Dear Fellow AirTran Pilot:

We write to you following the NPA Board of Director’s four-day meeting last week that included presentations by both the Teamsters and the Air Line Pilots Association. The Board concluded its meeting by endorsing a merger with ALPA.

According to the Board’s resolution passed on Friday, ALPA is invited to make presentations to the AirTran pilots while a merger agreement is finalized. The full membership would then vote on the agreement no later than 30 days after it is reached.

As most of you know, the campaign by AirTran Pilots for ALPA was started in response to the Teamsters organizing drive and circulation of authorization cards. In addition, the AirTran Pilots for ALPA campaign conveyed a powerful message to the Board - that it needed to move the process forward and give the AirTran pilots the opportunity to voice their opinion on the subject of a merger. It appears so far that that message has been received.

Our goal remains an NPA merger with ALPA as we believe that will give the AirTran pilots the best representational structure to accomplish its objectives of an improved collective bargaining agreement, stronger contract enforcement, better benefits, enhanced job security, and worldclass safety support.

We have, however, decided to temporarily suspend our active card campaign for ALPA. We have decided to do this because the Board has established a firm process to allow ALPA to convey its message to the pilot group and make the case why the AirTran pilots would be better served with ALPA as its collective bargaining representative over any of our alternatives. We aim to assist in that effort and provide you with the facts.

During this time, we will still be accepting cards for ALPA, but for the next 60 days our focus will be on providing information to the pilot group rather than an active card campaign. Further, the AirTran Pilots for ALPA pledges not to ask ALPA to file the cards with the National Mediation Board during this time – unless it’s in response to a card filing by the Teamsters. The IBT Director of the Airline Division has publicly stated that the Teamsters disavow any interest in representing the AirTran pilots and issued a press release, immediately following their presentation to the Board, stating that they are not interested in pursuing an “official relationship” with NPA. Notwithstanding these statements, we continue to receive reports that a few AirTran pilots continue to distribute Teamster authorization cards. Consequently, we feel compelled to continue our efforts to counter the continued drive by their supporters as well as to protect against a change in direction by IBT itself.

Of course, an active card drive may also be necessary if the Board decides to change course or fail to adhere to its own timeline. However, we wish to make clear that our preferred option is a merger with ALPA and other steps would be pursued only to ensure that AirTran pilots will be given a chance to get full information about the alternatives and exercise their right to vote on future representation.

As we’ve previously explained, ALPA will support us better and provide much more effective representation than either the NPA or the Teamsters on the issues that matter most to us. Unlike the Teamsters, pilots run the organization and make the decisions at ALPA. There is no business agent or risk that other employee groups like truck drivers, warehouse workers, and ground employees may decide issues of importance to the AirTran pilots. ALPA is structured exclusively for pilots where pilot groups come together for the betterment of the profession and each other.

While airlines may compete, pilot groups in ALPA work collaboratively, recognizing that everyone benefits with the bargaining success of their fellow pilot groups. We know that ALPA has the professional negotiators, Railway Labor Act-trained lawyers, communication specialists, financial analysts, safety and aero-medical experts to support us. While these are the very reasons to support ALPA, it is for this same reason that we believe that an independent union is not the answer.

For those who have provided authorization cards for ALPA, thank you for your support. If you would like to support our efforts to bring ALPA to AirTran and help support our steps to provide information and facts, we welcome your assistance and encourage you to contact us at the email address or telephone number below.

For those who would like more information on ALPA before the ALPA road shows begin, please provide us with your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. We look forward to meeting with you soon and talking with you about the benefits of an NPA-ALPA merger and the advantages of being an ALPA member. If you would like more information about ALPA, please e-mail us apfa09@gmail.com or you may leave a message on our voicemail at (404) 935-9005 or visit our website at www.airtranpilotsforalpa.com.

Respectfully,

AirTran Pilots for ALPA
P.O. Box 82700
Atlanta, GA 30354