This Is Too Funny.

[Garfield1966]

I'm not sure what pin head thought this one up and what other pin head thought it would work but the FA's are not even gong to make it through period 1. Sick list is already at 1500 and we have 2 weeks till X-mass.


AA Flight Service & APFA Announce Enhancements
to Flight Attendant Attendance Policy
Overview
The APFA and flight attendants have been very forthcoming about concerns over the current Flight Attendant Attendance Policy. In settlement discussions covering three outstanding attendance-related Presidential Grievances, Flight Service Vice President Lauri Curtis and AA Flight Service Representatives Cathy Scheu, Donna Snepp, Human Resources' Denise Lynn and Employee Relations' Mike Waldron have been working collaboratively with APFA Vice President Jeff Bott, and APFA SBA Members Patt Gibbs, Susan French, Patrick Hancock and Lenny Aurigemma. Their goal was to settle the three attendance-related Presidential Grievances through enhancements to the Flight Attendant Attendance Policy that work for both our flight attendants and Flight Service. Enhanced Flight Attendant Attendance Policy Outline Flight Service and the APFA have agreed to test several enhancements to the current Flight Attendant Attendance Policy as a resolution to the three attendance policy grievances. In order to monitor the effectiveness of these enhancements, three trial periods have been set. The goal is to provide flight attendants with changes that they value and at the same time effectively manage our levels of absenteeism. Trial Period 1 will run from November 15, 2003 through January 15, 2004. Trial Period 2 will run from January 16 - June 30, 2004. Trial Period 3 will run from July 1 - December 31, 2004. During the trial periods, AA Flight Service will set a system APFA average absence percentage limitation for the period as well as a system APFA maximum daily absence limitation. During each trial period, the system APFA average absentee rate must remain below the limitation. In addition, on no single day during the trial period can the system APFA daily absence level exceed the maximum daily absence limitation. As long as these limits are not exceeded, the following provisions will apply for all flight attendants who do not incur a disqualifying instance based on their attendance
record:
Limitations for the Trial
PERIOD #1
Goals will vary by trial period.
Average Absence
Percentage 8.6%
Maximum Daily Absence
Level 1550
Q Attendance Record Improvement: For each
period, a flight attendant who is on a step of the
disciplinary process beyond BASE and has not
incurred a disqualifying instance will be moved
back one step. This "move back" includes flight
attendants that are on the Attendance Coaching &
Counseling (ACC) step.
OR
Q Flexibility Points: For each period, flight
attendants not on a disciplinary step of the
attendance policy or at ACC and who do not incur a disqualifying instance will accrue a flexibility point. As a flight attendant accrues points, they will be able to redeem them using one of the following
choices:
· Choice 1: Redeem one (1) flexibility point to be
released from a reserve day. The reserve day
for which the flight attendant is requesting
release must touch an existing duty free period
on the flight attendant's schedule.
· Choice 2: Redeem two (2) flexibility points in
order to request a non-chargeable, nonprogressable
PO. If the requested PO touches
a major holiday*, it may not be converted to a
non-chargeable, non-progressable occurrence.
Additionally, a flight attendant -- at his/her
option -- may request that they be paid for this
PO using days from their following year's
accrued vacation.
The following will also apply:
Q The maximum number of flexibility points that a flight attendant may accrue under this program is four (4). Q Following Test Period 1, Flight Service and the APFA will review the effectiveness of these enhancements on or before March 15, 2004. Q Following Test Period 2, Flight Service and the APFA will again review the enhanced attendance policy for effectiveness on or before July 15, 2004. Pre-Termination Second Written Warning First Written Warning Attendance Coaching & Counseling (ACC)
BASE: 0-1 Unexcused
Absences within a Rolling
12-Month Period
1 Point
2 Points
3 Points
4 Points
*Major Holidays Are:
Independence Day (July 4)
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas Day
New Year's Eve
New Year's Day
Q Following Test Period 3, Flight Service and the APFA will review the effectiveness of these enhancements on or before February 1, 2005. Q If during the review process, there is an indication that flight attendants do not value these enhancements the Company or the APFA may end or change the trial. AA Flight Service and the APFA are very pleased to offer these enhancements to the company's current Flight Attendant Attendance Policy. We share an interest in seeing our flight attendants realize a new way to reverse the progression of the disciplinary steps in the Attendance Policy. More importantly, better attendance benefits our flight attendants by reducing the need for reassignments, reducing the possibility of increased reserve levels and reducing the impact of lost time on our customers and employees.

