Aa To Recall 390 Flight Attendants

[s80dude]

This is John Ward, President of APFA, with a hotline message for Thursday, October 09.

The APFA and the Company have signed off on a Letter of Agreement confirming that the Company will recall 390 flight attendants, effective December 2. This recall is made possible due to the projected increase in flying the Company expects between now and next Spring.

As you may know, we currently have approximately 1,385 flight attendants out on Overage Leaves through June 2004. Although the Company has the contractual right to cancel these leaves due to manning requirements, it was felt by the Company that, for the number of additional flight attendants required at this time, recall was a better option. APFA agrees.

Although the future continues to be somewhat uncertain, this recall certainly represents a bit of good news when that's in short supply these days. APFA is very pleased, as I know you are, to be welcoming back to the line these 390 members from furlough.

Please stay on the line for additional information regarding the recall. Thank you for calling.



********************************************************************
This is good I suppose, but I hope this is not simply for seasonal help or to combat high sick calls for December. And I also hope that when overage leaves expire, we are not in the position of having to furlough again because there are not enough takers for the next round. Trying to be optimisitic though....

 

[wrx]

That's great new for our colleagues. Welcome to seasonal flying!

 

[Andre1980]

This is great news! I think that this is a sign that the airline industry is slowly recovering. All the best AAers TC.

 

[onceoza]

What's so great about it? They get called back to fly the worst trips; they're away from their families over the holidays; then they get laid off again when things slow down again with no furlough pay. Doesn't sound so good to me.

 

[Andre1980]

What's so great about it? They get called back to fly the worst trips; they're away from their families over the holidays; then they get laid off again when things slow down again with no furlough pay. Doesn't sound so good to me.

Well, they have a choice no one is pointing a gun to their heads to do it! They can either sit at home and do nothing or explore the possibility of becoming hookers or strippers in order to pay the bills since those professions earn more than the average airline flight attendant out there or make good use of their time by doing something for themselves although in a temporary position is better than doing nothing at all. Be great full! This could be a sign of better things to come.

 

[wrx]

Here is all the 411 on the recall. Below is the packet being sent out and all the employee numbers who will receive the information. The bases available will be LGA, SLT and STL.



This is the packet being sent to the 390 f/a's subject to recall:

American Airlines®
Certified Mail
October 9, 2003

«FIRST» «LAST»/«EMP»
«ADDRESS»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»

Dear «FIRST»,

As you are well aware, the past couple of years have proven to be some of the most difficult times
in American Airlines history. Thanks to the structural sacrifices that all AA employees have
made, we now have a more competitive cost structure and for the first time in over 2 years, we
see some markets that present strategic opportunities for limited growth using existing aircraft.
We will do this new flying through the use of underutilized aircraft rather than through capital
expenditures. This is really great news for flight attendants as it requires 390 more active flight
attendants than what we have today.
I am pleased to offer you the opportunity to return as an active American Airlines employee. You
are being recalled as an American Airlines Flight Attendant with a recall date of December 2,
2003. Please review and complete the information enclosed in this packet as outlined below.
Return forms must be mailed via FedEx by October 20, 2003.
Pay special attention to the Accept or Reject Reemployment and Base Preference form. This
information is time sensitive and must be mailed via FedEx by October 20, 2003 and
received by the Company no later than October 21, 2003. To assist you, we have included a
pre-paid FedEx label in this packet for you to use at an authorized FedEx drop-off location.
This recall is governed by Article 16 of the collective bargaining agreement between American
Airlines and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
You are being recalled to your former position as a Flight Attendant. You will have 10 days
from the date of the enclosed Accept or Reject Reemployment and Base Preference form to
notify the Company of your intent to accept or reject reemployment. Additionally, failure
to notify the Company or failure to report to your assigned training class will result in
forfeiture of your reemployment rights and seniority. Upon acceptance of this offer, the
terms and conditions of the employment application and Fair Credit Reporting Act
(FCRA), that you completed and signed when originally employed, will apply.
Simply stated, you will have ten days from the date of this notice to decide if you will accept or
reject. If you reject this offer, you lose your right to reemployment and your seniority.

