What AA F/a's Are Saying About Furlough

[galleyguy4u2]

Hello Ms. Laura Glading,

I'm extremely upset with the latest announcement by this greedy compAAny. Something needs to be done to prevent the furloughs from happening in October 2009.

I pay $41 per month in union dues, along with 16,000 or so other flight attendants. It's time for the APFA to get off their duffs and do something. We have been going backwards since 2003, when I voted no and the majority of us did on concessions. Somehow the APFA let the voting open for another 24 hours and our contract was destroyed. Please don't say you had nothing to do with the concessions, when you were part of that negotiating team.

Please take your negotiating team over to 4333 Amon Carter Blvd., Fort Worth, TX. 76155 and do something to stop the 1200 furloughs from happening. It's obvious nobody wants to take a leave. Only 80 put in for the latest PLOA. The APFA and AA need to offer a SOLID and I do mean a SOLID early out package, so these senior mommas will leave.

It's the APFA's job to save our jobs and get us a contract we can be proud of. So far, the APFA is failing big time on both of these issues.

Please reply to all, since I have copied many flight attendants on this email. I want them to be able to see your response too.

Upset and not a proud member of the APFA,

**********
59**** LGA





Hi Everyone,

Sorry but I feel the same as ******on this one. I was screwed by APFA in 2003 and have the feeling that I'm in for the same in 2009. I have always felt that the APFA looks after the most senior F/As and the hell with us at the bottom. Think you have a budget issue now, wait till you loose dues from another 1,200. Think that's about $49,200. Think instead of Roadshows, maybe you all are needed in Dallas to work on saving our jobs. I voted no on concessions in 2003 as did most everyone I have talked to. Water under the bridge but fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. If furloughed and recalled, I will not support the APFA and as of today I resign as a info rep. Why should I support an organization that does nothing to help keep my job? Perhaps it's time to have a new union representing us. One that's not sleeping with the company! And as *****, please respond to everyone that this e-mail was sent to.

*******
59****
LGA

 

[galleyguy4u2]

Laura, you are burying yourself and your so called Country Club ASSociation. Strike/Chaos .....LOL. Go ahead and do it. I would absolutely support a REAL Union. Heck, APFA is even fighting against the RPA law suit that if won would bring everybody back to the old contract which was short lived.

Please, I will not be supporting any work action with APFA and I know a few thousand others who will not support it as well. This is not like 1993.

 

[jersey777]

I can understand people's frustration but I am sick and tired of people blaming the APFA for everything going on in the world. Read the newspaper folks!!! The economy stinks stinks stinks. You want the APFA to pull a rabbit out of a hat! Bottom line is that we work for American Airlines and they are the underlying force that makes business decisions. Do I like it? Heck no. We are ALL suffering. But talk of not supporting the union in the event of a strike is way out of bounds. You are basically calling yourself a scab. If thats the way you want it then I hope you never come back. We don't need people like you.

 

[nbmcg01]

I can understand people's frustration but I am sick and tired of people blaming the APFA for everything going on in the world. Read the newspaper folks!!! The economy stinks stinks stinks. You want the APFA to pull a rabbit out of a hat! Bottom line is that we work for American Airlines and they are the underlying force that makes business decisions. Do I like it? Heck no. We are ALL suffering. But talk of not supporting the union in the event of a strike is way out of bounds. You are basically calling yourself a scab. If thats the way you want it then I hope you never come back. We don't need people like you.

But there are ways to stop a furlough. Extend the current agreement, lower line values to name two. both traded for a no furlough clause.

 

[Flyboy4u]

I can understand people's frustration but I am sick and tired of people blaming the APFA for everything going on in the world. Read the newspaper folks!!! The economy stinks stinks stinks. You want the APFA to pull a rabbit out of a hat! Bottom line is that we work for American Airlines and they are the underlying force that makes business decisions. Do I like it? Heck no. We are ALL suffering. But talk of not supporting the union in the event of a strike is way out of bounds. You are basically calling yourself a scab. If thats the way you want it then I hope you never come back. We don't need people like you.

No you don't understand ones' frustration with this "so called" union the APFA...None of us who continuoulsy get furloughed have ever been supported by this union. They force us to be a memeber of it due the CBA, we continue to pay our dues, and we continue to get thrown on the street with NOTHING.. Why would any of us support this organization? You don't get it!

 

[jimntx]

But there are ways to stop a furlough. Extend the current agreement, lower line values to name two. both traded for a no furlough clause.

But Nancy, none of this has anything to do with whether or not senior f/as can continue to drop every trip every month for years; so, why ever would the APFA even be involved? Are there other reasons for a union?

 

[IORFA]

Ok, Jim. You keep mentioning all these senior F/A's who drop all their trips for years and never work. How many are there? I thought I saw recently, that it was around 200. That is just a drop in the bucket overall. I really have no idea how or know anyone to ask to get the real facts. You make it out to be thousands. I just don't believe it to be a problem. Also, how do you know these people haven't taken any sort of leave recently? It just seems to be a red herring to continue to use that as an excuse for why AA is furloughing again.

