6.16.00 – (LAA) – Negotiations Update, OSHA, Alcohol, Alaska Airlines, Aircraft Rage

June 16, 2000

Hello, this is John Ward, President of APFA, with the Negotiations portion of the APFA Hotline for Friday, June 16, 2000.

Negotiations continued this past week in NY. The majority of our time this week was spent discussing APFA’s proposal on Merger and Acquisition Protection in Article 1 of the contract. In addition, we discussed Article 11 (Language); portions of Article 26 (Sick Leave) which pertain to Injury on Duty; Article 30 (including APFA’s proposal on crew meals and crew rest).

Talks will resume Monday, June 19th, back in White Plains, NY. We will continue our talks on Merger and Acquisition, and we will begin discussing APFA’s scheduling proposals.

Thank you very much for your continued support of the Negotiating Committee.

Now please stay on the line for the rest of this week’s hotline.

This is Leslie Mayo, National Communications Coordinator, with APFA HotLine News for the week ending June 16, 2000.

A number of US Congressmen and Senators have joined the fight to motivate the FAA to include Flight Attendants under the umbrella of OSHA the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In 1998, an average of 33 Flight Attendants required medical attention each day, beyond random first aid treatments, which led to lost time from work. The Bureau for Labor Statistics showed that aviation workers weighed in at a rate of 14.5% on-the-job injuries; 6% higher than Construction Workers who are governed by OSHA. Construction Worker’s injury rate has declined 52% since OSHA came on board.

NASA reported that out of 152 passenger/aircraft rage incidents reported by Flight Attendants, 43% were alcohol related. This puts alcohol at the top of the list as far as disruptive passenger potential is concerned. It becomes a serious problem when a pilot has to leave the cockpit to handle the situation because the passenger is out of control. Alan Diehl, a former investigator with the NTSB and a psychologist who specializes in human behavior reported that if the routine is disrupted, and all of a sudden you’re alone up there, the chances of committing an error increase dramatically.

United and USAir have received opposition at every turn for their prospective merge. Lawmakers are mainly concerned with diminished competition and the race for all other airlines to follow suit. Ray LaHood, R-Illinois says that when we end up with two or three or four airlines in the whole country, you can forget about service.

Alaska Airlines seems to be circling the drain with one problem after another. Company officials responded to the FAA’s concerns over their maintenance practices, and in this week’s filing, Alaska says they’ve already implemented improvements as well as future plans of action regarding their maintenance facilities. The FAA will render a decision within 30 days as to whether or not their plans are adequate. An unhappy Alaska pilot has forwarded to the Seattle Times taking issue with the low level of maintenance he witnesses at work. Captain David Crawley, a 16-year pilot with the airline says I feel that at some point our company needs to strive for a higher level than this. I’m really afraid that this attitude is so ingrained at this point that it will not be easy to change. Legal does not necessarily equate with safe. I did not have good feelings about this airplane. I am not a mechanic, so I had to trust that the airplane was legal to fly as far as maintenance is concerned. One mechanic, John Liotine, said on Dateline NBC this week that he ordered a jackscrew in 1997 for the same airplane that went down off the coast of S. California, however, Alaska reinspected the part and deemed it airworthy.

TWA Flight Attendants decided to keep their current Union, the International Association of Machinists, during a balloting caused by the Coalition of Professional Flight Attendants Union. The CPFA was unhappy with the contract their Union negotiated and decided, as an independent Union to mount a challenge to the Machinists Union.

Air Canada pilots have called a strike vote and plan to announce the results on June 26th. The Air Canada Pilots Association represents 2,200 pilots who have been without a contract since April 1, with no planned talks scheduled. Issues of concern include wages, pension and crew requirements. This could cause a strike on June 30th, at the earliest.

Delta Airlines Flight Attendants rallied on Wednesday with the Association of Flight Attendants at the airline’s Atlanta Headquarters in efforts to become unionized. The union may call for a vote by workers as early as this year.

We’d like to welcome Flight Attendant Training Class 2000-13 that graduated this past Wednesday. They reported to BOS, LGA, SFO and ORD on Thursday, June 15th.

From the Hotel Department, our Paris layovers should improve greatly with changes they already have, or will implement soon. This includes the replacement of the air conditioning and heating system, new paint and carpet, extra towels and an empty mini bar to store your food on layovers. There is even a possibility of a crew room. Transportation from the airport has improved as well, effective immediately, with airconditioned buses ONLY. Please notify our Hotel Coordinator with any problems you are having in Paris or anywhere else at HDQ, ext. 8306.

From the Contract Desk: As a reminder, bids close on June 21st at 0001 local base time. Normally, July is an IFTOM month which stands for Illegality, First Trip of the month. We have, however, just found out from the company that July will NOT fall under the procedures governed by IFTOM.

Your Negotiating Team 2000 and the Special Advisory Committee would like to invite you to our InfoRep and Base meetings for negotiations briefings sponsored by your local Chairs. There will be a BOS/BOS-I InfoRep meeting on the 22nd of June. InfoReps are welcome at 10:00 a.m. and all members in good standing are welcome at 1:00 p.m. If you would like to sign up tobecome an InfoRep, feel free to arrive at 10:00 a.m. to speak with your Base Chair and he or she can sign you up prior to the start of the meeting. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport in the New England Ballroom Meeting Room A. The address is 85 Terminal Rd. in Boston and the phone number is 617.568.6700. Future meetings include Raleigh Durham on the 13th of July and Seattle on the 20th of July.

That’s it for this week. Don’ t forget to wear your Union Pin and thank you for calling the APFA Hotline.