The truth about transparency.

During any election cycle, communication and transparency are among the issues most frequently raised by members. We believe this election will bring the same issue. In truth, every Executive Board before this one has been plagued by the same problem. If a communication is too long, we hear “TLDR.” If we communicate too often, the big messages get lost in the noise. If we deliver information one way, some Pilots prefer it and others don’t. Communication and delivery have affected every single Board that has come before us, and it will remain an ongoing challenge for as long as this union exists. That does not mean we stop trying to get it right. It means we want to be upfront about the challenge instead of pretending a single format or cadence will satisfy everyone. We want to address this directly rather than let it become a talking point without substance behind it. Drawing on our Union experience, we owe you a clear explanation of what we can share, what we are legally restricted from sharing, and where we’ve fallen short on getting information to you in a usable way.

Much of the operational, financial, and strategic information the Company shares with your Executive Board during negotiations, planning discussions, and joint committees comes to us under a Non-Disclosure Agreement. This is not a choice we made to keep you in the dark. It is a legal condition the Company places on access to that information, and breaching it would expose the Board, and potentially the Pilot group’s bargaining position, to real consequences.

We can tell you that discussions are happening and give you a general timeline.

We often cannot share specific figures, proprietary data, or draft terms until they’re finalized or released by mutual agreement.

Once information is released from NDA protection, we commit to passing it to you promptly.

The feedback we have heard most consistently is a lack of transparency and communication, and we take that seriously. But part of what drives the feeling you experience is not reluctance to share. It is the process a communication must survive before it ever reaches your inbox.

Every message an Executive Board sends does not go out the moment it has been drafted. It has to pass through multiple channels of review: for factual accuracy, for consistency with what’s actually been agreed to or discussed with the Company, and for legal review to make sure nothing in it creates exposure for the Executive Board or the Pilot group. That review takes time, and it is a big part of why communications can feel slow, late, delayed, or incomplete.

Here’s why that review matters more than it might seem. The Company has, on more than one occasion, treated prior union communications as if they stood for an official position, pointing back to something we said to members and using it in negotiations or disputes as though it were a binding statement. That means a casual or imprecise word choice in a message to you can end up being used against the Pilot group at the bargaining table, months after the fact. We cannot afford to send something fast if it is not also accurate, because the Company is reading every word as closely as you are, sometimes more closely.

There is a legitimate gap, and it is ours to fix.

Every Pilot has the right to review the union’s complete financial records. This isn’t a special request reserved for election season. It’s a standing right. Any Pilot may schedule an appointment to review full financial records at any time by contacting the Executive Board Secretary Treasurer.

Transparency is not a box we check once and move on from. It is a standard we have to keep meeting, communication by communication, and we know words alone will not close the gap between what you have experienced and what you expect from us.

The All In Slate is committed to keeping this conversation open, not just during election season, but for as long as we serve you. Every Pilot deserves to know where their Union stands, what is being worked on, and why some things take longer to share than others. We intend to keep showing you that, not just telling you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Your feedback shapes how we communicate going forward, and we want to hear it directly.

Before you go, tell us what you think. We have put a single question on our website: what would make union communication work better for you? Shorter updates more often, fewer updates with more detail, more through the Local 357 app, texts for anything urgent, or something else entirely. It takes one tap, and we record nothing about who you are.