Apfa The 1st 100 Days

crew4aa

Member
Apr 23, 2003
56
0
Good evening, this is Tommie Hutto-Blake, APFA President with the
APFA HotLine for Friday, September 3, 2004.

First off - our thoughts today are with those of you on the Florida
Coast as you do everything possible to stay out of harm's way while
Mother Nature gives our industry and your communities some serious
challenges. If you need us please let both the Company and your
Union hear about how we can assist you.

Now, I would like to both share events of this past week and talk
about some future goals. On Thursday, I met with Gerard Arpey, Lauri
Curtis and other members of senior management to discuss a number of
important issues to our membership. I listened to management's
assessment of our company's strengths and weaknesses and we opened
dialogue on many different issues that are important to the Flight
Attendants and the Company.

The first agreement we reached was that management will honor their
contractual obligation to provide a printed copy of our wages, work
rules, and benefits as found in the Concessionary Contract of April
2003. We will keep you up to date on when you can expect a complete
contract to be distributed ASAP!

Second, the Buy on Board TEST that began this week was discussed at
length stating the Union's position that this is both a staffing
issue and an additional workload for our members. I note APFA
already has active understaffing issues under dispute with regard to
the 737 staff cuts. On board staffing is a huge issue to a union
with 5500+ Flight Attendants on furlough.

The parties agreed on Thursday to survey each and every Flight
Attendant working one of these buy-on-board TEST flights. If you
work one of these flights I urge you to fill out the survey. APFA
and management will be reviewing this information thoroughly.

We know the company's focus is to generate new revenue. Our focus is
to protect our members workload and wages. As we study this new buy
on board issue in our industry - we must also study revenue sharing
programs that other airlines have installed.

Finally, if you work one of the TEST flights during the next 12 days
and feel you are understaffed due to an increased workload - please
file an understaffing claim and notice your Base Chair via voice
mail, email or by providing a copy in the APFA lock box in
operations. Please assist us as the Company maneuvers its way
through this new on board revenue TEST.

Another item discussed this week with Flight Service and Employee
Relations was their current plan to install a new attendance control
policy by October 1st. Until this week, the Union had offered no
input to these changes. After lengthy discussions with the Company
the start up date will be delayed and a union and management team
will be meeting next week in ORD to allow the union's input for
proffered revisions to this program BEFORE this program impacts our
members. As a union we need to be proactive - on the front side of
issues – rather than waiting until it's too late, reacting
after matters have been taken out of our control. Again, we will
keep you updated on the progress of AFPA's input on the company's
Attendance Policy revisions.

Now, please stay on the line for more important information about
APFA matters both current and future. Leslie. . .

Thanks Tommie...

This is Leslie Mayo for APFA Communications with the APFA Hotline.
Today is Friday, September 3, 2004.

As Hurricane Frances approaches and US landfall is expected shortly,
flights are being evaluated and cancelled according to current
conditions. Please be sure to check your schedules to confirm
operation of your trip.

Due to staffing issues resulting from the hurricane, APFA and the
Company have signed a letter of agreement that allows for the
temporary use of volunteer International Flight Attendants for
Domestic flying once all Domestic Make-Up and Option II flying has
been processed. This will only be valid for a period of time not to
exceed eight (8) days. Again, this is strictly voluntary and will be
available to International Flight Attendants only after Domestic
Make-Up and Option II flying has been processed. A copy of the
letter is available on the APFA Web site at www.apfa.org.

Those Flight Attendants whose trips are cancelled due to the
hurricane should be familiar with MIC procedures. In order to
protect your guarantee, you MUST call Crew Schedule upon learning
your trip has been cancelled. Crew Schedule then has several
options: 1 - they can deadhead you to cover your return flight; 2 -
they can assign you airport stand-by duty for no more than four
hours; 3 - they can reschedule you to another trip; 4 - they can
hold you available on days you were originally scheduled to fly; or
5 - everybody's favorite - they can release you. If after your
cancellation your pay projection is at or above your guarantee you
have no further obligation.

If you are RELEASED, and you wish to protect your guarantee, you
must give "Comp Days" (CD), which are similar to being on
Availability on your days off equal to the number of days of the
misconnect/illegality/cancellation later in the month. If you have
any questions, please call the APFA Scheduling Department. Also, be
sure to review the specific language in Art. 9. P and App. I. Art.
9.P. (pages 121-124 and 484-487).

As we announced on Wednesday, thanks to your reports and phone calls
to both APFA and the Company, we have been able to secure a downtown
location for all long layovers in Paris. Effective October 1, 2004,
crews will be relocating to a four-star hotel in the 14th
Arondisement near the Latin Quarter in Montparnasse. We want to
particularly thank you, the membership for your involvement in
getting this downtown hotel. Many APFA representatives worked
tirelessly to make this happen and we thank them, as well. Specific
details can be found on the APFA website.

On August 31, 2004, flight 2932 from St. Louis to Dallas operated as
the final flight under the TWA-LLC certificate. The actual
certificate will be transported to Washington, D.C., for its
official retirement. This completes TWA's transition into the
American Airlines operation.

