Parting Shot - Aviation for ALPA

Dear Members of ALPA,

As we move closer to National Officer Elections at the BOD, the politics of the ALPA President election are becoming more evident. The focus of my campaign remains an elusive strategy within ALPA, and our collective prosperity will remain elusive as well until we have real union leadership interested in something other than their own personal agenda.?

Setting the example for the aviation industry for pilots starts with bringing all ALPA Pilots together. I believe that a “bottom-up organization” is something that is truly achievable within ALPA, but not until the highest offices are more accountable to the general membership. I believe the ALPA President and MEC Chairpersons should be directly elected by the members, and hopefully this will be the case in the near future.??

Addressing the issues of my campaign will be important steps toward the unity of all ALPA Members:

• Safety must become the centerpiece of our union once again
• A single standard for pilot fatigue mitigation for all ALPA Pilots
• ALPA must work to mandate training and certification standards
• Alignment of Joint Venture/Revenue Sharing schemes to prevent jobs shipped overseas?
• We must start work on implementing a National Seniority List
• An ALPA Pension for years of service, dedication and dues paid is the least we should expect from our National Union

I would like to thank you all for your support during my campaign; it’s truly appreciated and humbling. I would like to ask the voting members of the Board of Directors to join me in supporting Captain Jason Ambrosi for ALPA President. After speaking with Jason, it’s clear he gives us our best chance to succeed over the next four years. It’s also clear the only other candidate (Captain Todd Insler) is lacking any credible support of the BOD for this election.

Due to Insler’s concessionary agreements with management, his lack of leadership for six years as Master Chairman, and his cozy relationships with senior management and the UAL Board of Directors, the UAL MEC and the United Pilots have summarily dismissed him as a viable option for ALPA President. Insler has been the direct cause of great upheaval and UAL MEC recalls recently.

In Insler’s own council, and UAL’s largest (EWR C-5), all reps have been recalled and replaced by a 5/1 vote margin. Recall agenda items have passed in C-33 (DEN), C-34 (SFO), C-57 (LAX) and recall ballots and interim rep replacements are being processed by ALPA National. C-171 (IAH) has recalls for their reps on the agenda for their next meeting. All these councils were supporters of the failed leadership of Captain Insler, and all these councils have direction from their members to not support Insler for President [or any other union position] under any circumstance.?

I stand with my fellow members of UAL ALPA!

I thank you again, and please stand with me in support of Captain Jason Ambrosi for ALPA President.

In unity,

Captain John Barton

#johnbartonf16 #pilotlife #pilotlifestyle #aviation #flying