8.25.00 – (LAA) – Leafleting, APFA Website, Officer on Duty, Juanita Carmichael, Second Hand Smoke, Southwest Airlines, Hockey

This is Leslie Mayo APFA National Communications Coordinator with the APFA Hotline for Friday, August 25, 2000.

We want to begin this week’s HotLine by welcoming our newest APFA members to the line. They are the members of Flight Attendant class 2000-21.

APFA is conducting informational leafleting at all base cities on Labor Day, September 4, 2000. This is our opportunity to let the flying public know that, together, we “Share the Air.” Attire for this event will be full uniform with pins and wings only. If you are on reserve, grab your beeper and join us. To sign up for a two hour shift, call the Membership Action Line at 800-395-2732, extension 8743 today.

Our new APFA bag tags will be mailed beginning the week of August 28th. Attach it to your luggage as soon as it arrives. This will be a very strong symbol of support and unity that everyone, including the company, will notice.

If you have not already visited the APFA web site, please do so today. It is very user friendly, and the information changes daily. There are many links to interesting web sites including the National Mediation Board where you can learn more on the mediation process. If you have had troubles accessing the site, you may want to ensure APFA has your Social Security Number on file. Contact the membership department at ext. 8153 or e-mail them at [email protected].

If you have an emergency after office hours and need Union assistance, the APFA Officer on Duty is available. To reach them, simply call APFA at 800-395-2732 and follow the voice prompts for the Officer on Duty. You will offer two options: one for the emergency Voice Mail box and one for the non-emergency Voice Mail box. If you have an emergency your call should be returned within fifteen minutes. Both mailboxes require that you leave a message detailing your situation and information including your name, employee number, and a phone number where you can be reached. In order for the APFA representative to return your call promptly, you must provide all of this information.

From the APFA Safety Department, Kathy Lord-Jones wants to remind everyone to be extra careful on flights where the Captain has informed the #1 or Purser of possible weather or turbulence. Remember, your safety is as important as every other person’s safety on that plane. If turbulence occurs, take the necessary actions to protect yourself including sitting in your jumpseat, the nearest available passenger seat, or even on the floor if necessary. Always remember that clear air or undetected turbulence can occur at any time.

From the Membership Department, we continue to get a great deal of returned mail each day due to the fact that member’s move and do not notify the APFA of their new address. This is costing the APFA over $900 in return postage for each national mailing such as SKYWORD, surveys, etc. Remember, it is up to each member to update their personal information with the APFA. Making such a change with American will NOT automatically change it with the APFA.

The APFA would like to take this opportunity to congratulate IDF Flight Attendant Juanita Carmichael on her recent retirement from American Airlines after 56 years of service. Juanita has had the distinction of being number one in seniority at American for many years. She began here career in 1944. Juanita has been an inspiration to many and a symbol of dedication to us all. We wish her the very best.

In Industry news:

Time is coming to an end for the thousands of Flight Attendants affected by second-hand smoke on the job to file individual lawsuits for compensatory damages related to the 1997 settlement with tobacco companies. To date, only 1,500 of the estimated 60,000 to 145,000 Flight Attendants eligible have filed. Interested individuals should contact Norma Broin at (540)720-6968 or visit www.kinsella.com/broin to learn how to proceed. Please share this information with your co-workers.

American Airlines announced this week they are discontinuing service between JFK and Frankfurt. The airline sights poor traffic performance as the reason.

It seems that Southwest Airlines is moving in on American’s territory again. Southwest has announced that it will begin sponsoring National Hockey League events. This will allow the airline to hang an advertisement in the new $325 million American Airlines arena in Dallas. American paid $195 million for naming rights to the new sports arena in Dallas. They also paid out millions for naming rights to the sports arena in Miami.

In an effort to curb flight delays, many major U.S. carriers are considering flying at lower altitudes. This will allow planes to take off faster since they will not have to wait for clearance to higher altitudes, and will not take as long to reach standard cruising altitudes of between 33,000 and 39,000 feet. However, flying at lower altitudes usually takes longer. American is looking into flying at lower altitudes, and could begin this practice as early as next week if approved by the FAA. The APFA will be monitoring this situation in case there are changes to flying times that may affect our schedules.

Labor woes and cancellations continue at United as pilots are continuing to refuse to fly overtime. Even mechanics are being forced to work overtime at certain maintenance bases. It has gotten so bad that United is offering their frequent flyer members extra incentives. The Chairman of UAL, James Goodwin has even apologized for the operational problems in a 30-second TV ad.

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