Just a quick reminder regarding the National Coordinator summit to
be held at APFA Headquarters next Wednesday and Thursday… This
summit is being conducted to give all APFA members the opportunity
to express their interest in the following Departments: Contract,
Layover Hotels, Scheduling, Safety and Health. The Hotel summit will
begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7. The
Scheduling and Contract summit will begin at 10:00 a.m. on
Wednesday, September 8th and the Safety and Health summit will begin
at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. To date, we have received 14 faxes
and look forward to meeting all of you next week.

Today, APFA representatives including President Tommie Hutto-Blake
were informational picketing in support of the American Eagle flight
attendants' 40-month long effort to reach a contract with AMR.

Tommie's letter to the membership will be posted on the APFA Web
site on Labor Day. It will be mailed to each of your homes as well,
along with your new APFA membership card. Under the APFA
Constitution, this card is required to be sent to all members every
four years.

As a reminder, we wish to inform everyone that the enrollment period
for the APFA Voluntary Optional Insurance Benefits has been extended
to September 17, 2004. Please refer all questions to the Benefits
Call Center at 888-219-9459. Our Health Reps at APFA Headquarters
are not equipped to provide you with information regarding APFA
Voluntary Optional Insurance.

APFA Headquarters will be closed on Monday, September 6th in
observance of Labor Day. We wish you a safe and happy weekend and
thank you for calling the APFA HotLine.



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Check it out! The hotline is now updated on Friday as it should be! THB has spoken to the membership via the hotline more times in the last week then Ward did in the past 2 years.
 
For whatever this is worth:

Tommie L. Hutto-Blake
President
Association of Professional Flight Attendants
1004 W. Euless Blvd.
Euless, TX 76040

Re: Temporary Use of Volunteer International Flight Attendants for Domestic Option II and Make-Up

Dear Tommie,

Pursuant to our recent discussions related to the current flight attendant staffing shortage due to the weather situation in the Miami area, this letter will confirm our agreement on the following limited and temporary exceptions to the AA/APFA Collective Bargaining Agreement and the AA/APFA Restructuring Participation Agreement, as applicable:

For a period of time not to exceed eight (8) days from the date of this letter, the Company may on a voluntary basis use regularly scheduled or reserve flight attendants from the International operation on Domestic Option II and Make-Up trips, provided the following conditions are met:

1. On a solely voluntary basis, regularly scheduled or reserve flight attendants from the International operation can pick up Option II and Make-Up trips in the Domestic operation. As per the existing AA/APFA agreement, flight attendants will have the ability to decline Option II or Make-Up flying without penalty or ramification.

2. International flight attendants will be processed after all Domestic Make-Up and Option II has been processed.

3. International flight attendants who fly a domestic Option II trip will be paid at domestic incentive rates and those who fly a domestic Make-Up trip will be paid at the appropriate international rate of pay depending upon whether the hours flown are above or below the seventy (70) hour guarantee.

4. International flight attendants who fly domestic Make-Up trips will be subject to the monthly maximum for the Domestic Operation.

5. Flight attendants from the International operation who wish to pick up a Domestic Option II or Make-Up trip must send a HISEND message from personal mode and follow the instructions. HISEND will prompt the following: 1) date desiring to fly and 2) free text: please state "International flight attendant proffering for Domestic Option II or Make-Up," include a contact number and desired sequence number, if known. Each International base has a specific form (BOS-161, DCA-162, IDF-164, IMA-167, IOR-169, LAX-170, JFK-171, SFO-176).

6. Flight attendants from the International operation who have placed his/her name on both the Domestic and International Option II or Make-Up lists will be offered a trip from the list as the list is being processed.

7. There will be no changes to the existing process for awarding International Option II or Make-Up trips.

It is understood that this agreement is entered into on a non-precedent setting basis and will not be cited by either party in any other matter or proceeding. The Company and the APFA may meet to discuss further changes or modifications to this letter as required, but in no case shall the provisions of this agreement extend beyond eight (8) days from the date of this letter, unless otherwise mutually agreed to by the Company and APFA.
 
And I find it interesting that the company was going to institute a new attendance control. Except for the test that failed this is the first that we had heard about it.

Under the Ward leadership we would have been screwed.
 
LiveInAHotel said:
Check it out! The hotline is now updated on Friday as it should be! THB has spoken to the membership via the hotline more times in the last week then Ward did in the past 2 years.
[post="175834"][/post]​


This is exactly what I have been saying...I feel more positive than I have in a long time. Is it a magic wand? No, but at least I'm getting information and an effort. That's all I really wanted.

I find it quite funny that JW claimed the RPA fell under different provisions of our contract, therefore, the company was not liable for printing up a new contract.

In less than 3 weeks as President, THB has an agreement with Arpey to print and send the RPA to the membership. Hmmm...did JW ever actually talk to the company or was this his own interpretation of our contract?

I don't think THB is a cure-all, but I believe the APFA will finally start moving forward and not keep spinning in dysfunctional circles.

I'm feeling pretty good! I actually look forward to calling the hotline!

Coop

SLT