ALPA Volunteering

ClarkGriswold said:
Pilot to pilot, think "go to guy" for latest news, info, help with contract stuff, etc.

FOQA = Flight ops quality assurance, each airplane has a little database that tracks every flight. Within that they monitor parameters or each phase, big ones are unstable approaches. The data gets taken off the plane and the only people who see the identified data are the ALPA FOQA reps called "gate keepers". They deidentify the data then the company looks for trends and areas where they can improve things. If you fly out side of the parameters set then you will most likely get a call from the ALPA FOQA dudes asking for an explanation, with th possibility they can send you to the sim for more training (non disciplinary) that's the short version....
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This is a very SJI thing, and you guys might be the only ones to have this feature.
 
BigZ said:
The question was more along the lines of who did what off of that list in the first post and whether they enjoyed it or not.
I enjoy negotiating, but that's not on the list and I haven't been here long enough to knows the ins and the outs of who is who and wants what just yet.
Leaning towards the P2P, because some issues with the information flows are evident now.
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If you want to get into negotiating try to get a slot on your grievance committee. It’s a great way to learn a contract inside and out and it’ll be a good step in the door for meeting people.

I did that and security work. ALPA volunteerism was an absolute blast for me, but you get out of it what you put into it. Find something you’re passionate about within your MEC and pilot group then go from there.
 
ALPA (and union work in general) can be extremely rewarding and extremely frustrating at the same time. I don't regret it one bit, but like @jtrain609, I'm not jumping back in the pool anytime soon.

Couple of points that while have been said bear repeating:

1) EVERYONE wants Safety/ASAP/ERC/FOQA. You will likely not start there, even if you have a degree in it. The slots aren't there. Find another committee to get your foot in the door and see where the rabbit hole takes you. Most eventually end up where they want to be. Doing a good job at that starter position is the gateway to the more desirable ones once you have proven yourself as an effective volunteer. There are positions (and the above mentioned ones are a bulk of them) that do require actual work that can be done incorrectly. If given the choice between putting an established volunteer vs someone who emailed out of the blue with a resume in that position, the established volunteer won every time.

2) At the regional level, be prepared for way more work than volunteers. This is the nature of the revolving door game. Some look at it as the end of the world, try looking at it as a challenge instead.

3) It is a volunteer gig. At some point you could get to a point that you get Flight Pay for your union work, but it sure as shooting doesn't start that way. This is a "for the betterment of my workplace" gig, not a "Lets pad the credit this month" gig. Some forget that unfortunately.

Hope this helps, and enjoy the ride.
 
Just curious. SkyWest guy here with a question for ALPA pilots, how easy is it for a pilot at an ALPA carrier to be admitted to volunteer programs? SkyWest as many of you know already does not have a union. I have sought volunteering roles, but the student council that we have insists on not utilizing volunteers. How regrettable.
 
Cloud Surfer said:
Just curious. SkyWest guy here with a question for ALPA pilots, how easy is it for a pilot at an ALPA carrier to be admitted to volunteer programs? SkyWest as many of you know already does not have a union. I have sought volunteering roles, but the student council that we have insists on not utilizing volunteers. How regrettable.
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Depends on the local leadership to be honest, and even on individual committee chairs.
 
Cloud Surfer said:
Just curious. SkyWest guy here with a question for ALPA pilots, how easy is it for a pilot at an ALPA carrier to be admitted to volunteer programs? SkyWest as many of you know already does not have a union. I have sought volunteering roles, but the student council that we have insists on not utilizing volunteers. How regrettable.
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ATN_Pilot said:
Depends on the local leadership to be honest, and even on individual committee chairs.
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My shop was like @ATN_Pilot said. It wasn't just saying to the MEC "hey I want to help!" it was finding someone at the committee level who wanted me to help and getting them to move the process along. As an example, my entire presence in ALPA literally consisted of calling with a scheduling related question one day and for some reason, it was viewed as "intelligent". (@jtrain609 has been looking for that intelligence every time we talk since. He's still looking). Had an email address 2 days later, and was neck deep in it within a month. This is after calling several times offering to volunteer.

More often than not, it's not saying you want to volunteer, its finding a problem or area that you think needs improvement, and saying "hey I'd like to take a crack at this..." and not being afraid to follow up. Now that I say it, thats also a giant part of what makes you successful as a volunteer.
 
broncoav8r said:
My shop was like @ATN_Pilot said. It wasn't just saying to the MEC "hey I want to help!" it was finding someone at the committee level who wanted me to help and getting them to move the process along. As an example, my entire presence in ALPA literally consisted of calling with a scheduling related question one day and for some reason, it was viewed as "intelligent". (@jtrain609 has been looking for that intelligence every time we talk since. He's still looking). Had an email address 2 days later, and was neck deep in it within a month. This is after calling several times offering to volunteer.

More often than not, it's not saying you want to volunteer, its finding a problem or area that you think needs improvement, and saying "hey I'd like to take a crack at this..." and not being afraid to follow up. Now that I say it, thats also a giant part of what makes you successful as a volunteer.
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Not likely to find it again at this point.
 
word302 said:
We do have a FOQA program. I am on the ALPA OC.
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You don't.

The FAA AC on FOQA requires three parties; the company, the pilots, and the FAA. Even if SAPA is a signatory, it's a straw man transaction. Because Skywest funds SAPA, it's a company union (which is outlawed by the RLA), and thus nothing more than a company mouthpiece. The pilots aren't real signatories to the FOQA LOA because they don't have an independent voice.

You have a FOQA program in name only, which is to say you don't have one.

Go ahead and check it out yourself, it's on the first page of the AC.
 
jtrain609 said:
You don't.

The FAA AC on FOQA requires three parties; the company, the pilots, and the FAA. Even if SAPA is a signatory, it's a straw man transaction. Because Skywest funds SAPA, it's a company union (which is outlawed by the RLA), and thus nothing more than a company mouthpiece. The pilots aren't real signatories to the FOQA LOA because they don't have an independent voice.

You have a FOQA program in name only, which is to say you don't have one.

Go ahead and check it out yourself, it's on the first page of the AC.
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Why am I not surprised that once again we are duped into thinking we have something we don't. Good times.
 
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