PASS Remembers Serge Cote
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- Published: November 12, 2015
Last week, PASS lost a truly remarkable and dedicated member when Serge Cote passed away at age 52 after a year-long battle with cancer. Cote, president of Chapter MI2 and PASS member since 2000, was an aviation safety inspector at the East Michigan Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), although he refused to identify the facility as anything but its original name: the Detroit FSDO. “He never got over the agency changing the name of the office,” said Linda Goodrich, former Region IV vice president. “He was so honored to work in Detroit and to be part of that community. He was always an extremely proud member of the Detroit FSDO.”
Over the course of his PASS membership, Cote served in a variety of roles including facility representative, chapter officer and regional business agent (RBA). In Detroit, he was pivotal in spearheading the development of the Quality Assessment Tool (QAT) committee alongside Larry Ward. The tool allowed aviation safety inspectors to transfer between specialties while retaining their existing pay grade level. Cote worked on the project alongside Larry Ward, a member of Chapter MI2 and close coworker and friend.
Bill Steffey, a member of Chapter MI2 and close coworker and friend, remembers his time with Cote fondly. “Serge was a PASS rep with me for several years through several managers,” said Steffey. “He was very level headed and detail oriented. He was also a good buddy for many years.” Steffey worked with Cote for 15 years but knew him prior to their time working together. In fact, Steffey had a repair station before joining the agency that Cote and Gary Knaggs certificated and Steffey had a lot of interaction with Cote through that relationship. For the past seven years, Cote and Steffey worked as representatives together. “He made sure what was being done was being done correctly and in accordance with the agreement,” explained Steffey. “There were three of us reps working and we were known as earth, wind and fire. I was fire, another rep was earth because he was very grounded. And Serge was wind because he could always talk about what needed to get done and how to do it. He made sure things were right.”
His desire to make sure things were done right made Cote a perfect candidate to serve on the PASS/Aviation Safety (AVS) contract team, where he is remembered as a vital part of the group. The team worked for over a year on the new AVS collective bargaining agreement and spent approximately two weeks per month for eight months in Atlanta for bargaining sessions with the FAA. Chief Negotiator and PASS Counsel Mike Derby stated that the composition of a bargaining team is very important to the success of the negotiations. “Everyone must put personal agendas aside and work as a real team,” he said. “Serge epitomized this crucial characteristic. He was not only an extremely pleasant person to be around and a person of high character, but he was a true team player. He worked hard seven days a week and never complained. He was truly dedicated toward getting the best deal possible at the bargaining table for the membership as a whole. He will be deeply missed both personally and professionally.”
PASS Assistant Counsel Dennie Rose, who also served on the bargaining team, agreed that Cote was an extremely valuable part of the group. “Professionally, Serge always approached issues with a heightened sense of integrity and he was an intricate part of our bargaining team,” he said. “On a personal level, I considered him a friend. He will be missed.”
“Serge was instrumental in providing necessary data to the negotiating team,” added Region IV Assistant Frank Gentile, who was also a member of the team. “As a dear friend, his genuine brotherhood and persona reflected in his dedication to ensuring that all of our members’ concerns and input was included in the agreement.”
Many who talk about Cote speak highly not only of his work ethic but also his truly authentic personality. “He was a consummate professional at all times,” said Goodrich. “He always saw the best in everyone and never wanted to believe anything negative. He always gave people the benefit of the doubt. His work resulted in many positive outcomes not only for aviation safety but for PASS members. We lost a true brother. He will be deeply missed on all fronts.”
“Serge had a very uncanny yet humorous approach to his view on life, especially in the inherently dangerous career that he chose as an aviation maintenance technician and aviation safety inspector,” said Region IV Vice President Michael Gonzales. “As a PASS representative, Serge genuinely cared, worked and negotiated for our PASS organization and its members on all levels. We have lost a true, loyal and honest man.”
“Serge and I attended church each week during negotiations and that indicated to me his commitment to his religion, family and upbringing,” added Gentile. “He was relentless in supporting and caring for his wife, who was also stricken with cancer, during 2013 and 2014, but continued to be an integral part of our negotiating team. That shows what this man was made of. He will be remembered and missed every day.”
If you are interested in attending services for Cote taking place this Friday and Saturday, please click here for details. All of PASS sends our heartfelt sympathy and thoughts to his friends and family.
Pictured: Serge Cote (far right) on one of the AVS contract team outings alongside team members Linda Goodrich, Brent Weckwerth and Frank Gentile.