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By Daniel Baxter |
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February 3, 2011 - On Wednesday, Brendan Airways, LLC,
doing business as USA3000 Airlines, a The goal of the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is to enhance aviation safety through the prevention of accidents and incidents. Its focus is to encourage voluntary reporting of safety issues and events that come to the attention of employees of certain certificate holders. |
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To encourage an employee to voluntarily report safety issues even though they may involve an alleged violation of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), enforcement-related incentives have been designed into the program. An ASAP is based on a safety partnership that will include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the certificate holder, and may include any third party such as the employee's labor organization.
Airline
Professionals Association (APA) reported the decision was
necessary because of the pattern of actions by
It is the
union?s position that these letters are not only wrongly placed,
but also are grossly inaccurate and may become subject to
present or future Pilot Records Improvement Act disclosure
requirements. Voluntary safety programs become ineffective when
these disclosures are twisted to harm a pilot?s career.?
?Recent
actions by |
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?We, as
professional pilots, always strive to maintain the highest level of
proficiency and safety,? Muckle added.
?We embrace any training or program that helps further our safety
goals, not just for ourselves and our companies, but for the industry as
a whole. However, when
these types of actions take place, actions that tear away at the
confidence of the pilot group, the union is left with no choice but to
withdraw from a program, even a worthy one such as ASAP.?
Acknowledgement
that the timing of these events is unfortunate is an understatement.
In fact, the union is concerned that it may mark an outright blow
to the aviation safety initiatives that are currently being addressed.
?The International
Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Airline Division has been working with
ASAP for over a decade. In
our experience it has been working well across the board,? said Russ
Leighton, the Director of Safety for the IBT Airline Division.
?It is disappointing that this airline refuses to use the program
as it was intended.?
As an
organization, APA Teamsters Local 1224 has been a vocal advocate for
aviation safety programs such as ASAP.
In fact, it has a reputation for safety and proactive development
of safety programs. APA
Teamsters Local 1224 has devoted countless hours of time to participate
in Congressional round table discussions and FAA aviation rule making
committees (ARC) to identify and address industry-wide safety issues.
The last
publication by APA Teamsters Local 1224 featured the industry movement
to incorporate ASAP into Part 121 carrier operations across the nation,
and even promoted the benefits of ASAP when companies and flight crew
members work together in a collaborative environment to identify and
address operational safety hazards.
When ASAP is implemented properly, it allows flight professionals
the opportunity to acknowledge an error or identify a hazard in the
system, and to report it without fear of losing a job or a license.
When a party breaches that trust, ASAP is rendered ineffective. |
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