We represent more than 75,000 airline employees including mechanics, customer service agents, reservationists, simulator technicians, ramp agents, stock clerks, dispatch personnel, flight attendants and pilots. The Airline Division of the Teamsters Union continues to negotiate some of the best contracts in the industry, making Teamster contracts and membership the best choice for airline-industry employees.

As the only labor union that represents every craft of workers in the airline industry, the Airline Division has grown steadily since its first organizing drive in 1961 at Western Airlines. Today, Teamster contracts in the Airline Division focus on raising airline industry standards, promoting safety, educating members, fighting outsourcing and securing the careers of our members.

Under the direction of Captain David Bourne, the Teamsters Airline Division has focused its efforts not only on giving our members a voice in the workplace and in Washington, but also on being a voice for the American traveling public. Since taking over as Division Director in 2008, Captain Bourne has personally held more than 200 meetings on Capitol Hill and fostered numerous others with Airline Division local officers to raise awareness about the issues affecting airline industry employees with our nation’s politicians. Working closely with other airline industry labor unions and groups, he has been a leader in forming an airline industry labor coalition. This coalition—a historic first in the airline industry—represents the interests of more than 160,000 airline-industry union employees and the entire American travelling public who fly on U.S.-registered airliners.

The Teamsters Airline Division has taken a strong position on maintenance and safety issues. By standing up and speaking out against the use of low-cost, substandard and poorly-regulated maintenance facilities, the Airline Division is recognized as one of the leading experts on Capitol Hill for ensuring that passenger aircrafts are properly maintained by facilities that only use FAA-licensed mechanics and technicians. It is the goal of the Airline Division to ensure that maintenance facilities that service U.S. aircrafts are held to the same high standards for security and skills that airline facilities in this country must maintain. To help propel our fight against outsourcing, the Teamsters Airline Division, in conjunction with the Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition, has devised an Outsourcing Defect Report to document and catalogue faulty repairs made by foreign MRO stations. This report can be filled out by both members and non members and its data is reviewed by qualified members and stored in a databank accessible by certain Teamster reps when needed.

No airline should be allowed to use the cloak of bankruptcy to violate legitimate contracts with their employees, passengers and vendors. The Airline Division has been working diligently with Congress to overhaul key provisions of the bankruptcy code. The Airline Division is also focusing on legislation to hold airlines more accountable and less able to protect the wealth of management at the expense of employees and the traveling public.

Our record is clear. We are the only union in the airline industry that has grown by 30 percent during the past two years. More and more, key industry leaders turn to us for solutions and every day employees seek us for our solid reputation and strong representation. For our members and the American public, we pledge honesty, integrity, unity and a voice on Capitol Hill that is second to none. That’s who we are as Teamsters: We are proud to be the voice for American working men and women and the traveling public.

Meet Airline Division Director Capt. David Bourne

Capt. David Bourne joined the Teamsters in May 2008 as the Director of the Airline Division. A visionary leader, Bourne has the experience, know-how and clout to lead the airline division to new heights by focusing on organizing and legislative action.

Bourne is a Boeing 747-400 captain who until recently served as the master executive council chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) unit at Atlas Air, Inc. After leading two organizing drives at Atlas, a bitter court battle and two efforts to secure a contract, in July 2002 he signed the first collective bargaining agreement in Atlas Air’s history.

Bourne has served as vice chairman of ALPA’s Presidents Committee on Cargo. He has been captain of International Operations for Washington, D.C.-based Riggs National Bank. Before that, he was chief pilot of the corporate flight department for the president of the AFL-CIO, under the Building and Construction Trades Department.

Bourne has a long, proud union background. Both his father and grandfather worked the mines in West Virginia. His first job in aviation was as a substitute co-pilot for the Teamsters.

A graduate of George Mason University, Bourne and his wife Maureen live in Purcellville, Va.

Meet Steve Nagrotsky, Airline Division Deputy Director

Steve Nagrotsky serves at the Deputy Director of the Teamsters Airline Division and he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position.

Nagrotsky has 27 years experience with the Air Line Pilots Association and is an expert on collective bargaining and Railway Labor Act contract enforcement. Further, he has extensive experience in arbitrations, negotiations and as an advisor to labor groups.

Nagrotsky received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Relations from Cornell University, where he attended on a union scholarship program from the New York Central Labor Trades Council. He earned his law degree from New York University.


Meet Ed Gleason

Ed Gleason is Counsel to the Teamsters Airline Division. He has 19 years' experience representing labor organizations in the transportation industries.

Ed joined the Teamsters Legal Department in early 2007. Since May, he has worked closely with Airline Division Director David Bourne on such issues as transitioning United Airlines mechanics and dealing with grievances and negotiations.

