3.17.00 – (LAA) – Negotiations Update, InfoRep

March 17, 2000

Hello, this is John Ward, APFA Negotiator, and APFA President-elect, with a Negotiation update for Friday, March 17, 2000.

Tonight, I would like to take this opportunity to address the current status of Negotiations.

First, I would like to welcome our new Info Reps. I recorded a special Info Rep hotline on Wednesday, March 14, with much of the same information I will relay to the membership tonight. You may have already received a briefing from an Info Rep at your base. The Info Rep program is designed to disseminate factual information to our membership. I would like to stress how important it is for you to confirm any news via one of our official means of communication before rumors and speculation are made.

On Monday, March 13, your APFA TEAM 2000 addressed the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Vice Chairs prior to the Annual APFA Convention. We presented an outline of our proposals that will be presented to the Company, and addressed other items of concern regarding this round of negotiations. Your Base Chairs, and other Union leaders are encouraged by the progress this team has made.

Your APFA leadership has developed a chain of communication for this negotiations process. Information that originates with the negotiating team is subsequently relayed to the Special Advisory Committee. We have organized a system, whereby, each of our APFA leaders is briefed. After the APFA Board, and other Union Representatives are briefed, the Info Reps are informed via the Info Rep Hotline. The general membership is then informed by their Info Reps, the negotiations hotline, Skyword, our web-site, or any other appropriate means of communication. If the news is deemed ‘media’ worthy, a press release is issued to local and national media.

Let me start by saying that negotiating a Collective Bargaining Agreement for a diverse work group like ours, is a demanding, time-consuming, and monumental task. Let me also tell you that this Negotiating Team is up to the task. Most of your Negotiators have been working away from their home and family for days, and in some instances, for weeks at a time. The hours have been long and grueling. I, personally would like to commend your entire Negotiating Team for their tireless efforts on behalf of all of us, during this round of bargaining.

On that point, I would like to address important issues that have recently transpired in regards to the internal structure of your Negotiating Team and the Special Advisory Committee.

Due to personal family considerations, Pete Callaway has stepped down from his dual role as Seattle Base Chair and Special Advisory Committee member. Pete served on the Special Advisory Committee for six months and we thank him for his commitment and dedication. Pete is now serving in the capacity of Seattle Vice Chair and Robert McIntyre is Seattle Base Chair. Dan Richardson, Domestic Negotiator, has resigned his position on the negotiating team due to personal family commitment, as stated in his letter of resignation. Dan was a valued member of the team and we would like to thank him for his contribution and the passion for his co-workers that he brought to this negotiations process.

Rosie Trescott, International Negotiator, has given notice of her resignation, effective March 31, due to extenuating personal circumstances. Rosie has served as an integral part of the team from day one. Her expertise and assistance in this process have been invaluable.

Being a Negotiator is a full-time commitment toward a collective goal on all of our behalf. This commitment can take a toll on our Union Advocates’ personal lives. We respect Pete, Dan, and Rosie for the difficult decision they’ve made, and thank them for the service they have given to this membership.

You will be receiving a letter mailed to your home soon that will contain highlights of the membership survey results, and highlights of the proposal APFA TEAM 2000 has prepared to present to the Company.

The next scheduled bargaining session between the Union and the Company is March 21, 2000.

The next scheduled Info Rep/Base Meeting will be held in Los Angeles on March 27, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in El Segundo, California. The meeting will be open to Info Reps at 10AM, followed by a meeting for all members in good standing at 11AM. The meeting will be hosted by local Base Representatives and will also be attended by members of APFA TEAM 2000 and the Special Advisory Committee.

Thank you for calling the APFA Hotline and now stay on the line for Marcus Gluth with more APFA and industry news…

 

PART II

This is Marcus Gluth, Miami International based Flight Attendant, with more APFA HotLine news for the week ending Friday, March 17th.