Base Assignment
Assignments will be based on operational needs and awarded according to seniority. We will
attempt to match your preferences, if possible. Please refer to the Accept or Reject
Reemployment and Base Preference form and indicate your order of preference.
Training
Flight Attendants with Current EPT Qualifications:
If your qualifications are current, you are required to attend a half-day refresher training course at
Flagship University on November 8 or November 11. Flight Attendants with a November base
month will need to attend refresher training on November 2 and attend EPTs November 3 and
November 4. Dress for this training session is business casual with no open toed shoes allowed.
You will receive training pay in your December paycheck for refresher/EPT training in
accordance with the AA/APFA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Flight Attendants without Current EPT Qualifications:
If you have not attended EPTs since September 2002, you will be required to attend a mandatory
re-qualification/refresher training class prior to attending EPTs. The re-qualification/refresher
training class will be conducted on November 2 at Flagship University. A two-day EPT class
will be held on November 3 through November 4 at the Flight Academy. Dress for this training
session is business casual with no open toed shoes allowed. You will receive training pay in your
December paycheck for refresher/EPT training in accordance with the AA/APFA Collective
Bargaining Agreement.
Flight Attendants Assigned to STL (TWA LLC Base):
Flight attendants assigned to the STL base will be required to attend a one-day requalification/
refresher training course on November 1 at Flagship University and EPTs on
November 2 through November 3 at the Flight Academy. In addition, flight attendants assigned
to STL will need to undergo a training program to qualify them to work under the TWA LLC
operating certificate. This training will be held at Flagship University from November 4
through November 11. Dress for this training session is business casual with no open toed shoes
allowed. You will receive training pay in your December paycheck for refresher/EPT/TWA LLC
training in accordance with the AA/APFA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Training Support Desk 1-800 #
You must contact the Training Support Desk beginning October 24 to receive base assignment,
travel arrangements, and training dates. Classes will be assigned on a first come, first serve
basis. The Training Support Desk may be reached by calling 1-800-999-3632 Monday through
Sunday from 0500 until 2030 Central. Travel will require a government-issued picture ID. US
citizens should bring their passport and/or birth certificate. Non-US citizens will need to bring
their foreign passport, alien registration card and documentation of the ability to travel freely in
and out of the USA.
Report to Base Date
The report to base date will be December 2, 2003. Arrangements for travel to base and
additional details will be provided at Refresher Training. You will have one hotel overnight on
December 1st and if you choose to share your room with another returning flight attendant, you
will have one additional overnight on November 30th.
Uniform, In-Flight Manual, Company Keys and Company ID
You will receive your required equipment at Flagship University. Ensure you have your
complete uniform (including wings and nametag, galley gloves, flashlight and luggage) that was
issued by the Company. In 2004, you will receive 12 uniform points to purchase any additional
uniform items. In addition, you may use any unused points from 2003. Any purchases beyond
the 12-point allowance will be collected via payroll deduction beginning with the first payroll
check.
Schedule
Because you will have completed training by the December bidding period, you are eligible to bid
for December. Regardless of your previous reserve rotation, you may be subject to serve reserve
if your seniority dictates.
Fingerprinting
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), mandates under Federal Aviation Regulation 14
C.F.R. 108.229 that all airline employees with unescorted Airport Operating Area (AOA) access
or Security Identification Display Access (SIDA) access submit to a fingerprint-based Criminal
History Records Check (CHRC). This requires employees, regardless of hire date, to be
fingerprinted. Fingerprinting will be completed at Flagship University while picking up all
required equipment.
2004 Benefits Enrollment
You will have the opportunity to enroll in your 2004 Employee Benefits upon your return to
active status.
Questions?
Please send any questions you may have to [email protected]. You will also
be able to address any additional questions during your training class.
While I am aware that there are many flight attendants still awaiting the opportunity to return to
flying, this is an outstanding step in a positive direction and we are very excited to welcome you
back to American Airlines. We look forward to your acceptance and base preference listing.
Please remember that this information must be mailed via FedEx by October 20, 2003. Again,
welcome back!
Sincerely,
Donna Snepp
Managing Director, Flight Service
American Airlines
American Airlines®
REQUIRED: COMPLETE AND RETURN THIS FORM
October 9, 2003
Accept or Reject Reemployment and Base Preference Form
«FIRST» «LAST»
«EMP»
You are hereby notified to report to American Airlines for immediate reemployment in your
former position as a Flight Attendant effective December 2, 2003.
This recall to work notification is in accordance with Article 16 of the collective bargaining
agreement between American Airlines and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants,
which requires that you notify the Company of your intention to accept or reject re-employment
within 10 days after the date of this letter. This form must be completed and mailed via FedEx no
later than October 20, 2003 and received by the Company no later than October 21, 2003, with
your base preferences to constitute advising the Company of your intent to return to work.
Failure to notify the Company or your failure to report to your assigned training class will
result in the forfeiture of your reemployment rights and seniority.
_____ I accept the offer of reemployment to the position of Flight Attendant.
_____ I do not accept return to work as a Flight Attendant with AA, and I
forfeit all recall rights.
According to the provisions of the AA/APFA Collective Bargaining Agreement, before a flight
attendant can be recalled to a base, all transfer requests to that base must be cleared. At this time
we expect possible openings in the following bases. Please indicate your order of preference with
one (1) being the most desired base and three (3) being the least desired base. While we do all
possible to match preferences as best we can, assignments will be based on operational
requirements and awarded according to seniority.
Please prioritize the following choices:
_____ LGA
_____ SLT (Flying AA equipment)
_____ STL (Flying TWA LLC equipment)
_________________________ _________
Signature Date
cc: Personnel File
Flight Service Administration
Employee Numbers of Flight Attendants Receiving Recall Packets