 

[operaations]

Too funny is correct. No matter what flight service human resources or the APFA offer the flight attendants that abuse the sick policy they will never and I mean never have the class to adhere to it. They do not give a damn. The sick list grows daily it is proof in itself. I even have seen at least 10 flight attendants back from Furlough that called off sick for the entire month of december already. Until AMR starts firing the people who abuse the attendance policy than nothing will happen. Wouldnt you call in sick over the hoidays if you knew they would do nothing to you. That is why flight attendants do it year after year after year. They spit in the face of every person who comes to work when they are supposed to.

 

[MiAAmi]

I dont endorse calling in Sick when your not. Remember there are some employees that are using their sick time up before they leave the company. The company knew that people would be calling in sick to make up for their lost vacations and/or using up all their sick time before they quit. The problem with the incentive is that people who have an attendance problem will always have an attendance problem. The people that don't have an attendance issue will continue to have good attendance. The program only really helps f/a's with attendance issues. Remember we have almost 20,000 flight attendants. 1500 on the sick list. Sure some are actually sick, so try not to lable all of us as attendance goons.
If this is a problem year after year then the company should be ready for it. How long has AA been in business?

 

[StraaightTaalk]

operaations/Garfield...

Your posts serve no purpose other than to reflect poorly on AA and its employees, which is a violation of AA Rules of Conduct, Rules 21 and 24.

21. Do not make false or slanderous statements about the company, its employees, or patrons.

24. Consider the welfare of the company and your fellow employees. Perform no act that is detrimental to either


Your posts do nothing more than undermine the public's faith in AA's ability to maintain itself operationally, and your sweeping generalizations constitute nothing more than false and slanderous statements about your fellow employees.

 

[Skyyggoddess]

Too funny is correct. No matter what flight service human resources or the APFA offer the flight attendants that abuse the sick policy they will never and I mean never have the class to adhere to it. They do not give a damn. The sick list grows daily it is proof in itself. I even have seen at least 10 flight attendants back from Furlough that called off sick for the entire month of december already. Until AMR starts firing the people who abuse the attendance policy than nothing will happen. Wouldnt you call in sick over the hoidays if you knew they would do nothing to you. That is why flight attendants do it year after year after year. They spit in the face of every person who comes to work when they are supposed to.

Have you heard of the FLU? Try having physical contact with 900 to 1500 passengers a week, maybe more. What do you think the odds are that one of those passengers has the flu?
Terry
IDF

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Have you heard of the FLU? Try having physical contact with 900 to 1500 passengers a week, maybe more. What do you think the odds are that one of those passengers has the flu?
Terry
IDF

(Although I don't know the first thing about your f/a sick policy)(to this FSC, It's seems rather complicated),
TERRY,
I agree with you, BIG TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Unless a person has been living under a ROCK), The whole friggin' world, is being "loudly informed", about the worst FLU season ever, ALREADY upon us.

Just the mere fact that management, is using the "carrot and stick" approach to a union group, that they try to "SELF MANAGE" their sick time(which is what they FORCED upon the non union folks), tells me loud and clear, that a policy that AA, AND "AA's" IN HOUSE UNION(APFA), agreed to a policy, that will not work.
I hate to say it, (but for DIFFERENT reasons, I agree with garfield1966, and operations.

"THIS BABY WILL NEVER FLY" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As union folks,(saddled with the burden of union leaders in bed with management), we've had nothing to be happy about.
But I've got to tell you,
1. the fact that this "trojan horse" wont work, coupled with the fact that,
2. if F/a's are very careful, and "beat them at there own game"(rules), there is NOT a GOD DAM thing AA can do about it, and that brings a smile(as a union person), TO MY FACE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Operations,
"SMART" union people CAN'T BE FIRED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your OBVIOUS ANGER is clouding your logic.

I'd give a weeks(concession) pay to watch you 2 clowns(operations/garfield) boil with RAGE, as Smart F/a's use their sick leave, WHICH WAS AGREED UPON BY THE MORON'S AT HDQ and THEIR "lackeys" from APFA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NH/BB's

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Too funny is correct. No matter what flight service human resources or the APFA offer the flight attendants that abuse the sick policy they will never and I mean never have the class to adhere to it. They do not give a damn. The sick list grows daily it is proof in itself. I even have seen at least 10 flight attendants back from Furlough that called off sick for the entire month of december already. Until AMR starts firing the people who abuse the attendance policy than nothing will happen. Wouldnt you call in sick over the hoidays if you knew they would do nothing to you. That is why flight attendants do it year after year after year. They spit in the face of every person who comes to work when they are supposed to.