In addition to his work as counsel to the Airline Division, Ed also serves as counsel to the Teamsters Carhaul Division, and handles ERISA matters affecting the union’s 400+ multiemployer pension and medical plans.

Ed has litigated many cases on behalf of labor organizations and workers in federal and state courts throughout the country. He has also represented clients before a number of federal agencies, including the National Mediation Board, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Department of Labor. He is also an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he has taught Advanced Labor Law since 1996.

Prior to joining the Teamsters Legal Department, Ed has served as lead negotiator and chief counsel in national and industry-wide multiemployer bargaining, and has dealt with international and domestic employers in the airline, package and maritime industries.

He is a 1986 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Fordham College, where he graduated magna cum laude. In 1989, he graduated with honors from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Meet Captain Scott Hegland

Captain Scott Hegland is a former 21-year airline pilot for Midwest Airlines. He began his union work three months after being hired, working as a member on an organizing committee to gain union representation at Midwest. Scott was appointed to Midwest’s first negotiating committee in 1998. In January of 1999 he became the chairman of Midwest’s Negotiating Committee while also holding positions as Executive Administrator of Local Council 30, Temporary Scheduling Chairman and Merger Chairman.

In 2002, Scott was selected by Capt. Duane Woerth to serve as Air Wisconsin's Strike Oversight Board (SOB) representative. The SOB responsibilities included the budgeting and management of the finances committed by ALPA for the 30-day cooling off period and the potential of self help activities.

In 2006, Scott was again selected by Capt. Woerth to become a member of ALPA's National Collective Bargaining Committee. The committee was responsible for the development of pattern bargaining concepts and negotiating assistance to all of the airlines represented by ALPA. The committee also assisted in holding negotiating conferences with ALPA and other independent airlines to foster cross-union sharing of negotiating concepts and representational activities.

In October, 2008, Scott was asked by Capt. David Bourne to join him at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. As the international representative for all flight deck crewmembers, Scott’s responsibilities include legislative affairs interests for flight deck crewmembers, negotiations, grievance and arbitrations, and assisting local unions, Pilot Executive Councils and their committees with their activities.

Teamster Airline Division Advisory Board

Chaired by George Miranda, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 210, the Teamsters Airline Division Advisory Board was founded in the summer of 2008 to help set the future course and structure of the Teamsters Airline Division.

It is the primary function of the board to consider an entire range of matters affecting the division, including organizing projects and grievances that may have system-wide or division-wide impact. Relying upon their experience as Teamsters Airline Division leaders, the board will make recommendations to the division director on appropriate courses of action.

The advisory board held its initial meeting at the International Union's headquarters on August 15.  Members of the Teamsters Airline Division Advisory Board include Miranda, Robert Rasch, Local 19 President; Clacy Griswold, Local 986 Business Agent and Airline Division Representative; Dan Smith, Local 104 Business Agent and Airline Division Representative.

Meet Captain Rick Dubinsky

Captain Rick Dubinsky is a consultant for the Teamsters Airline Division. He retired from United Airlines in November 2002. He was a professional pilot at United for more than 37 years, having begun his career in October 1965. His formal educational background included engineering studies at the University of Oklahoma and at Washington University in St. Louis in the early 1960s. However, decades later, after his focus shifted toward labor interests, in 1991 he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the George Meany Center for Labor Studies of Antioch University, becoming the first airline pilot to do so.

During the course of his long airline career, Dubinsky flew most of United’s then current fleet types—from historic Douglas DC-6 and Vickers Viscount propeller aircraft to nearly every model of Boeing jetliner United operated. He was domiciled in Chicago, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Newark, as well as New York’s LaGuardia and Kennedy airports. At the time of his retirement, Dubinsky was assigned to the Boeing 747-400 based out of O’Hare, with a system seniority number of 25.

During the 2000 and 2001, pursuant to the terms of the ESOP agreement, Captain Dubinsky served as a member of the board of directors of UAL Corporation, the parent company of United Airlines. Additionally, in the late 1980s he served as the Executive Vice-President, Secretary and member of the board of directors of the United Employee Acquisition Corporation, and as the President and member of the board of directors of Airline Acquisition Corporation. In that capacity he led the initial attempts of United’s employees to acquire majority ownership of UAL through an ESOP. Captain Dubinsky was also a founding member of the board of directors of the United Retired Pilots Benefit Protection Association. Captain Dubinsky is currently leading the negotiations for Local 1108 Flight Options and the CBA almagimation of Atlas and Polar merger.

Captain Dubinsky is married to his wife, Lisa, who is a professional opera singer. He has three grown children. Captain and Mrs. Dubinsky reside in suburban Cleveland, Ohio.

Meet International Representative Paul Alves

A true trade unionist, with an undeniable willingness to engage in the most aggressive and professional defense of members rights, Paul Alves is a labor union member, representative and leader.

