From the EGL VARS:
Fellow American Eagle pilots,
Today, the ALPA Board of Directors, which consists of status representatives from every domicile of every ALPA represented carrier elected National Officers to oversee our union for the next four years.
Let me begin with the election for Vice President of Administration. It is with great pleasure that I announce the election of American Eagle Captain Bill Couette to this position. Captain Couette is the first National Officer to be elected from the small jet carriers. The non-“mainline” carriers now make up about half of ALPA’s membership and the election of a pilot from this group of carriers represents a major paradigm shift in the governance of our national union.
Elected to the position of President was Captain John Prater. John began his airline career flying cargo and then Metroliners for Scenic Airlines prior to being picked up by Continental Airlines where he is still employed. He was a full term striker during the Continental strike of 1983. While on strike at Continental, he took a part-time instructor position at United Airlines. When the United pilots struck their carrier in 1985, John was terminated when he refused to cross the pilots’ picket line. John has been a consistent advocate for the pilots of small jet carriers as evidenced by his long term commitment to the ExpressJet pilots and their unanimous support of his presidential candidacy.
As a new hire in 1997, one of my first experiences with ALPA was the ratification of our 1997 Collective Bargaining Agreement. At that time, small aircraft airlines were viewed by many as a draw on ALPA resources and more often than not, in my opinion, treated as such. Since 1997, your MEC has worked diligently to effect change from within ALPA and to reach a point where airline pilots are simply viewed as airline pilots without consideration to the gauge of equipment or the revenue source behind the cockpit door. I cannot overstate the significance to your MEC of today’s elections. It represents years of work by those at small aircraft airlines as well as those at large aircraft airlines that had the vision to see the future as we did.
Fellow American Eagle pilots,
Today, the ALPA Board of Directors, which consists of status representatives from every domicile of every ALPA represented carrier elected National Officers to oversee our union for the next four years.
Let me begin with the election for Vice President of Administration. It is with great pleasure that I announce the election of American Eagle Captain Bill Couette to this position. Captain Couette is the first National Officer to be elected from the small jet carriers. The non-“mainline” carriers now make up about half of ALPA’s membership and the election of a pilot from this group of carriers represents a major paradigm shift in the governance of our national union.
Elected to the position of President was Captain John Prater. John began his airline career flying cargo and then Metroliners for Scenic Airlines prior to being picked up by Continental Airlines where he is still employed. He was a full term striker during the Continental strike of 1983. While on strike at Continental, he took a part-time instructor position at United Airlines. When the United pilots struck their carrier in 1985, John was terminated when he refused to cross the pilots’ picket line. John has been a consistent advocate for the pilots of small jet carriers as evidenced by his long term commitment to the ExpressJet pilots and their unanimous support of his presidential candidacy.
As a new hire in 1997, one of my first experiences with ALPA was the ratification of our 1997 Collective Bargaining Agreement. At that time, small aircraft airlines were viewed by many as a draw on ALPA resources and more often than not, in my opinion, treated as such. Since 1997, your MEC has worked diligently to effect change from within ALPA and to reach a point where airline pilots are simply viewed as airline pilots without consideration to the gauge of equipment or the revenue source behind the cockpit door. I cannot overstate the significance to your MEC of today’s elections. It represents years of work by those at small aircraft airlines as well as those at large aircraft airlines that had the vision to see the future as we did.
