occasion should present itself?
If we are going to provide an effective challenge to the common hurdles that we face within our profession, having a productive alliance with an organization such as ALPA-I is the cornerstone to achieving that goal. It was my realization that this process was not going to happen overnight or with a snap of the fingers, but with the right mindset in place, those decade old antagonistic barriers that had been erected after the departure of the Air Canada pilots could be torn down in order to foster a spirit that would benefit all parties involved. Over the remaining eighteen months that I was in office I had the pleasure of attending a number of very constructive and meaningful meetings with the ALPA Executive representatives (1).
Due to the renewed level of trust that had been established between our two organizations, ALPA extended an invitation to us in September of 2015 to host on their behalf a Negotiations Roundtable in Toronto. Day one was dedicated to harmonizing negotiating strategies going forward and reaffirming the commitment amongst all who were present of the value of collaboration between all the parties gathered around the table. Day two was dedicated to the issue of dealing with ultra long haul operations which were becoming more of an issue for the U.S. legacy carriers such as Delta, United and American and which we were possibly going to have to address with regard to our 787 operations as well.
It was quite significant for us to be given the opportunity to host an event on behalf of our aviation partners south of the border. Being entrusted with the privilege to host the entire cadre of Group A and B North American ALPA carriers as well as the APA and SWAPA teams was indeed a turning point for us in our relationship with them and a defining moment for our pilot group. ALPA-I had publicly recognized and acknowledged the fact that they considered us to be the premier legacy carrier in Canada. Establishing this recognition was based upon our network of operations and a pilot group whose area of expertise mirrored all areas of their international and domestic operations. With the hosting of this event it reinforced our status around the table amongst our peers as well as providing the appropriate recognition that the Air Canada pilots were quite capable of being a regular participant in working with all the established members who had attended the event.
It has always been strictly my position and opinion that if we are to ever join or achieve some sort of working alliance with ALPA-I that it should be based on Group A status and not solely based on being a member of Group C, the Canada board. As a Group A member we have a designated seat at the ALPA Executive board table as Air Canada pilots. If we were to ever become a member of the Canada board without the Group A designation, we would now rely on having the Group C president represent our interests at the ALPA Executive table, similar to where we were back in 1995 when we were members in CALPA. Why must we repeat a possible mistake or failure again if we can possibly avoid doing so? Let us learn from our past mistakes with regard to this issue. We should be represented at all levels of our chosen association at a status level commensurate with the size, scope and contribution of our pilot group.
I have no issue of working in complete harmony with ALPA Canada as a Group A member. As I mentioned earlier, the Canada board’s role is designed to align under the ALPA-I constitutional umbrella. It should also be noted that authority and oversight for any initiative that ALPA Canada may propose or wish to engage in strictly resides within ALPA International’s constitution, by-laws and applicable governing bodies.
The Air Canada pilot group has always had a rich history of co-operation with various international organizations that has helped define who we are as a pilot group today. It is strictly my personal opinion that as the membership has grown in size, their expectations of the level of service and representation that is required has far exceeded the capability and capacity of our present organizational structure. The amazing people who volunteer on behalf of our members as ACPA committee members are finding themselves to be further challenged as the multitude of demands are starting to outweigh our ability to handle the workload. Joining ALPA-I as a Group A airline would provide us with all the necessary logistical and analytical tools required for any situation that might develop as well as provide us with increased levels of available resources that we are not able to access at this point in time. As well, as an ALPA airline, we would have the distinct pleasure of being a standing member of the IFALPA organization. Being a significant part of ALPA Canada, we would look forward to contributing once again to an influential pilot federation of which we were founding members.
Looking to the Future
Are there possible negative drawbacks to joining ALPA-I compared to being represented by ACPA? Some people may say “yes”, some may say “no”. There will definitely be an increase in the organizational chain of command and in the well established levels of oversight, which some may find too cumbersome and burdensome in nature– but that could also serve to stabilize and support our MEC leadership. There will also be an increase on the administrative side as well as at the service level which should be expected for an organization that represents over 63,000 pilots in comparison to ACPA that represents close to 5,000 pilots. There also will be an increase in the amount of dues collected from the membership. What will hopefully come out of this exercise are constructive and respectful discussions and conversations held amongst ourselves that will end up evolving over time with a positive attitude that will hopefully put all concerns to rest whether they are accepted or not by the general membership.
My personal position is that ACPA has outgrown its ability to effectively govern and serve the present membership level in the capacity that it has incorporated to do since its inception. The argument that ACPA has served us well over the last 25 years and change is not required is starting to ring a little hollow in today’s realities. We must be able to evolve and adapt to the new reality that we must collectively transform our level of representation that will satisfy our requirements for having a stronger representative body. A representative body whose resources will allow us to achieve the level of success that we all hope and strive for in our professional careers which we are not able to realize within our present representative and governance model.
We would achieve those realities as a Group A member under the ALPA-I umbrella.
Regardless of whatever path of representation we should choose to participate in, we have to stay focused on the ultimate goal: Making life better for our members and protecting our profession not only for the present generation of pilots but for all future generations who will follow in our footsteps. The change must begin initially from within by having elected officials who actually realize that an autocratic and authoritarian executive board severely compromises and diminishes the ability to engage the membership.
Winston Churchill once said:
“It would be foolish to disguise the gravity of the hour but it would be still more foolish to lose heart and courage”
True democracy reigns supreme through the power of the ballot box. If you want true change, that is where it will take place, not through the power of acclamation! In whatever capacity that you may choose to do so, either as a candidate or a voter, please make the effort to participate in any of the upcoming and future elections. Your voice can only be legitimately heard if you actually exercise your right to vote.
Yours Sincerely,
Ian
Captain Smith has served as YYZ Councillor, YYZ Vice-Chair and the ACPA President from 2015-2016. He is presently the Chair of the ACPA Governance Committee and a 787 Captain.
Footnote 1: ALPA President Captain Tim Canoll, ALPA National Executive Administrator Captain Rick Dominguez, ALPA General Manager Lori Garver, ALPA Director of Economic & Financial Analysis Ms. Ana McAhron-Schulz, ALPA Director of Representation Ms. Betty Ginsburg.