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April 11, 2025
Fellow Porter Pilots,
As the card drive continues to progress, we bring another round of "Meet the Organizing Committee"--an opportunity for you to understand why we are motivated to join ALPA. This week we introduce you to F/O Daniel Camilleri (E2 YVR), F/O Sebastian Budisantoso (E2 YYZ) and Brad Vien (Q400 YQT).
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Daniel Camilleri, E2 First Officer, YVR
Hey everyone! My name is Daniel Camilleri, and I'm a YVR-based E2 First Officer. I've
been with Porter since June 2024 and came from Jazz, where I was YVR based and flew the CRJ. When I was younger I played 2nd Division and Premier-level Rugby, where I had the opportunity to travel to the South Pacific and play with some of the best Rugby talent in the world. I also was a lifeguard which helped pay for flight school and competed at the Provincial and National level for Lifeguarding (yes, it's a sport, you can YouTube it!).
During COVID, when there was no flying at Jazz, I managed to attain a role as a sales executive at Porsche in Vancouver. That was an interesting time in my life. But nowadays you can catch me in the gym, gaming, doing dog and cat dad things, running my apparel brand, or at Disneyland with my fiancée (yes, we're Disney Millennials) where we are getting married in Autumn 2026!
I joined Porter last year because like many here, I was excited for what Porter had to offer. I wanted to be part of a growing company whose product I could get down with. And we get to fly brand new jets--sounded pretty awesome. I was also very intrigued with the concept of the FOAG, which I could tell the reps were doing great work with.
Since the benchmark (which, for me, left a lot to be desired), and the concessions that were taken, I realized the FOAG are not equipped to deal with the needs of an operation of this size or bigger, and issues that may arise out of the country. As the operation expands in the U.S. and eventually further, or even within our own borders for that matter, I am ready for the pilot group to take the next step and gain representation through ALPA. Blue Skies!
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Sebastian Budisantoso, E2 First Officer, YYZ
My name is Sebastian Budisantoso and I'm a YYZ based E2 First Officer. On a GDO, you'll
find me playing basketball, cooking meals that conveniently pair well with whiskey, and showing photos of my dog to anyone with eyes.
Like many others, I joined Porter in 2023 to be part of an exciting expansion, established culture, and lifestyle focused career airline.
I looked forward to seeing what the FOAG process had
to offer. Despite the FOAG's commendable efforts, we've seen numerous concessions via Friday evening memo, a disappointing benchmark highlighted by worse reserve rules, and a lack of representation for E2 First Officers.
The concerning attrition levels in Q4 2024 that led to an acknowledgement from senior management and an additional E2 class are evidence that others feel the same as I do.
You know what is often said about repeating the same action expecting different results.
Instead, say yes to ALPA.
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Brad Vien, Q400 Captain, YQT
My name is Brad Vien, and I joined Porter in fall of 2023 as a Q400 captain in Thunder Bay. Before Porter, I spent years in northwestern Ontario at Wasaya flying Beech 1900s, Dash 8 Classics and ATR 42/72s.
In my spare time, you can find me outdoors hiking in the Thunder Bay region or out
sailing if the weather is especially nice in the summer. In the colder months, you might find me out snowshoeing, travelling, or just staying cozy at home trying to keep warm with my animals.
I joined Porter hoping that it would be a great place to retire. Since joining, I have seen memo after memo changing our work rules, most of which are not in the pilot's favour. I would like us to have a contract that cannot be changed without the pilot's consent. I would also like to see stronger work protections in place when it comes to scope, merger, and reduction in force.
Whilst the FOAG has tried to advocate on our behalf, management isn't taking them seriously… because they don't have to! ALPA will change that. With protections under Part 1 of the Canada Labour Code, we can stop the clawing back of working conditions and start working toward improvements, whilst at the same time using ALPA's expertise to ensure Porter's growth ambitions are not interrupted.
Once we certify, I would like to use my experience as Wasaya's ALPA Safety Committee Vice-Chair to volunteer on the safety side of the house and work on making this industry even safer than it already is. It's time.
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We look forward to introducing you to more of our organizers and ALPA members in the coming weeks. A reminder that cards can be submitted by any of the following methods:
- Find a member of the Porter OC for a card (see locations here), fill it out, and hand it back to them (along with the $5 fee required by law)
- Download a card from the Porter OC website, fill it out, and hand it to a member of the Porter OC
- Download a card from the Porter OC website, fill it out, and mail it in to ALPA (please no coins)
Thanks to all of those who have submitted a card--let’s keep it up!
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In unity,
The Porter Pilots ALPA Organizing Committee
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