Aa Hiring New Flight Attendants!

[Flyboy4u]

Very Reliable Sources have confirmed that AA is hiring new foriegn national flight attendants to fly turns out of MIA, FLL, and DFW. With over 6,000 flight attendants on furlough this news is an outrage and should not be tolerated. Not only is this completely unethical it's a downright slap in the face to all current line holders at American as well . Stand up and don't take this...There has to be a way to stop this.. Please contact your congressmen, local news stations and let it be known what is happening. :angry:

 

[L1011Ret]

If this is true, and we would need confirmation, it certainly is a big blow to furloughed F/As.

 

[kirkpatrick]

The contract has very specific language (page 595) on allowable numbers of Foreign Nationals. I think this should be verified before anyone busts a blood vessel over it.

MK

 

[Flyboy4u]

According to sources at the APFA, this is true. Also, in MIA alone new flights were added out of FLL and MIA international for next month. However, there were 35 falloffs to the dom operation. We are in the process of getting the information directly to everyone, but I myself have heard it from officers at the APFA. This is not just a blow to those furloughed but to those also working on the line. Not to mention, those paxs who fly on us. So much for "American" Airlines. I would think this would be grounds for some type of "self help" actions to take place. I am disgusted to even think this is actually going on! :angry: :angry: :angry:

 

[FWAAA]

The contract has very specific language (page 595) on allowable numbers of Foreign Nationals. I think this should be verified before anyone busts a blood vessel over it.

MK

Agreed. Yet another instance of the company following the contract - yet some FAs are encouraging the initiation of "self-help" over the issue.

What the membership really needs to do is to rethink the identity of its negotiators and its lawyers; after all, this isn't the only part of the contract that is dissatisfactory to the membership.

Furthermore, they ignore the political realities that mandate the use of some foreign nationals as FAs - some of AA's destinations would not think too kindly on AA not hiring any locals when it makes so much dough flying to Central and S America.

Complain, complain, complain.

 

[Flyboy4u]

You as a citizen of this country also ought to be outraged that this compny is allowing citizens of other countries take their jobs. Especially, when AA threw it's own people on the street to turn around and hire new flight attendants. If you believe this is ethical and right then you should also be ashamed of yourself and the fact you call yourself and American. What is going on with this world? Standup for your rights and your fellow Americans rights. :angry:

 

[WingNaPrayer]

American jobs have been going to foreign countries for years. It's the trend and the way to go and it isn't going to stop anytime soon. Eventually, enough people in America will be out of work that no one will be able to afford the products and services and then everyone suffers - and we, as a country, become ripe for the picking by other countries we haven so enriched for years.

 

[wrx]

Yes, it is true that FN's are flying turns in and out of MIA, FLL and DFW. AA hasen't hired new f/a's in South America to do these flights. FN's are only allowed to fly into one destination and back i.e. LIM-DFW-LIM. They can't fly past that i.e. LIM-DFW-JFK-LIM. This is has been going on for years. AA is trying to make it so that the FN's can fly connections out of MIA, DFW and FLL onto other American cities throughout the United States. :down:

 

[L1011Ret]

At one time I flew with foreign nationals on TWA. Based in CDG-ORY, FCO and HKG. They were NOT, repeat NOT, allowed to fly to the states. They only flew beyond the gateways such as ORY-TLV, ORY-ATH-NBO or FCO-TLV-BOM or HKG-BKK-BOM and back to TPE. AS beyond gateway flying diminished, foreign bases were closed. But that was long before "outsourcing," a slipery term that hides the displacement of American workers.

 

[TWAnr]

What the membership really needs to do is to rethink the identity of its negotiators and its lawyers; after all, this isn't the only part of the contract that is dissatisfactory to the membership.

You hit the nail on the head. This has got to be the sloppiest drafted contract I have ever seen. Too much of the language is vague and open to opposite interpretations.

From what I understand, a part of the problem is due to the APFA hiring professional negotiators, without first hand knowledge or experience of the potential problems, to sit down with the company and hammer out the details.

Line flight attendants, who have lived with the faulty protections, should be present at the negotiating table when the final language is being drafted.

 

[FA Mikey]

The agreement came in just prior to the collapse of EAL. Its was a supplemental agreement that offered to double language pay and give it to every speaker on a speaker trip regardless of the language of destination. We also got for selling our souls, was galley pay of 1.75 on International wide body and 1.25 on domestic wide body. Which I believe doubled it at the time. It was negotiated by our illustrious past scab APFA president Cheryle Leon and her then VP, I forget her name. There are loop holes and we have tried to file grievance on it. Since the principal negotiators {scabs} wont stand up and help us there is no way for us to argue intent on some of the contractual issues in the FN agreement.

It is true there are new Fn's on the line. In fact I just heard it today from my number 3 who flew a DH leg as was talking with a new hire.

Lou Dobbs is doing a special week long story next week on company who are shipping American jobs overseas. How more American than American Airlines can you get. E-mail Lou Dobbs at CNN and see if they want to follow up.

 

[FA Mikey]

You hit the nail on the head. This has got to be the sloppiest drafted contract I have ever seen. Too much of the language is vague and open to opposite interpretations.

From what I understand, a part of the problem is due to the APFA hiring professional negotiators, without first hand knowledge or experience of the potential problems, to sit down with the company and hammer out the details.

Line flight attendants, who have lived with the faulty protections, should be present at the negotiating table when the final language is being drafted.

I think Denise Hedges was the first to use a Professional negotiator. Prior to that it was done by those elected up against the company and its lawyers. If you go back far enough, a lot sticky issues were hammered out between the president and Crandall himself.

 

[Flyboy4u]

This is really sad and I personally will never go back to American and I am at the TOP of the recall list...Anyone working on the line right now should be disgusted with themselves and look really hard into their own morals and personal beliefs, and don't give me that crap about "How much they love thier job" and " How bad the economy is "...If you truley believe in your country and the rights of your citizens Now is the time to make a stand!!! Call in sick,,, Refuse to fly trips and let the press and congress know what is happening...American Airlines is Hirning NEW FLIGHT ATTENDANTS from other countries to do the jobs of your fellow furloughed flight attendants....No wonder there will be no recalls, and yes now I believe that another furlough is sure to come...Those left on the line at AA....Your job is Next!!! Beware and stand up for our rights!!!

 

[FA Mikey]

There are good and bad ways of solving problems. Ed, many of yours are quick reactionary and way over the top. They go no where to solving the underlying issue. Just go to creating more turmoil. What does a sick out cost? Ask APA.

 

[L1011Ret]

It would be nice to know the facts, how many were hired, were they replacements for FNs who quit or retired, has there been a significant increase in the number of block hours flown by FNs, etc. Mikey is right, reaction when you do not not know the facts could be very risky.