FROM THE NJASAP VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRY AFFAIRS
Capt. Dan Lieff

This area of the NJASAP Web site is dedicated to keeping you informed about the Association's Industry Affairs-based initiatives as well as to provide access to the latest legislation that affects the aviation industry and NJASAP's stance on the same. During the first quarter of next year, we plan to make software available that will enable you to contact your Congressional delegates to voice your position on matters that affect our industry and our careers.

To help us promptly establish a presence on Capitol Hill, NJASAP decided to accept the Coalition of Airline PIlots Association's (CAPA) offer to become a full member in June 2009. A trade association comprised of more than 28,000 professional pilots, CAPA­­ was established to address those safety, security, legislative and regulatory issues of common concern to its members. With the addition of NJASAP in June, CAPA now has six member-unions, including the Allied Pilots Association, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, Independent Pilots Association, Teamsters Local 1224, and US Airline Pilots Association.

Much like NJASAP, Association founders American Airlines Capt. Mike Cronin and Southwest Capt. Steve McPhail believed an organization whose foundation relied on pilots working for pilots would be the best way to ensure their combined labor force’s interests would be addressed by Congress. Since that time, the Coalition has grown into a strong, effective voice for independent unions that is highly regarded by Congress and government agencies for its collective strength, integrity and responsible approach to addressing issues of common interest to all pilots.

From fighting vigorously against legislation that would have created baseball-style arbitration to supporting the Federal Flight Deck Officer Program, CAPA has many successes to its credit and continues to work on industry issues such as cabotage, cargo inspections, biometrics, and most recently, pilot fatigue. I encourage you to learn more about CAPA by visiting its Web site, www.capapilots.org.

As I have come to know, writing letters is a critical component of legislative advocacy. For example, on June 23, I sent a correspondence to Sen. Byron Dorgan, Aviation Subcommittee chair, emphasizing the importance of protecting pilot records, outlining the dangers to aviation safety posed by pilot fatigue, and calling for consistent standards amid all operators – major, regional, fractional or otherwise; click here to view the correspondence. We had an opportunity to discuss these very same matters with him and members of his staff when I, along with NJASAP President Mark Luthi and Associate Counsel Cara Seidt, met with them in Washington D.C. in mid December.

From an aviation legislation perspective, Sen. Dorgan is a central decision maker, holding tremendous sway within his subcommittee and occupying a senior position on the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Indeed, the preliminary findings published by the NTSB regarding the crash of Colgan Airlines Flight 3407, which detailed serious problems associated with crew rest, compensation, training and disparate standards between commuter and major carriers, prompted Dorgan to convene a series of hearings to investigate airline safety. In June, his panel received testimony from federal regulators as well as industry and labor leaders.

We felt incredibly fortunate to have this time with Sen. Dorgan and we felt he was very knowledgeable about these issues, operational control in particular, and we believe he is capable of making the much needed changes we seek.

In 2010, we will continue to pursue our principal legislative initiative which seeks a significantly expanded definition of operational control; you can learn more about this issue by reading the Operational Control Primer.

Establishing a presence on Capitol Hill is important not only to advancing our legislative agenda, but also to laying the foundation for future collective bargaining talks. What we can do today to protect and enhance our industry, as a whole, will significantly impact the negotiating environment – and our careers – in the years to come. Indeed, the progress we make and the contacts we cultivate will prove consequential to the bargaining atmosphere. Although our collective bargaining efforts have resulted in industry-leading agreements, thus far, the aviation industry is continuously evolving and NJASAP must stay ahead of the fray.

Please check this area of the NJASAP Web site often as it will be frequently updated after Congress returns to Washington in the new year.