Ep 242 What's a Pilot Union? Inside ALPA's World of Negotiations, Grievances, and Support
Ready 4 Pushback
Nik Fialka
5.0 • 797 Ratings
🗓️ 5 May 2025
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Nik Fialka sits down with Tom Cross of ALPA—the largest union for airline pilots—to pull back the curtain on union life. Together, they cover everything from the basics of union membership and its benefits to the intricate processes of contract negotiation, grievance handling, and conflict resolution on the flight deck. This episode demonstrates that union solidarity goes far beyond contract language—it's about safety, unity, and mutual support across every facet of an airline pilot's life.
What You'll Learn in this Episode:
How ALPA is structured, from local councils to the national executive team
The role of union dues in funding critical services
How contract negotiations work
What constitutes a grievance, and how disputes are resolved to protect pilot rights
The confidential, non-punitive role of Pro Standards in mediating conflict on the flight deck
How active participation empowers pilots and enhances industry standards
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, pilot, what's going on? Welcome to Ready for Pushback. I'm Nick Fialke. You found another great |
| 0:07.9 | interview show with my good friend, Tom Cross, from the Airline Pilot Association, which is the |
| 0:15.5 | union, the biggest union for airline pilots. We talk all the ends and outs to give you a baseline of what |
| 0:23.1 | a union is, what it's like to be in a union, to work with the union, to work for the union, |
| 0:28.6 | and all the different things they do. At one point in your aviation career, there's a really |
| 0:35.0 | high likelihood that you will end up in some kind of union, |
| 0:38.1 | so I figured we'd talk about it today. So sit back, relax. Let's get ready for pushback. |
| 0:45.6 | Most pilots don't understand what career opportunities are available in the world of aviation. |
| 0:51.9 | They're making career decisions based on advice from friends or posts on internet forums, |
| 0:57.7 | meaning they are taking huge risks with their livelihood without having all the details. |
| 1:02.9 | This podcast was created to help you understand the aviation industry so you can find your dream job. |
| 1:09.8 | Let's get ready for pushback. Here's your host and my dad, |
| 1:14.8 | Nick Fialca. All right. We got Mr. Tom Cross from Alpa. How are you, sir? I'm doing good. How are you? |
| 1:24.6 | Man, I'm awesome. It's great to see you. You are an old friend, and we have gone down the path of the union world for a long time together. So thank you for coming on the show. |
| 1:38.0 | Yeah, man. It's great to finally be able to do this and do this with you. |
| 1:41.3 | Yeah, we've been talking about this for like a year and a half, right? |
| 1:43.7 | Yeah, yeah. It's the, you know, the airline world trying to get those schedules to sync up. |
| 1:48.7 | That's right. So for the one or two pilots that don't know who you are, will you, give me a little bit of your background. |
| 1:56.7 | Yeah, so like I said, you said, my name's Tom Cross. I'm United Airlines 757, 767, first officer. |
| 2:03.7 | I've been with United for about three years. |
| 2:06.9 | Got involved with ALPA here as soon as I, even before I got off probation, they snatched me up. |
| 2:12.4 | Before that, I was at Atlas for a year flying the 747, and then you and I were together at Envoy Air. |
... |
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