Executive Board Discusses Recent Events, Member Dues Issues

ALPA national officers, executive vice presidents, and master executive council chairs recently assembled for the Association’s 136th regular Executive Board meeting. Held May 7–8 at the union’s McLean, Va., headquarters, the event opened with national officer reports.

Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA’s president, reflected on the PSA Flight 5342 mid-air collision in January, asserting, “Accidents are a tragic means to reveal gaps in the aviation safety net, but as the largest nongovernmental aviation safety organization in the world, we have the power and the resources to be proactive in identifying and closing those gaps and defending safety standards that we’ve fought so hard to put in place.”

Ambrosi also observed that American Airlines pilots, represented by the Allied Pilots Association, were holding a concurrent Board of Directors meeting to consider forming a merger committee to evaluate member interest in joining ALPA. He added that the Association will offer a return of member dues this year, for a second time in the organization’s history, thanks to a significant budget surplus.

Capt. Wendy Morse, ALPA’s first vice president and national safety coordinator, referenced the Endeavor Air Flight 4819 accident in February along with the PSA tragedy, highlighting the support the Association is providing in the related investigations and the assistance directed to members. “An enormous thank-you goes out to all the pilots and staff who provided support after these accidents,” she remarked.

ALPA’s Air Safety Organization has been particularly busy in recent months, and Morse reviewed several recent projects and activities, including advocating for increased funding for the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, the launch of this year’s “Are You in the Green?” campaign, and the rollout of the Transportation Security Administration’s Crewmember Access Point. She also discussed plans for ALPA’s next Air Safety Forum, which will take place September 8–11 in Chicago, Ill.

“Many of our members are facing uncertainty due to the state of flux in the airline industry,” said Capt. Sean Creed, ALPA’s vice president–administration/secretary. He cited the enormous changes at Air Wisconsin since American Airlines ended its capacity purchase agreement and the effect of U.S. trade tariffs on the airline industry as a whole. To better support displaced members, Creed outlined efforts to bolster the Furloughed Pilots Support Program, including its new furlough mentor program, to regularly engage with affected members.

Creed also discussed the significant number of new ALPA members and the union’s efforts to update its existing onboarding protocols. “In implementing these measures, we want to reinforce the notion that ALPA is pilots serving pilots,” he said. “This is a great opportunity to highlight the value of union representation and the many protections and resources we provide.”

Capt. Wes Clapper, ALPA’s vice president–finance/treasurer, reviewed the efforts of the Structure, Services, and Finance Review (SSAFR) Committee, along with assistance from the union’s Finance Department staff. “For the past couple years, I’ve come to the Executive Board with a long list of resolutions,” he remarked, adding that they “consisted of items designed to streamline, update, or adjust ALPA’s financial policies and procedures.”

Part of the latest focus of SSAFR is considering a possible dues rate reduction. Clapper observed that while no decision has been made, the committee will conduct a thorough review of the dues structure and everything a dues reduction could potentially mean for the organization.

Also during plenary, Capt. Tim Perry, ALPA Canada president, provided an ALPA Canada update. He acknowledged, “From our government affairs advocacy, protecting safety standards, welcoming new members, or fighting on behalf of our pilots at the bargaining table, we’ve never been busier.”

The Executive Board meeting’s order of business featured a keynote speech from Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association; a report from representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers who discussed a recent top-to-bottom review examining ALPA’s information-technology processes; and an update from Capt. Tyler Rowe (Jazz Aviation), ALPA’s Fee-for-Departure (FFD) Committee chair, about ongoing FFD collaboration and efforts to reinvigorate the joint standing committee network.

In addition, Capt. Dana Dann-Messier (Delta), ALPA’s Strategic Planning Committee lead, provided an update on ALPA’s strategic plan. Plus, Legal Department Director Marcus Migliore, Government Affairs Director Elizabeth Baker, and Morse participated in a panel discussion examining changes in the U.S. and Canadian governments and their effects on the North American airline industry.

This article was originally published in the May 2025 issue of Air Line Pilot.