 

[jimntx]

What I KNOW is that there are many who fly not at all or fly the absolute minimum required to get benefits. What I know is that every time there is a DFW crew working my commuter flight to/from DFW, they ask "when are you going to transfer back to DFW so (pick one) a. I can get off reserve or b. I can stop being reassigned on line months. DFW seems to have a large number of "active" flight attendants who never darken the door of an a/c that has passengers on it.

We even have a few at SLT who bid the best lines, drop their trips (or sell them to a trip trader), and then park on MU "just in case something comes up that I might want to fly."

Sorry, you'll never convince me that is flexibility. It's call laziness. There are some who think the good old days are coming back in the next contract where they can go back to never flying, but still get fully paid benefits.

Drawing benefits while not working is called retirement.

P.S. If just those 200 would get off the pot and retire, it would reduce the furlough list by 17%.

 

[IORFA]

In my opinion. I think if they had to make a decision, most would come back and fly 35 hour average to keep their job. I would not want to state as fact something I have no idea about. I think it was Kirkpatrick who said something similar to this was happening at TWA and people thought it would force people to retire and after all was said and done, according to Kirkpatrick, most came back to flying.

 

[FA Mikey]

It is the JR persons straw man. The argument seems to be that there are too many SR people around keeping the JR people from holding the trips or base of choice. Other than wanting the SR people to step aside, what else have they proffered as a solution?

 

[nbmcg01]

In my opinion. I think if they had to make a decision, most would come back and fly 35 hour average to keep their job. I would not want to state as fact something I have no idea about. I think it was Kirkpatrick who said something similar to this was happening at TWA and people thought it would force people to retire and after all was said and done, according to Kirkpatrick, most came back to flying.

People will fly what they have to fly to keep the job. TWA also tried restricting leaves thinking people would quit. They didn't. (they were just fussy..lol)

 

[Flyboy4u]

It is the JR persons straw man. The argument seems to be that there are too many SR people around keeping the JR people from holding the trips or base of choice. Other than wanting the SR people to step aside, what else have they proffered as a solution?

Easy Mikey...we have stated on here before..A retirement package should be offered to get them out..I just left recurrent training and I couldn't tell you the number of F/A's who were completely clueless who have no idea what this actually entails..They passed recurrents after 3 and 4 trys at drills, at the scenarios etc...These are the same F/A's who are now losing money on thier retirement here at AA because they have already flown the best 5 of thier last 10 years and don't care. Also, What exactly is JR Milkey? 10 years? Hmmm let me guess the next furlough when they have 15 years? What is JR? When does this madness end? Solutions? I just offered them...BTW...I thought you moved on from this job? Guess now..Another one of your fibs!

 

[IORFA]

I could have sworn the union tried to debunked this myth of losing money on your retirement by staying too long into the RPA years. They basically said that the difference was minimal or nonexistant for the simple fact that these people now had 6 years and counting of more years of service, which helpes in the Final Average Earnings. I am not a retirement specialist, so i am not stating facts. Just what I think to be realitively accurate.

 

[FA Mikey]

Easy Mikey...we have stated on here before..A retirement package should be offered to get them out..I just left recurrent training and I couldn't tell you the number of F/A's who were completely clueless who have no idea what this actually entails..They passed recurrents after 3 and 4 trys at drills, at the scenarios etc...These are the same F/A's who are now losing money on thier retirement here at AA because they have already flown the best 5 of thier last 10 years and don't care. Also, What exactly is JR Milkey? 10 years? Hmmm let me guess the next furlough when they have 15 years? What is JR? When does this madness end? Solutions? I just offered them...BTW...I thought you moved on from this job? Guess now..Another one of your fibs!

Interesting, that the SR people take 3 and 4 tries to pass drills. Could someone remind me isnt a thrid try with an FAA official? Funny thing is I have only one time seen, or known of a person have a redo. I wonder in the reason as you say "couldn't tell us" is in fact because it didnt happen.


BTW there is a retirement package available. Just because some people dont want to leave. Sorry, I guess you will have to bide your time like they did. For all your boo hoo-ing, they did it on straight reserve and with out cell phones and beepers. They didit making a lot less than you do now and deserve a lot more respect than your whiny little I want to be SR but deserves.


Your solution is the company should offer them $$$ to leave so you can fly better trips. I wonder why AA hasn't jumped all over that. I guess they think not spending extra dollars, keeping the same people is a lot less expensive and requires no additional effort on their part.

 

[AAStew]

Iam replying here to a few of the comments....

On the new system of recurrent training you can do the drill as many times as they permit you. So yes I saw some take it 4 or 5 times, but then again the instructors are being AAholes again. I did not have to do any more than twice so it isn't sour grapes, it is just an observation.

Unions were not formed to KEEP your job but to improve the quality of worklife, reducing line hours to keep jobs is totally unacceptable in my opinion. Why not just go work someplace else if possible?

There are so very few flight attendants who don't fly that it is a non-issue. Jim, I really believe you need to move beyond that. You see it because that is what you are choosing to fixate on for lack of a better word. There are only 200 or so flight attendants who currently do not fly! We should be thanking them for dropping their trips and enabling us to make a bit more.

I really am sorry for everyone who is losing their job, I know I am not far behind. At the same time our job has deteriorated enough in the past few years to give up even more hours! When and if I lose my job I will be prepared, I sincerely hope those of you at the bottom were preparing for the possibilityalso.