179981
183882
199994
313543
325096
342101
345792
348142
353661
365897
373789
387911
415874
416662
430486
443096
450345
459022
461329
462266
476582
480140
480414
481183
481387
488785
494808
497865
497870
497872
514023
516348
517092
518142
521522
527751
534207
534243
534252
542113
542265
550587
564441
564465
564863
565084
565373
565507
565815
565983
570035
582056
592497
592498
592499
592500
592504
592507
592508
592509
592510
592512
592513
592515
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593048

 

[Flyboy4u]

I really have to question what is going on with this recall. Yes, it is good news on the surface, but I am very skeptical in the sense that the overage leaves were never cancelled per the APFA contract. Again, this is another instance of this "so called" Union overstepping its boundries and signing off on a recall without following the contract. Of course, at this point, the APFA does what it wants anyways. This could potentially setup a seasonal help situation. I am hoping thats not the situation but we will find out soon enough!

 

[wrx]

I really have to question what is going on with this recall. Yes, it is good news on the surface, but I am very skeptical in the sense that the overage leaves were never cancelled per the APFA contract. Again, this is another instance of this "so called" Union overstepping its boundries and signing off on a recall without following the contract. Of course, at this point, the APFA does what it wants anyways. This could potentially setup a seasonal help situation. I am hoping thats not the situation but we will find out soon enough!

Yes, the APFA did violate our contract. If any of the f/a's on overage leaves wanted to return to flying, they can now file a grievance against the APFA and AA for violating Article 16 in the APFA contract. This should be another interesting show!

 

[Flyboy4u]

I know this for sure the attorneys are watching this one closesly as well!

 

[Flyboy4u]

" As you may know, we currently have approximately 1,385 flight attendants out on Overage Leaves through June 2004. Although the Company has the contractual right to cancel these leaves due to manning requirements, it was felt by the Company that, for the number of additional flight attendants required at this time, recall was a better option. APFA agrees. "


If this isn't a plain admission to violating their own contract I don't know what is.
This APFA needs to be gone and fast!

 

[wrx]

This APFA needs to be gone and fast!

I couldn't have said it better myself. Check this out to Recall JW and his buddies: New APFA

 

[Light Years]

Congrats to the recalled AA flight attendants, and hopefully all will be back soon at all of our airlines!

LY (furloughed Airways FA)

 

[onceoza]

Well, they have a choice no one is pointing a gun to their heads to do it! They can either sit at home and do nothing or explore the possibility of becoming hookers or strippers in order to pay the bills since those professions earn more than the average airline flight attendant out there or make good use of their time by doing something for themselves although in a temporary position is better than doing nothing at all. Be great full! This could be a sign of better things to come.

You just don't get it, do you? My point is that because of the idiots that are in charge of the APFA that chose to give away furlough pay, my career and the career of every other flight attendant has gone down the toilet. We fought the fight for years and years to make it a profession. Now, it's a seasonal job... Busy season? Let's recall! Oooops, now it the slow time....time to furlough again. Don't have to pay them a severance so it's no big deal.

 

[FA Mikey]

You all are jumping the gun to call it seasonal. Talk about over reacting. If after the holidays they said thanks bye, then be pissed. But right now we are being told that due to the up coming manning requirements we need more people. That means additional flying and eq utilization, also dont forget more people are retiring at years end. Haven't we all been we are short people? Now the recall and you all complain. See a pattern in that?

 

[wrx]

It might just be that AA is shaking in their boots, with the "FLU" season approaching. I really think that we have become seasonAAl flight attendants. If the Euro carriers do it, why cant AA do it? Heck, even AS has been known to do it. I hope it doesn't turn out to be seasonAAl.