The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is the only union that represents every craft of workers in the airline industry. Teamster representation in the airline business has grown steadily since the first Teamster organizing drive in 1961 at Western Airlines. Today, Teamster contracts cover more than 64,000 airline employees, including mechanics, customer service agents, reservationists, simulator technicians, ramp agents, stock clerks, dispatch personnel, flight attendants and pilots. In its 40 years in the industry, the Teamsters Union has negotiated some of the best contracts in the industry, making Teamster membership the envy of workers throughout the airline industry.

The Teamsters Airline Division is dedicated to raising airline industry standards, promoting safety, educating members, fighting outscoring and securing jobs for members. Under the direction of Capt. David Bourne, the Teamsters Airline Division works to give members a voice in the workplace and in Washington. Since taking over as Division Director in 2008, Bourne has held more than 180 meetings on Capitol Hill to raise awareness about the issues affecting airline industry employees with our nation’s politicians.

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 International Representative For Continental Ramp Agents

Dan Smith is a Local 104 Business Agent and Airline Division Representative, he has been a Union Member since 1982.

He began his aviation career in 1972 as a red shirt aboard the USS Hancock CVA-19 assigned to Fighter Squadron VF-211 as a Ordnanceman on the F-8J Aircraft Armament System, serving two tours in the Gulf of Tonkin launching strikes out of Yankee and Dixie Station.

His career followed as a Ramp Agent at SouthWest Airlines and other departments for twenty years always holding a position as a Steward.

Presently the Teamsters International Representative of the 8000 Continental Airline Ramp Agents and Chairman of the negotiation committee.

Chairman of the IBT/CWA Association that represents 7500 customer service agents at US Airways.

Direct representation duties of Continental Airline Mechanics & Frontier Airline Mechanics and Southwest Airline Stock Clerks and US Airways Customer Service Agents at Local 104 in Arizona.

Dan Smith and his wife Pegi live in Phoenix, Az.

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; Barry Schimmel, Local 135 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.