Page 20 - InterPilot 2018, Issue 4

FOUNDING MA: ALPA CANADA PAGE 20 FOUNDING MA: ALPA CANADA PAGE 21

“I wonder what our IFALPA founders They would surely point to the South

would think of our progress on the American and Central American busi-
ness models and States that continue
to attack professional pilots who stand
top-of-mind issues of 1948?” up for basic rights and workplace dig-
nity such as in Colombia. They would
ask why we have continued to accept,
tolerate, and abide by professional pi-
lots being made a piece of the airlines
competitive cost calculus.

Captain Robinson and the other IFAL-
PA founders faced significant issues in
1948. At the top of the list were safety
issues, followed by everything else and
had a vision that began with the Mu-
tual Aid pact between BALPA, CALPA The large group of CALPA delegates at the Second IFALPA Conference in Paris, 1948
and ALPA in April 1943 and blossomed
into the founding IFALPA Conference
in 1948. I like to think that the hope
Our CALPA and ALPA fore- each Association should puzzled as to why we have point to, especially since de- and promise that IFALPA held in April
fathers as well as the other adopt a seniority scheme not embraced other alter- regulation began in the late 1948 is still burning, but we need to
IFALPA founders were also which suited its particular natives to seniority and pay 1970’s. They would point redouble our efforts to stir that flame
concerned with the issues requirements.” systems that tend to isolate to the example of the East- into a real blaze again. I imagine him
around seniority. Cap- and divide pilots. ern pilots being crushed by telling me that anything worth do-
tain Robinson had this to It is clear from Captain Rob- Frank Lorenzo and all of us ing is hard and that we need to, like
say, “Tuesday’s proceed- inson’s reporting of the I think they would wonder helplessly standing by. They him and his colleagues in 1948, place
ings were opened by Capt. founding Conference that why we have not designed would point to the rise of trust in each other, treat each other
Griffiths of the United King- the IFALPA founders were more effective means to the transnational and low- as equals no matter what you fly, who
dom who introduced the also concerned with la- ensure that the world’s pi- cost carrier business models you fly for, or where you fly.
subject of seniority and it bour issues and how they lots are able to effectively in Europe and Asia espe-
was obvious from the dis- impacted the world’s pi- advocate for each other. cially, to the division and At ALPA Canada, despite the challeng-
cussion which followed that lots. How would our IFALPA They might be surprised uncertainty it has created es ahead for IFALPA and the worlds’
here is one of the most con- founders view our progress that we have been unable for the pilots in that region. pilots, we still feel the same optimism
troversial topics in the in- in this area? to mitigate the effects of They would point to recent that Captain Robinson felt 70 years
ternational air line piloting deregulation that happened examples such as Air Ber- ago in London. He put it this way:
picture……. Capt. Griffiths I would submit that they decades ago and business lin and ask if there was not
proposed various radical might be disappointed and models and State regulators more that we could do for “All in all, the Conference was an im-
departures from the senior- might even give us a fail- and States themselves that those pilots? mense success. The groundwork has
ity system as we know it in ing grade. I would say this would oppress pilots and been laid for an organization that will
Canada, among which was because they would mea- pilot unions. They would They would point to the play an increasingly important part in
a national list which would sure our success, again, by understand that these are Capacity Purchase Business the world of aviation……If the mutual
permit a pilot to move from the data and by our per- very significant battles but model and the deleterious trust, free exchange of ideas, single-
one Company to another formance. I imagine they would be perplexed at why effects that has had on pi- ness of purpose and spirit of cama-
and still retain his accu- would ask why we have more resources were not lots’ careers and pitting raderie that prevailed throughout the
mulated seniority. It was been unable to take our devoted to “getting into the pilots against pilots. They first Conference are any criterion---I
generally agreed, however, unity and exercise it more arena” and challenging our- would surely ask how it is can see nothing but the utmost in suc- Excerpt from article by CALPA President, Captain C.R. Robinson, International Conference of Pilots
that seniority was one of effectively. They might ask selves, management, and possible that unionized pi- cess for the International Federation Associations, in the July 1948 issue of The Canadian Air Line Pilot Magazine.
the most difficult problems why we decided to use the States. lot groups are compelled of Air Line Pilots’ Associations.”
confronting pilots and a same bargaining model that to climb all over each oth-
resolution was unanimously we have been using since We know that they would er to secure work from the
carried to the effect that the 1930’s. They might be have many examples to “mainline” carrier.