AFA's "Me-To" Clause...

safety stud

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Apr 6, 2006
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For as long as I can remember, the "Me-To" clause has caused the general membership of U's AFA flight attendants nothing but grief. When it was negotiated back in the mid 70's, the concensous was that it would be a good thing. It allowed flight attendants to fly with their pilot boyfriends. It also provided contractual improvements such as better duty rigs, work rule changes etc.

It is now a different genre. ALPA for the last few contracts have given up the world to save their own A**. Along with that they have forced AFA to give up as well without AFA being able to do anything about it. The "M-T" has to go. AFA need's to negotiate their own contract, with il-regard to what ALPA does with theirs.

Thoughts?


Just my opinion...
 
Give up the “Me-Toâ€￾ and we can see a system similar to the west F/A's… crazy long days...outrageous scheduling practices. :shock:

Just take a look at their trips…UGLY! Remember flight attendants don’t have the duty legalities protected by the FAA like the pilots do. I say stay together, keep the “Me-Toâ€￾! Just my opinion.

Not to mention that if we loose them we could have too many F/A’s on the east side and that may result in furloughs. :down:
 
Not to mention that if we loose them we could have too many F/A’s on the east side and that may result in furloughs. :down:
Very good point. The time will be taking away from the reserves who can barely make their time as we speak. Now were bringing 90 furloughs back. Once again to get furloughed if the "me too" clause is taken away. I'm working out west but originally from the east. I like the fact that I have the option to do a 8-9hr one day. I'm exausted as hell, glad that I got those hours in but hoping they don't call me the next morning. And to be honest....as a reserve I think I've only worked them twice in the year that I've been here. They go so senior...you can't even pick one up in open time.
 
Give Up Me Too? :eek: :shock: :lol: :lol:
Someone has fallen off thier rocker. Go talk to the Piedmont F/A's about working without that Me-Too! Oh, you people think it's bad now? The few benefits DO NOT justify the consequences. If your stupid enough to pull that trigger then you deserve all that falls upon you.
 
I can hear scheduling now.

"Are you refusing to stay on duty past 15 hours?"
"Grieve it, you're going!"
:down:

sky high states: I dont know if this is true, but I heard a F/A at jetblue did a transcon "turn". A supervisor met him at the gate and said, "sorry, we're in a bind, you have to do a San Juan turn now. You're the only spanish qualified we have.........You're going."


only stating opinions
 
That's when you decline the trip and a call is placed to the FAA office holding the airlines certificate. They can't make you fly "fatigued". And your right, scheduling would have a field day.
 
Ask a Piedmont F/A?... who cares... how about ask ANY other airline. We are the only ones following the pilots around and they've given up everything but thier left nut at this point.

Its time to grow up. Ditching the pilots means more flexibility, more time built into scheduled days, more variety of flying for different bases. I'd be fine doing a west coast turn if it means less time at work, more time off. Our F/As are so babied, print your own trip sheet, be responsible for yourself. I'll call scheduling myself and tell them I'm going to go illegal, I couldn't care less that Captain Bob wants to make his flight home so wants to "just go."

If it means rightsizing the workforce then so be it, do it right for once instead of having all of these people sitting around. Not to sound harsh, but there are new hires out west. No one who was here a year ago east or west would be affected if it did in fact cause furloughs, which I doubt it would.

Whether or not you get screwed depends on what you negotiate. I fear US AFA has been hiding behind ALPA for so long they may not have any clue in this department.
 
When you hear dropping the Me too with the pilots the first thing you hear is "long days". I already go to 15 hours but let me ask this. If we dropped the clause with the pilots what would PREVENT AFA from negotiating a rule of sorts similar to what we have now. Just because we don't share the exact same rule doesn't mean that we'd automatically be made to fly longer days. Negotiate it.
 