Paul joined the Airline Division as an International Representative in August 2008. A career aviator with over 15,000 flight hours, he brings a great breath of experience in labor relations, flight operations, aircraft maintenance management, and aircraft accident investigation experience to the Division. His responsibilities include assisting the Division Director in implementing, directing, facilitating and managing the Airline Divisions’ plans and programs as they relate to System Boards of Arbitration, grievances, contract negotiations, aviation safety, Congressional lobbying, and labor matters pertaining to members in all Crafts and Class in the Airline Division.

Paul’s career accomplishments include:

• University of Rhode Island, May 1971- Bachelor of Fine and Applied Arts Degree, majoring in Spanish
• Undergraduate Pilot Training, awarded Aeronautical Rating of Pilot in March 1973- Craig Air Force Base, Selma, Alabama
• KC-135 Combat Crew Training-Castle Air Force Base, Atwater, California.
• KC-135 Co-Pilot, Aircraft Commander and Instructor Pilot- 905th Air Refueling Squadron, 319th Bombardment Wing, Grand Forks AFB, ND
• Squadron Officer’s School- Maxwell AFB, AL
• Central Flight Instructor’s Course- Castle AFB, CA
• Instructor Pilot and Aircraft Commander- 509th Bombardment Wing, Pease AFB, NH
• Chief, KC-135 Simulator Branch and Wing Flying Safety Officer- 509th Bombardment Wing, Pease AFB
• Flight Safety Officer’s and Accident Investigation Course- University of Southern California- Norton AFB, CA
• Flying Safety Officer, Headquarters Eighth Air Force, Directorate of Safety, Barksdale AFB, LA
• Air Command and Staff College, National Security Management Course
• Crash Survival Investigation Course- International Center for Safety Education, Tempe, AZ
• Deputy Director of Safety - Chief of Flying Safety Division- Eighth Air Force, Barksdale AFB, LA. Participated in numerous safety investigations, involving all aircraft in the Strategic Air Command inventory.
• Chief Investigating Officer and the Coordinating Group Leader for 18 formal Class “A” major Air Force accident investigations.
• Aircraft Commander, Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander, and Operations Superintendent-126th Air Refueling Squadron, 128th Air Refueling Group, Wisconsin Air National Guard
• 128th Logistics Group, Chief of Aircraft Maintenance and Aircraft Maintenance Officer.
• Commander- 128th Aircraft Generation Squadron.
• Commander- 128th Maintenance Squadron. Responsible for the logistics and maintenance management of nine KC-135 aircraft, 110 full-time personnel and 140 traditional Guardsmen, in 17 diversified areas, with an operating budget of over 1.5 million dollars.
• Combat veteran, retired from the United States Air Force in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in December, 1997, after 26 years and 8 months of distinguished service.
• Holder of: The Airman’s Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Readiness Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Service Medal with one star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal with two stars, Air Force Longevity Service Award with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, and the Air Force Training Ribbon.

Upon his retirement from the reserves, Paul began his civilian career as a Boeing 747-200 pilot for Kalitta Airways, becoming a member of IBT Local 747. Furloughed one year later, he was hired in August 1999 by Atlas Air, as a Boeing 747-400 Flight Officer, where he became actively involved with Council 72 of the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA). While working for his fellow pilots, in September 2001, he became a key member of the Strategic Preparedness Committee, leading the Miami Strike Center. After a failed ratification vote and change in union leadership, he was selected to join the Contract Negotiations Committee, and was instrumental in negotiating Council 72’s first Collective Bargaining Agreement. He was appointed Chairman of the Grievance Committee, responsible for grievance submissions and System Boards of Arbitrations, where he was directly responsible for the reinstatement of many wrongfully terminated Atlas Air crewmembers. Appointed as the Negotiating Committee Chairman in January 2005, he was responsible for contract and merger negotiations for the Atlas pilots. In June, 2008, he was appointed by the President of the ALPA as Chairman of the Atlas Air / Polar Air Cargo Joint Negotiations Committee and was engaged in merger contract negotiations regarding the merger of the pilot groups of both Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo.

During the company’s bankruptcy Paul worked with the union leadership to protect the union contract and member rights, resulting in profit sharing and stock options for the union members. His positive working relationship with new Atlas Air executive management resulted in many successful Letters of Agreement, greatly improving the crewmembers quality of life. In September, 2005, he helped lead the first ever secondary strike in support of another airline. His refusal to cross a Polar Air Cargo picket line at the Atlas Air Training Center led to his firing by Atlas Air, which led to a precedent setting ruling, allowing union members to defend their rights under their Collective Bargaining Agreement. He was subsequently reinstated when the Company could not uphold his termination.

Paul is married to the former Rhonda Rodinsky of Cranston, Rhode Island. They have two daughters, Andrea and Rachel and three grandchildren, Gabriel, Isabella, and Amelia.