The year 2000 APFA Board of Directors Annual Convention concluded this week in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Among other matters of business, the following members were confirmed to serve on the Ballot and the Budget committees.

On the National Ballot Committee:

• Karyn Beavers
• Marti Murchison
• Leatha Harding-Berry
• Carol J. Schaper
• Peter Kent
• Karen Goodrich
• LeAnne Petzel
• Gail Maconkey
• Gay Floyd
• Tim O’Connell
• Linda Herod-Rivas

On the Budget Committee:

• Doug Elmore
• Greg Hildreth
• Doug Newlon
• James Andrews
• Cheryl Walters (alternate)

The committee members begin their two-year terms on April 1st.

The Convention Delegates elected Ted Bedwell to a three-year term as Ad Hoc # 5 on the Executive Committee. Ted’s term will also begin on April 1st.

During the awards dinner held at the first evening of the convention, former APFA Negotiator and South Central Division Representative Emily Whelpley was posthumously awarded APFA’s highest honor, the Martha W. Griffiths award, for her many years of service to our Union.

Primary vacation bids have been awarded and results can be obtained from the HI10 display in your personal mode, or via AVRS. The secondary vacation bidding period is now open and will close at 0001 Central Standard Time on Thursday, March 23rd. Please call the APFA Contract desk at headquarters extension 8171 if you have any questions regarding bidding for secondary vacation.

In other Company news – American Airlines last week became the first commercial airline to fly a twin-engine aircraft on a polar route. The flight, from Chicago to Hong Kong took 15 hours 13 minutes and came within 37 nautical miles of the North Pole. The return route to DFW took 13 hours 27 minutes. According to Company officials, the flying times for the Boeing 777 used on the trips were approximately the same as those for four-engine aircraft flying the same routes.

In labor news, US Airways Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, sent out a letter to shareholders of the airline accusing management of ‘irrational behavior that could lead to the airline possibly destroying itself.’ US Airways management has threatened to shut down the carrier if an agreement is not reached by the expiration of the 30-day cooling off period, set to expire at 0001 Eastern Standard Time on March 25th. In the absence of an agreement, the AFA has promised a campaign of random, unannounced strikes, and recently released a list of the US Airways markets that would be targeted.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Northwest Airlines management has terminated 12 Flight Attendants in conjunction with the company’s investigation into an alleged illegal sick-out over the holidays at the end of 1999. In addition to the twelve terminations, 5 more Flight Attendants resigned in the face of management’s questioning. The Teamsters union, representing the Northwest Flight Attendants, is protesting the company’s actions, saying that none of the sick calls were false.

At British Airways, in a move widely praised by rank-and-file employees, chief executive Robert Ayling stepped down after a unanimous vote by the airline’s board to have him removed. Ayling served only four years at the helm of British Airways, during which time shares of the airline’s stock sunk to their lowest level since 1993. In November of last year, British had a 38% reduction in profits, suffering its first loss since 1987.

Flight Attendants based at LAX-I are currently being polled regarding exceptions for high time pure trip selections as permitted under Appendix I, Article 7.A. of the APFA/AAL Agreement. The deadline for responding to the poll is Saturday, March 25th. Contact your base chair- or vice-chairperson if you have any questions or you need a polling form.

An APFA base meeting will be held for SFO / SFO-I on Wednesday, March 29th. Check your local base bulletin boards, or the APFA web site, to verify meeting place and time.

Hotel reviews will be conducted during March in: Vail, San Jose (California), Washington Dulles, Kingston, Caracas, and Rome. Please direct your comments regarding these or other layover facilities to the APFA Hotel Department at headquarters extension 8306, use the hotel debrief form in operations, at the APFA website’s hotel section..

That’s it for this week. For those of you on the Internet, be sure to check out the various links attached to this HotLine on our web site at: www.www.apfa.org. Remember to always wear your APFA pin proudly as a sign of our independence, unity and strength. And thank-you for calling the APFA HotLine.