Happy Labour Day
Happy Labour Day! Today has very deep meaning for our pilot driven movement as we strive to bring Labour basics into our Union. That means putting you, the pilot, back into the captain seat of our Association. That means harnessing our collective strength as Professional Pilots and turning that into true power at the negotiations table.
Today, it’s important to reflect on the pilot union leaders who have come before us. All of those leaders sacrificed greatly so that we are able to have the protections our collective agreement affords us today. It is our duty to respect those sacrifices by always going above and beyond to protect and defend our collective agreement. It is our duty to ensure we are always striving to better those collective agreement protections.
One memorable pilot leader is Dave Behncke, who was the founder of the Air Line Pilots’ Association. The following is an expert from “Flying the Line”, Chapter 10, titled “Dave Behncke—An American Success Story”:
Stressing safety, Behncke was ahead of his time, and in direct conflict with pilots like Speed Holman, a daredevil who insisted that every plane should be periodically tested out with a few loops—just to warm it up for a passenger flight later in the day.
Holman on one occasion took a Stinson Detroiter up for such a flight just before Behncke was scheduled to take it out on a regular run. A confrontation followed, with Behncke getting the worst of it—Holman got Behncke fired. It was a shattering blow to Behncke, who expected management to back him up on what was obviously a safety violation.
When you add this set of experiences to Behncke’s natural doggedness and determination, you get a man who was willing to found a labor union.
Our pilot union history is important to understand and Flying the Line, Volume 1 and Volume 2 are certainly worth the read. However, if reading is not your preference a podcast version is also available. Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote of “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself” aptly applies to the labour movement as well. It’s through learning from that past that we know right now, in this moment, we need strong union minded pilot leadership to see us through the next few years. These years will be foundational for our pilot profession within Canada.
Being a strong union leader is a must have quality for the people whom we endorse in ACPA elections. Currently, the vote is open for the recently vacated Nationally Elected Member (NEM) position on our MEC. Pilots for Change is proud to endorse André Soucy as our pro-labour and pro-ALPA candidate. Remember to cast your vote before September 9th and tell your fellow pilots to do the same!
The upcoming LEC Vice Chair elections this fall are also of great importance. These elections have the potential to shift the majority on the MEC to our favour. Then we can work in unison for the betterment of all Air Canada pilots. We must implement our core elements and strive to make our pilot group crystal clear on what our true value is before we hit the negotiations table.
History has also taught us that when pilots stand together on the pillar of safety we are unstoppable. No one understands what it is like to fly the line, day after day, like we do. No one understands the safety concerns of our industry as we do. Our counterparts south of the border clearly understand this and leveraged it, prior to labour day weekend, in the form of informational pickets. They all stood shoulder to shoulder at numerous bases across the USA. Pattern bargaining means something to them. They understand when United ALPA negotiates a better contract it is good news for the Allied pilots of American Airlines as they can continue the upward trend of increased wages and working conditions with their next contract negotiation. The rising tide lifts all boats.
Much can be learned from our American counterparts and emulated here in Canada. We must stop the downward trend of our wages and working conditions. As our colleagues at WestJet imminently hit the negotiations table we should also be standing shoulder to shoulder with them. If they do better we will also do better when it is our time to hit our negotiations table. When any of our professional pilot colleagues have informational pickets we should proudly wear our uniforms, pick up a sign and join them. That same support and solidarity will be shown when it is our time to negotiate.
We must be unbreakable in our resolve to protect our profession from the constant barrage on our wages and working conditions. We must never forget that our work is our power.
Happy Labour Day.