July 30, 2010 – Three transportation organizations announced the creation of a large aviation labor alliance to combine and coordinate lobbying efforts on airline safety and security. 

Unions agree to coordinate aggressive lobbying program on legislative priorities including tightening aircraft maintenance standards, increased pilot training, and protecting workers during airline bankruptcies. 

The American Aviation Labor Alliance (AALA) is a formal partnership of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association (CAPA), which represent more than 140,000 aviation workers.

The new alliance is significant because the unions are affiliated with different labor federations or are independent, and they are joining forces to influence labor issues that affect their members and the airline industry as a whole. The AALA will continue to build alliances with other labor organizations in the future. 

The Coalition of Airline Pilots Association is a trade association representing over 28,000 professional pilots. CAPA's purpose is to address safety, security, legislative and regulatory issues affecting the professional flight deck crew member on matters of common interest to the individual member unions. CAPA-affiliated unions represent pilots at American Airlines, US Airways, Southwest Airlines UPS, ABX Air, Atlas Air, Polar Air Cargo, Kalitta Air, Southern Air, and Horizon Air.  

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, including more than 64,000 workers in the airline industry, including Atlas Air pilots, Continental ramp workers, United Airlines mechanics, and more. The Teamsters Union is affiliated with the Change to Win coalition.