8.18.00 – (LAA) – Negotiations Update, Ghost Rides, Second Hand Smoke, Info Reps, APFA Website, American Eagle Pilots

This is APFA President John Ward with a Negotiations Update for Friday, August 18th.

Yesterday, the Company informed me that they were requesting the assistance of a Federal Mediator in contract talks with APFA. They formally filed their request for mediation today with the National Mediation Board. As you will recall from last week’s hotline message, APFA was also considering this as an option in light of management’s recent comments to us which indicated they did not intend to improve upon the economic terms of the tentative agreement that was rejected last September. If Mediation helps us to reach an agreement, we’re all for it.

So what’s next? We should hear from the National Mediation Board in the near future. The NMB will assign the mediator and the mediator will determine the schedule and the location for future negotiations.

Remember, APFA wants a contract, not confrontation. We remain committed to bringing you the contract you want and deserve. Thank you for your continued trust and support. Please stay on the line for more hotline news including more information about our planned Labor Day activities.

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This is Leslie Mayo, National Communications Coordinator, with APFA HotLine news for the week ending August 18, 2000.

Just a reminder that Unannounced Observation Rides, or UORs are at a maximum right now. We call on American to put a stop to this form of intimidation immediately. Please ensure you complete your fifteen minute walk-thrus, safety compliance checks, coordinate crew rest with the Purser, etc. Ghost Rides are targeted for the following markets in August as well as any flight you work where someone ELSE may have been placed on the UOR list:

All London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Charles de Gaulle, and Frankfurt flights; all transcons, DFW-San Juan; LGA, EWR and JFK to MIA; DFW to Seattle; DFW and Chicago to La Guardia; Chicago to Montreal; Chicago to Mexico City; Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose to Honolulu; Miami to Boston; DFW to Narita; DFW and Chicago to Los Angeles; San Jose, Costa Rica to Managua; DFW to Raleigh; Chicago to Miami; Miami to DFW; Boston to San Juan; and all Buenos Aires, Rio, Santiago, Sao Paolo and Lima Flights.

Calling all Flight Attendants who wish to file an individual lawsuit against the tobacco companies: You MUST file your suit by Thursday, September 7, 2000. Any non-smoking Flight Attendant who was injured by second-hand smoke in the workplace is eligible. Please call Norma Broin at (540)720-6968 or visit www.kinsella.com/broin to learn how to proceed or to find out what benefits you may be entitled to. Please share this information with your co-workers.

A great way of showing our unity is to remove ALL Company pins and wear only your APFA Union pin, wings. This is a simple way to send a strong message to AA management that we are Unified!

The response to our Labor Day Call to Action has been overwhelming and we look forward to joining you on Monday, September 4th to pass out flyers to our passengers and heighten awareness of the problems we face in the not-so-friendly skies. This first event will be small in scale and future actions will build in direct relation to events at the negotiating table. Most airports restrict the number of people they allow to pass out information as opposed to the masses that are generally allowed for picketing — space is limited for this first membership event. For all members in good standing, you can sign up for a two-hour shift for the Labor Day Call to Action by calling the Membership Action Line at APFA Headquarters extension, 8743 after August 25th. We know that many of your are anxious to dust off your picket signs and bring them out, but this is just the beginning of our Call to Action. Space is limited and picket signs are not welcome….YET. Don’t forget to wear your uniform!

If you are a new InfoRep and are having problems connecting to the InfoRep HotLine with your access number, it could be that your access number is in the process of being activated. This could take from three to seven working days. Please register your e-mail address on APFA’s web site for the InfoRep Hotline to be e-mailed directly to your computer each week.

The APFA web site at www.www.apfa.org is in full swing and that chat room is getting pretty active. To long onto the Membership Only secured portion of the APFA web page, you must be a dues current member. Log in with your last name and last 4 digits of your Social Security Number and then click on “CHAT” to see what your fellow Flight Attendants are talking about! You will also need a separate login for the Bulletin Board. This is for accountability purposes — the required user name for this portion of the site is your last name followed by your 6-digit employee number — password is anything you choose. We’ve been overwhelmed with Flight Attendants signing up and if you are unable to login, we are doing our best to reply to your requests. If your Social Security Number is not on file with APFA, please contact the membership department as soon as possible by e-mailing them at [email protected] or calling Headquarters, Ext. 8153.

AA Flight Service has an online survey on their web site for those of us who would like to express our opinions about AA and management. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to pass along your thoughts about management and their perception of what’s really going on.

From the Scheduling Department, some allocation sheets were inaccurately printed and will be reissued with a 24-hour extension in bid closing. The following base’s bids will close ON TIME on the 21st of August at 0001: DFW, LAX, LAX-I, LGA, MIA and ORD. Bids at BOS, BOS-I, DCA, DCA-I, IDF, IMA, IOR, JFK , RDU and SEA will close one day later, the 22nd of August at 0001. There should be a message in your HI6 specific to your base.

The Hotel Department just completed a review of San Francisco and is pleased to report that the contract with the San Francisco Hilton has been renewed. Future reviews include Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 20 and Tampa, Florida, on August 28. If you have any comments on either of these, please call APFA Headquarters, ext. 8306.

As a reminder, SFO/SFO-I will hold their Base Meeting on August 30th which is the last Wednesday of the month. Please call your local Chairs for more information on time and location.

IN INDUSTRY NEWS:

American Eagle Pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, rejected their tentative agreement by 84 percent. The Pilots and the Company entered into a sixteen-year agreement in 1997 with the option to negotiate amendments every four years. Both sides say they are ready for binding arbitration. This will entail each of the sides selecting a maximum of five issues to bring to the table.

Thank you for calling the APFA HotLine, don’t forget it’s PINS AND WINGS from now on! Call your Base Chair to become an Info Rep today!