1.05.01 – (LAA) – Entering 2001 Without a Contract, January 19th Picketing

Hello this is Alexis Boilini, IOR flight attendant and member of the APFA Negotiating Committee and this is the negotiations portion of the HOTLINE. Today is January 5,2001.

It is hard to believe that we have now entered the year 2001 and we are still without a contract. Who would have thought that the Company would let this go on for so long? The APFA Negotiating Committee went into this process hopeful that, at the very least, the Company would be concerned about employee morale and that the Company would feel some obligation to pay their employees a decent living wage. Even if they didn’t have the heart to act on shear decency, one could have easily hoped that the Company would be ethical enough to make good on all the promises they made during previous negotiations. Oh you remember those promises all through the eighties. Our then CEO Bob Crandall did system wide tours holding what he called “President Conferences”. Remember, we all received a complimentary ashtray as we entered the grand hall. Then, after emerging on stage through a smoke filled laser show, he would look us in the eye and propose that if we “tighten our belts” and agree to his concessions, he could afford to execute his various and sundry “plans”. Once these mysterious “plans” that we invested in succeeded and we were a profitable industry-leading carrier, we were all to share in the rewards. We kept our end of the bargain but the company never kept theirs. In 1993, they forced a strike and spent a small fortune during the interest arbitration to avoid paying their debts. Are they now willing to take on a similar battle? Are they willing to once again repeat the mistake of 1993 and take on another strike? One would have thought that there was a lesson learned back then.

If ever there was a time that the Company was in position to pay up it is now. However, the company, without any explanation or tinge of guilt still refuses to make good on their promises.

Well now it is time for us, the APFA membership, to make the promises; our New

Year Resolutions. We will not give up. It is time for us all to continue to stand together; participate in membership activities and do whatever needs to be done to obtain a contract that rewards our hard work and sacrifices. The next APFA membership action is on January 19, stay on the line for details.

We are also making plans. It is time for the APFA Board of Directors and the leadership of this Union to meet and authorize a strike ballot to be mailed to the membership. They will meet next Thursday, January 11. Once a strike ballot is authorized, the ballots will be mailed. Strike Ballot Briefings will be held at all bases later in the month. Once again please stay on the line for more details.

It is 2001 . . . It is time that everyone becomes involved in our future. Although this year can be a profitable and rewarding year, there is no question that it will take the work of all of us to accomplish our objectives.

Join us in this collective New Years Resolution to remain strong, unified and committed to doing whatever you can to help us achieve our goals and we will succeed!

 

This is Leslie Mayo, National Communications Coordinator, with more APFA Hotline news for the week ending January 5th, 2000.

The following is a tentative list of base and co-terminal cities where we will be picketing on January 19th. All Picketing will be from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. except for the following three stations: DFW/DAL will picket from 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m and JFK will picket from 07:00 am to 09:00 am. Please stay tuned to the web site, this HotLine, or the APFA PhoneWatch, toll-free at (866)ASK-APFA for more information as we get closer to this event.

Boston, La Guardia, JFK, Newark, DCA, Baltimore, Dulles, Raleigh/Durham, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, DFW, Dallas Love Field, Chicago, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, California and Oakland.

The following Commuter Cities are tentatively holding picketing on the 19th of January, however, please be sure you check the above mentioned sources prior to “Picketing Day” to ensure your city is included: Albany, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, Orlando, Philly, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Ft. Myers, San Juan, Syracuse, Tampa, Atlanta, Austin, Columbus, Cincinnati, Houston Hobby, Houston Intercontinental, Kansas City, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, St. Louis, Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Palm Springs, Reno, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Tucson. If your commuter city was not mentioned here and you would like to volunteer your time to make your commuter city happen, please call APFA HDQ, ext 8743 and leave a message for us.

The dates, times and locations for the Strike Ballot Briefings have been finalized. ALL meetings will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with the exception of DFW which will be from 12:30 to 3:30. Details are as follows:

LAX-Jan 16
Manhattan Beach Marriott
1400 Parkview Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA
310-939-1440

SEA-Jan 17
Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport
18740 Pacific Highway, South
Seattle, WA
206-246-8600

SFO-Jan 18
Hyatt Regency SFO Airport
1333 Bayshore Highway
Burlingame, CA
650-347-1234

DFW-Jan 19
Hyatt DFW Airport
International Parkway
DFW Airport, TX
972-453-1234

ORD-Jan 24
Hyatt O’Hare
9300 West Bryn Mawr Avenue
Rosemont, IL
847-696-1234

BOS-Jan 25
Logan Airport Hilton
85 Terminal Road
Boston, MA
617-568-6700

New York-Jan 30
Ramada Plaza Hotel
JFK International Airport
Jamaica, NY
718-995-9000

DCA-Jan 31
Sheraton Crystal City Hotel
1800 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22202
703-486-1111

MIA-Feb 1
Wyndham Miami Biscayne Bay
1601 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL
305-714-3805

RDU-Feb 2
Holiday Inn Crabtree
4100 Glenwood
Raleigh, NC
919-782-8600

Please remember to keep all of your membership information updated with APFA by going to our web site at www.www.apfa.org and inputting your information there, by filling out the info card on the back of your Winter Skyword, or calling the membership dept. at APFA HDQ, Ext 8153.

Thanks for calling the APFA hotline and remember it’s Union Pin, Wings and Nametag only as well as 7,6,5… on your bagtags!

We are also making plans. It is time for the APFA Board of Directors and the leadership of this Union to meet and authorize a strike ballot to be mailed to the membership. They will meet next Thursday, January 11. Once a strike ballot is authorized, the ballots will be mailed. Strike Ballot Briefings will be held at all bases later in the month. Once again please stay on the line for more details. It is 2001 . . . It is time that everyone becomes involved in our future. Although this year can be a profitable and rewarding year, there is no question that it will take the work of all of us to accomplish our objectives. Join in this collective New Years Resolution to remain strong, unified and committed to doing whatever you can to help us achieve our goals and we will succeed!