I'm going to save your post EMB. I hope I never have to bring it out and explain why people are getting screwed.If AFA wants to negotiate something seperate from the pilots go for it.I think that will be an uphill battle. You forget that it took 40 years to put this contract together piece by little piece and the girls in hot pants fought like hell for years to get us Me Too with the pilots. Now we are just going to throw it out the window? Sometimes the Flight Attendants are our own worst enemy. Babies? No, it's called trying to make our job better and maintaining the middle class. You want to work under those rules so bad folks, then go to Jetblue but don't throw the rest of us under the bus.
 
So basically without the "me too" clauses AFA isn't capable of negotiating a more effecient and satisfactory contract on their OWN? An uphill battle maybe because AFA has absolutely NO WEIGHT? I think you might be right. Just keep hiding behind those pilots. :rolleyes:
 
Its time to grow up. Ditching the pilots means more flexibility, more time built into scheduled days, more variety of flying for different bases. I'd be fine doing a west coast turn if it means less time at work, more time off. Our F/As are so babied, print your own trip sheet, be responsible for yourself. I'll call scheduling myself and tell them I'm going to go illegal, I couldn't care less that Captain Bob wants to make his flight home so wants to "just go."

EMBFA I enjoy your posts all of the time but unless you have worked in a system where they have "ditched " the pilots be careful what you wish for. There is a concept called CRM (I know it seems like sensitive new age BS) that is very difficult to practice when you get 5 different front end crews for your five legs. The whole definition of crew is weakened in an airline without a "Me Too" clause and believe me the exposure for 3 or 4 days between cabin crew and front end makes a differnce when it comes to an emergency. Also the time spent together gives both sides a chance to exchange developments on each others jobs and the respect factor goes way up.

I have worked both and will take "Me Too" any day strictly from a safety point even though it has many other benfits.
 
Do I have faith in AFA to bring me a good deal seperate from the pilots?....Well Duuuuh. :lol: No. If you can show me someone with the balls and experiance to deliver and get the Flight Attendants off thier buns long enough to oh say put those people at the NEG table, please tell me. Look at CLT AFA elections, it will be the same old same old. Come on travelpro, I am not giving up crap until I got something better in the hand. I don't call that hiding, I call it being smart.
 
Oh absolutely, I'm not saying ditch the current without a NEW improvement negotiated by AFA. I barely trust that. I do believe that it can be done though. As for CRM I absolutely agree it would deteriorate a bit. To tell you the truth though, in a serious sitiatuon it wouldn't matter to me if I had flown with the front end for 1 day or 4 if I were getting my T.E.S.T information.
 
EMBFA I enjoy your posts all of the time but unless you have worked in a system where they have "ditched " the pilots be careful what you wish for. There is a concept called CRM (I know it seems like sensitive new age BS) that is very difficult to practice when you get 5 different front end crews for your five legs. The whole definition of crew is weakened in an airline without a "Me Too" clause and believe me the exposure for 3 or 4 days between cabin crew and front end makes a differnce when it comes to an emergency. Also the time spent together gives both sides a chance to exchange developments on each others jobs and the respect factor goes way up.

I have worked both and will take "Me Too" any day strictly from a safety point even though it has many other benfits.

I actually have worked under both. "Me-too" is not industry standard- in fact it would be near impossible to maintain at a larger, more complex airline. I find our contract and shared work rules with the pilots to be restrictive and inefficient for the flight attendants.

I enjoy being with the same crew for an entire trip, not having to "break-in" new people each leg. Its an opportunity to get to know your co-workers better and no one can argue against the CRM benefits. I just think that its antiquated to rely on what another work group does- if you look at our industry counterparts (which I consider to be the legacy carriers, NOT LCCs) they have thier OWN work rules, thier OWN scope clause- so they do not suffer injury from a seperate work group. They negotiate thier own contracts, rather than playing second to what the pilots agree to. We simply cannot put our fates in the hands of a group that is eons away in compensation, and tend to look after themselves to the detriment of others. We have enough of that within our own union.