Take your pick boys(operations/garfield)

1. "What goes around, comes around",
Or,
2. "Pay back is a ####"

NH/BB's

(I personally like # 2)

 

[meechy36]

In the past, flight attendants would fly our trips while not feeling well knowing that they could get some rest on the layover, now with the layovers being so short and the days longer, it just isn't worth it. If you are sick in the slightest, call in sick.

As for the sick policy, the goals are still being met, acording the AAFLTSVC website.

As for operaations and garfield they both have such a hair across their ass when it comes to flight attendants that they should both find new jobs in the company, they are cannot be objective in the least and bet it affects their job performance.

Mike-BOS

 

[StraaightTaalk]

Agreed, Meechy. Operaations and Garfield seem to have such an axe to grind, it is hard to believe that they can be objective in performing their jobs.

Their continued rants and accusations about AA flight attendants far exceed the norm for what one would otherwise consider "venting." It is for that reason that I believe that their posts need to be forwarded to the company to determine if they have violated the applicable rules cited above.

 

[Garfield1966]

slan·der [ slánder ]noun (plural slan·ders)

1. law saying of something false and damaging: the act of saying something false or malicious that damages somebody’s reputation


2. false and damaging statement: a false and malicious statement that damages somebody’s reputation



transitive verb (past slan·dered, past participle slan·dered, present participle slan·der·ing, 3rd person present singular slan·ders)

utter a slander against: to make a false and malicious oral statement about somebody


[13th century. Via Old French esclandre from, ultimately, ecclesiastical Latin scandalum “cause of offense†(see scandal).]


Straight

I fail to see how anything I posted meets this criteria.

Yes Meechy the goals are still being met. I never stated other wise. What I did post is that when I left work the sick list was already over 1500 and given that there are 2 more weeks to go it is unlikely that the goal of keeping the sick list under 1500 will be met. Meechy, I have a “hair†for anyone who abuses the system. I am just as critical of management as I am of the rank and file. I have a friend whos husband is a Plt with AA. She is switching to US Air because she is tired of the attitudes of the people with AA. From Res agents to the FA’s she is fed up. So apparently I am not the only one who is being affected by their anger.

Miaami,

I agree with you 100% and I have stated the same before in other posts. Out of the 20k FA’s a clear majority are good employees like the rest of us. It is unfortunate that a few bad apples can ruin it. It is the ones you mention who have an attendance “problem†that I am critical of. They (not just FA’s but all employees) need to be dealt with. Unfortunately that is not happening.

While I agree that 1500 out of 20000 is not much, we do not have 20k FA’s on duty all the time. I would imagine only a 1/3 are flying at any given time (perhaps less. Does anyone know?) so if you are looking at 6500 or so then 1500 can make a difference. Granted that not all 1500 are/were flying also but the ratio becomes much closer. So when the sick list increases and loads increase as they do for holidays, the effect is magnified.

I have said this as well before. No company can staff for the high points in volume. Retail stores know they will be short on staff for the holidays. They hire temporary help. They would not be able to survive if they had to maintain full staffing year round. AA cannot maintain staffing at holiday levels year round. It is not particle or financially feasible. If you have a solution I am sure AA would be more than happy to listen. I know I for one am sick and tired of going through the same crap every holiday.

Again, I never meant to imply that all FA’s are bad.


Skygoddess.

Yes I have heard of the flu but the flu I am reffering to seems to only happen during the holidays. It is amazing how a few days off during the holidays cures so many ills. When the 3 / 4th of January rolls around all of a sudden people start to feel better. Funny how that works huh?

 

[StraaightTaalk]

The bottom line, Garfield/operaations, is that you seem intent on undermining the public's faith in our ability to run an airline. Since the "sick out" you most certainly yearn for, as it would prove your point, is not happening, you aggressively continue posting in the hope that somehow the public will perceive that one is actually occurring.

The end result of your continued rehashing of this issue is to drive customers away from our company, which hurts all of us.

I am well aware of the definition of "slander." It is my belief that Rules 21 and 24 contemplate scenarios which far exceed the strictest definition of the term, and give the company a much lower standard of proof than you might otherwise anticipate.

Please govern yourself accordingly.

 

[operaations]

NHBB.

I agree with you. Until management does something about sick abuse it will never stop. It is managements fault. There is a game to be played and management is not winning. Their own fault.

