jimntx
Veteran
You will not find many APFA members who believe this. The average AA flight attendant--including those at APFA headquarters--thinks that hourly pay is the Holy Grail and the only important item in the contract. It's why we have such crappy work rules. Nobody cares about the work rules (until they have to work under them after the CBA is signed) as long as there is an increase in the compensation article. The restrictive trip trade rules are just one example. Why should the company care who flies a trip as long as someone flies it? The company is scared to death they are going to lose control of the flight attendants, and since it doesn't affect the compensation article or the right of senior flight attendants to neither fly nor retire, the union doesn't care.
I have had it said to my face on more than one occasion..."So, we have to layoff junior people to pay for a raise/get pure lines/maintain the right of flight attendants to never fly (whatever the issue). So what? It's part of the job. I was almost laid off once back in '82."
Job protection is not the only responsibility of a union, but it should at least be acknowledged as one of the responsibilities.
The funny part in all of this is that all the company has to do is put the right dollar amount into the compensation, and the union and the majority of the flight attendants will sign on the dotted line with those 90 hour lines coming in the future. The flight attendants will use the reasoning that they will just drop the trips they don't want to fly as they have always done. Problem is that the junior flight attendants who NEED to pick up extra trips (not me, thank goodness) in order to afford this job will no longer be there to pick them up.
You are absolutely correct that high time lines will result in fewer flight attendants. Staffing is not based on how many flight attendants are actually willing to put on a uniform and work a trip. Staffing is based upon the amount of flying assigned to a base vs. the "active" roster for that base--"active" meaning nothing more than still breathing and still on the list.
There's nothing wrong with 90-hour lines as long as those who don't need to fly that many hours are in a base with people who do need to fly more hours. But, even there the higher hours are a problem. In my base I know of one flight attendant who flies like 130-150 hours a month. There are several others who need to fly 100-110 hours/month. A 90-hour line will mean that they only have to pick up one 3-day trip (or equivalent) to hit their target hours.
