On Thursday and Friday of last week, ALPA representatives met with the fact-finding team that has been tasked by the European Commission with exploring airline labor concerns arising out of the ongoing U.S.–European Union (EU) air service negotiations.
On Thursday, First Vice-President Capt. Paul Rice and ALPA staff attorney Russ Bailey joined representatives of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department for an exchange with the European team. On Friday, Rice and Bailey were joined by Capt. Rick Dominguez (DAL), chairman of ALPA’s International Affairs Committee, and Ana McAhron-Schulz, director of ALPA’s Economics and Financial Analysis Department, for another meeting with the team.
The two parties discussed the possible effects of the already completed “first stage” air services agreement, and the proposals being made by the EU in the ongoing “second stage” negotiations. In particular, ALPA and the European team talked about the labor relations challenges caused by the fragmented labor law structure in the EU, and the possible effects on airline workers of the EU’s proposal to eliminate restrictions on foreign ownership and control of airlines.
The European team consisted of Claude Chêne, the former chief-of-staff of the European Commission’s Aviation Directorate, Dan Edwards from the Commission’s Aviation Directorate staff, and Louise Ragher from the European Commission offices in Washington, D.C. The U.S.–EU air service negotiations are scheduled to resume in October in Washington.
