We’re Only As Strong as Our Solidarity
By Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA President
In May, I joined our National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) union brothers and sisters at their biennial convention. During the gathering and a few weeks later, when NATCA President Nick Daniels joined ALPA’s Legislative Summit, it was clear that as our industry faces turbulence, unions stick together.
It isn’t just within our union that we find strength, it’s across the labor movement. Our air traffic controller partners are with us day in and day out as we operate our aircraft, and we stand together now as we mourn the loss of the passengers and crew of PSA Flight 5342, advocate for air safety so another similar accident never happens again, and fight for the rights of workers—especially as federal labor rights are under attack.
I’m proud to sit on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO, proud of ALPA’s leadership in the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, and proud to have led the effort to rejoin the International Transport Workers Federation because the labor movement—like our union—is only as strong as our solidarity.
Because we have each other’s backs, pilots continue to support controllers in demanding a modernized air traffic control system to keep operations safe and basic infrastructure maintained so that our union brothers and sisters can effectively perform their jobs. At the same time, they’re joining us in advocating for the safety benefits of having at least two pilots on the flight deck at all times.
The work that ALPA undertakes is similar to the work of other labor unions. There are the obvious similarities like contract negotiations and grievances, and the less obvious such as regulations and safety standards that the Association and our union colleagues advocate for. We must always remember that in our jobs, we’re not given anything because managements or regulators are feeling generous. We must fight for every inch of progress. Your voice, through this union, makes our industry stronger and safer.
For some, the value of a union may become most apparent on their worst day on the job. Any ALPA member who’s faced an accident, incident, or medical certification issue can attest to the Association’s undeniable value and unwavering support. Our union is also committed to preventing future airline accidents by participating in accident investigations and advocating to implement the recommendations contained in NTSB and Transportation Safety Board of Canada final accident reports.
Every accident is preventable, and since ALPA’s founding in 1931, the Association has been dedicated to breaking the chain of events that can lead to accidents. For years, the union has also been committed to using airline data and self-reported data to identify possible gaps in our aviation safety net that can contribute to an accident. Determining accident causal factors takes dedication and time, and achieving change at the regulatory level to adopt safety recommendations also takes dedication and perseverance.
The Association is continuously fighting to preserve and enhance pilot training requirements. Through our nearly decade-old “Trained for Life” campaign, we seek to draw awareness to the strong training and experience standards that all airline pilots are held to in the United States and Canada. Current U.S. standards are born out of the 2009 Colgan Air Flight 3407 accident. Together with the families of the those who perished on that flight, ALPA urged Congress to improve airline pilot training requirements. PSA Flight 5342 is a tragic reminder that there’s always more we can do to improve safety, and the Association will continue to advocate for safety enhancements.
Having the same standard for all airline pilots is critical because it means there are no shortcuts to the flight deck. We’re all held to the same high standards, and we’re all highly trained and experienced on day one. Any claim to the contrary undermines our hard work and years of advocacy to enact and defend these standards.
We can’t forget that loud doesn’t always win—but knowing when to be loud does. And we’re never more powerful than when we act and speak as one. As pilots and as a labor movement, we’re strongest together. And through our collaboration across the industry, the rights of workers, the careers of pilots, and the safety of our industry will always be protected.