I do not hate any flight attendants. I like flight attendants. The majority of flight attendnats are upstanding professional individuals. I do not care for any employee who abuse of company policy affects the rest of us. Including top management.

I personally do not know if a sick out is occuring or is about to. It may be pure coincidence that when the holidyas come around so does the sicklist.

I just hope for a smooth holiday for all of us. And for all who are sick I hpoe you get better. I would persoanlly not want to work on an Airplane during flu season but if I was a flight attendant I would have to.

If I have offended any upstanding flight attendant (Mikey) I apologize. I will now just ask one question if I am not objective at all I will just leave the board. I enjoy these onversations and hope to continue. But there are too many people that think they do no wrong and that management is nothing but evil and unions are perfect. Management is far far far from perfect and so are unions. We all have to improve in order to succeed.

I have rambled long enough. Merry Christmas to all and Happy Hanakua and a joyus holidays to all

 

[Garfield1966]

Who said the sick out is not happening? It may not be happening to the degree that some of the FA’s on this board would like but there is a far higher percentage of people on the sick list now than there were prior to the lay offs. Why on earth would I yearn for something that will make my work more difficult?

Sparky, I have a news flash for you. This is not CNN. There are a hand full of people at best who are from out side the industry so I am a bit unclear on what public you are referring to. I also fail to see how stating that in my opinion the FA’s as a whole will not be able to maintain the sick list below 1550 is either slanderous or effects the welfare of the company but to each his / her own. If my post reflects poorly on any one it those few who abuse the sick policy of American Airlines.

My opinion is that we will only solve problems by bringing them out in an open forum, not by sweeping them under a rug and pretending like they do not exist. American Airlines pays my bills and has been my livelihood for close to 20 years now. I have no interest in harming this company in any way. I just call them like I see them.

I also find it interesting that you have chosen to single out my self and Opps but have chosen to leave openly bitter employees such as NHBB skate free and clear. If I were a member of the public I would be much more concerned about someone with his attitude affecting the long term viability of AA verses someone like my self who has been openly critical of both the rank and file employees as well as those in charge. I have stated my case in an intelligent manner with out the use bulling or upper case letter or caricatures. So until you start spreading your criticism in a more equitable manner, I just consider you another Union blow hard who thinks that his / her $&^% does not stink.

 

[StraaightTaalk]

Garfield/operaations...

You are neither objective nor credible. The fact that you post in tandem indicates to me that you are one in the same individual.

Your posts, once again, are designed to besmirch the thousands of hard-working employees who are desperately trying to get this company back on its feet. You claim to not want to hurt this company. However, you do so each time you post. Your repeated attempts to drive off customers by publicly insisting that AA is falling apart operationally, solely as a result of some imagined flight attendant work action, are most definitely in violation of the rules I have cited above.

You aren't trying to help AA, you are trying to bury it. You want to drive off customers in order to get back at the group of employees that you vilify the most.

I find it interesting that you assume that I am a flight attendant. You would be very misguided to believe that only flight attendants are outraged by your rants.

You were warned. Obviously, you refuse to take heed of my seriousness.

 

[LiveInAHotel]

operaations/Garfield...

Your posts serve no purpose other than to reflect poorly on AA and its employees, which is a violation of AA Rules of Conduct, Rules 21 and 24.

21. Do not make false or slanderous statements about the company, its employees, or patrons.

24. Consider the welfare of the company and your fellow employees. Perform no act that is detrimental to either


Your posts do nothing more than undermine the public's faith in AA's ability to maintain itself operationally, and your sweeping generalizations constitute nothing more than false and slanderous statements about your fellow employees.

StaaightTaalk,

Both of these clowns are in screw, I mean crew scheduling. All they have time to do is screw the flight attendants and b#tch about how many are on the sick list. Their anger is growing at a rapid pace. If they call in sick, they have no protection from the Sky Naazis who run this airline.

Yes, operaations and Garfield are in violation of Rules 21 & 24. Maybe it should be reported to the managers in scheduling. After all some of us know who these two clowns really are. I have spoke to both of them on the phone several times, so I do know their true identities!!

I would bet my house, car and life savings that these two clowns couldn't last 1 month as a flight attendant, under these horrid new rules.

What other work group at AA deals with people from around the world for as long as flight attendants do during the day? Not one department! We see, meet and greet people from all walks of life who may just have some funky disease that we don't know about until it's too late. While our two clowns sit behind a desk in big white colored building surrounded by fences in DFW and talk on the phone.