Ask Dre answers

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Dre plugged in today. As he put it, “I take pride in being a controller at DFW, and I won’t give that up till I have to.”

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I would want members to be able to look back after my first year as RVP and say, “He spoke for us. He listened to what we wanted, stood up for what mattered to us, and made sure our voices were heard.” I want members to know that when they bring an issue forward, I’m willing to stand up and fight for what they believe is right.

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One stance I hold is that I don’t believe someone running for a leadership position should be endorsing other candidates. Every member’s vote matters equally, regardless of what title or position they hold. I absolutely believe we should talk about the candidates, discuss their ideas, and have honest conversations about what we like and what we don’t. That is a healthy part of the process. But whether it’s popular or not, I will not be endorsing another candidate. My focus is on earning the support of the members in this Region and making the case for why I am the right person to represent them. I respect every member’s right to make their own decision, and I believe that decision should belong to them.

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One measure I will absolutely use is how many members are volunteering to become more involved. When members believe their union is moving in the right direction, I believe they are more willing to invest their time and energy in being part of it. When it comes to trust, I’ll measure it by whether we are putting our time, effort, and resources where the members want to see them. And if our efforts fall short, we need to own that. I believe members deserve to hear the good and the bad—not spin, but honest, straightforward communication. If we want members to trust their leadership, we have to be willing to be accountable to them.

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This is a very good question, and I believe it is one of the biggest challenges we face as a region and as a union. Transparency doesn’t mean sharing information that could compromise negotiations or a legislative effort. But I do believe members deserve to know what is being worked on. If an issue needs to remain protected, I would be honest about that. I would tell members what we can about the issue, explain that discussions or negotiations are ongoing, and commit to providing an update within a specified timeframe. Even if we still can’t share the details at that point, we can let members know whether we are making progress or facing challenges. I’m a member before anything else, and I have the same vested interest in knowing what our union is doing. I understand that there will be times when everything cannot be shared immediately. But until a full briefing or explanation can be provided, I believe members deserve regular, honest updates. I will always work to keep our members informed to the maximum extent possible without compromising the work being done on their behalf.

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I think we need to reevaluate how members want to receive information. I know information is being put out, but much of it is being delivered in formats and through methods that have already been established. One of my biggest priorities would be finding out what actually works for our members—how they want to receive information, what they are engaging with, and what helps them stay informed. An informed membership is a stronger membership. Our job is to make sure the information is accessible, timely, and in a format members will actually use. But communication is a two-way street. We need to listen to our members about how they want to receive information, and members also have to engage with the information being provided. My goal would be to build a communication approach around both of those responsibilities.

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Great question. Coming from a mid-level facility, I’ve felt for years that smaller facilities don’t always receive the same level of attention as larger facilities. I was fortunate early in my career to have Tim Smith as RVP. He never failed to return my calls, and he never missed an opportunity to mentor me or help me understand the issues we were facing. That experience showed me how important it is for every member and every facility to have access to their regional leadership. I have a different regional leadership structure that I would like to roll out. Part of that structure would include an ARVP representing smaller facilities—someone from a facility of similar size and complexity who understands the issues those members are facing firsthand. I believe we have an opportunity to build a regional structure where every facility has a voice and every member knows they can be heard. Representation shouldn’t depend on the size of your facility or how politically connected you are. Every member deserves the same level of attention, advocacy, and access to their regional leadership.

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I’ve been part of a system that I would like to implement across the region because I believe accessibility should not depend on who you know. For example, if a representative reaches out to an ARVP through the system, that request would be assigned to the ARVP as a task. If it hasn’t been acknowledged or addressed within two hours, the request would automatically be elevated to the rest of the regional leadership team. That creates accountability while also making sure one person being tied up with another issue doesn’t prevent a member from getting a timely response. My goal would be simple: every representative should know how to reach their regional leadership, every request should be tracked, and no one should have to rely on a personal relationship to get their concerns heard.

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The reality is we are dealing with an administration that does not fully understand our value or the impact our profession has on this country’s economy. Our legislative activists have been doing work behind the scenes carrying our message and fighting for results. But they should not have to carry that fight alone. Our Region gives us an opportunity that we need to start using. We serve major commercial airports, military bases, general aviation, and the largest number of Federal Contract Towers of any region. Nearly every part of aviation is represented right here in our backyard. That gives us leverage, but only if we use it. We need to focus more on building relationships with the people and organizations that depend on our members every single day. Airlines. Airports. Military leaders. Aviation businesses. Community leaders. Contract towers. Anyone who understands what happens to aviation when our system does not have enough qualified professionals to operate it. When we go to Washington and say our members deserve adequate and justified compensation, our voice matters. But imagine that same message coming from the airlines, airports, military communities, aviation businesses, and other stakeholders who depend on us. Our fight for fair compensation cannot only be a conversation between us and the Agency. We need to build a coalition around the value of our profession. Our members do the work. Our region has the relationships. It’s time we turn those relationships into leverage.

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First and foremost, I am the representative of this Region. Period. There may be times when I see an issue differently than the membership. If that happens, it is my responsibility to bring the information I have to the members, explain why I see the issue the way I do, and have that conversation openly and honestly. Maybe after that discussion, we find ourselves more aligned. Maybe we don’t. But one of my main goals is to give this Region back to its members. At the end of the day, once the information has been shared and the discussion has taken place, if the membership tells me the direction they want to go, then that is the direction I will represent. My job as RVP is not to make the Region agree with me. My job is to make sure the Region is heard—and to represent the members I was elected to serve.