10.18.02 – (LAA) – Overage Leaves and Partnership Flying Proffer Closed and Awards Posted, Lawsuit Filed by TWA-LLC FAs Regarding Transfer of Flights from St Louis and London and St Louis and Hawaii

Hello. Today is Friday, October 18, 2002. This is George Price, APFA National Communications Coordinator, with the APFA Hotline.

The Company has posted the awards for the Overage Leaves and Partnership Flying Proffer that closed on October 14th. A complete breakdown of the awards by base and seniority can be found on the APFA Web site under “Reduction in Force.” The company awarded more Overage Leaves than expected and some Partnerships. The Overage Leaves were awarded in key blocks and some auxiliary blocks. Due to manning issues, LGA, JFK, IDF, and LAXI were not awarded auxiliary blocks. Awards are now in Flight Attendant’s HI10s.

If you have been awarded an Overage Leave, you remain dues/fees obligated to the APFA during your leave. To make payment arrangements, please contact the APFA Dues Department at 1-800-395-2732, extension 8151.

On Wednesday, American Airlines posted a third quarter loss of $475 million before special items or $3.05 per share. In addition, American announced that it would defer delivery of 34 airplanes in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The airline will take delivery of 11 airplanes next year-nine 767-300s and two 777s. Included in Wednesday’s announcement were plans to store 42 airplanes-28 MD-80s and 14 767-200s. The “temporary storage” will begin in early 2003 and extend through 2005. The Company has stated that it will increase utilization of remaining aircraft to meet its current capacity plan and, as a result, these groundings will not result in further capacity reductions.

A lawsuit has been filed by two TWA-LLC flight attendants in Federal District Court in St. Louis protesting the transfer of flights from St. Louis and London and between St. Louis and Hawaii from the St. Louis flight attendant base to other bases. The plaintiffs claim that APFA breached its duty of fair representation and that American has violated the Seniority Integration Agreement by transferring these flights. APFA will vigorously defend the action and believes the claims are entirely unfounded.

The FMLA Arbitration was conducted at the Learning Center on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. The Arbitration will be continued on December 10th and 11th. A great deal of preparation went into this very important case. APFA would like to thank all of those who assisted in the preparation and all of the individuals who served as witnesses.

The APFA Hotel Department would like to encourage all Flight Attendants to complete the 2002 APFA Hotel Survey. The survey gives Flight Attendants the chance to list their favorite five and least favorite five hotels. The information collected from this survey will be useful to the hotel department when reviewing hotel properties in the future. The hotel survey can be found on the APFA Web site Hotel Page and in the center section of the October 2002 Skyword.

The APFA Membership Department would like to remind all Flight Attendants to keep their contact information up-to-date with the APFA. If you change your address, phone number, or even e-mail address, please contact the Membership Department at [email protected] or 1-800-395-2732, extension 8153 to make the change in the APFA Membership Files.

The APFA Dues Department will publish an updated list of those in dues and/or fees arrears in the November/December issue of Skyword, on APFA base bulletin boards, and on the APFA Web site. Please make sure that your dues and/or fees are paid or that your payment plan is up to date in order to keep your name from being published. Please contact the APFA Dues Department at 800-395-2732, extension 8151 no later than October 25, 2002, in order to make payment arrangements.

As a reminder to all members, the APFA Bulletin Board is a unique service provided by the union. All posts to the board must be in compliance with the stated rules. Please review the rules and ensure that any post you make is within the guidelines.

American has announced that effective November 28, 2002, J.P. Morgan/American Century will become the new record-keeper for Super Saver 401(k) plan. According to information contained in Super Saver Scene, there will be no significant changes to the current plans. The investment choices will remain the same. No action on the part of the current participants is necessary. Due to the transition, there will be what American classifies as a “quiet period” in which certain transactions will be restricted. This period runs from November 20 until December 2. Please see the APFA Web site “Hot Topics” for more details.

The deadline for 2003 benefits enrollment is fast approaching. If you have not already signed on to Jetnet to make your elections, please keep in mind that the deadline for enrollment is October 31, 2002. Enrollment must be done on-line through Jetnet at www.jetnet.aa.com. If you have never activated your password or experience any problems with your current password, call Employee Services at (800) 888-1696 or (817) 967-1770.

Bids for November will close at 0001 on October 21st. If you plan to use PCFOS to bid, please remember that the Citrix Server has limited capacity. For this reason, it may be difficult to access DECS towards the end of the bidding period.

Retirement seminars are being conducted at various bases throughout the system. They are being presented by American Airlines retirement representatives along with a representative from APFA. Those planned for the remainder of this year are as follows:

DFW-October 28 and November 1. Sessions are scheduled for 1000, 1300, and 1530.
LGA-November 4 and 5. Sessions are to be announced.
BOS-November 6. Sessions are scheduled for 0800, 1200, and 1600 Flight Attendants interested in attending one of the seminars should contact their local flight service office for meeting locations. Additional seminars are being planned for 2003. An updated list of retirement meetings can be found on the APFA Web site under the “Retirement” icon. Please be sure to take your new APFA Retirement Book with you to the seminar. The retirement book is included in the center section of the October Skyword and on the Retirement Page of the web site.

A memorial service will be held for the crew of American Airlines Flight 587 on Tuesday, November 12, 2002, at 1300. The service will be held at the JFK Ramada Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom. The hotel is located at the entrance to JFK Airport off the Van Wyck Expressway.

Senate Democrats continued to push legislation to aid the ailing airline industry this week. In the Republican controlled House, leaders said it would be next year before any measures to help the industry would be considered. Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-Il.) has put a block on all aviation security legislation. This legislation would allow airlines to recoup the cost of additional and enhanced security measures by shifting the cost to the government. Senator Fitzgerald opposes any effort by the airlines to seek government assistance for security costs.

Representative Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) on Thursday introduced the Aviation Worker Relief Act (H.R. 5678). The bill is aimed at extending unemployment benefits for displaced airline workers. In the Senate, Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) has sponsored a bill, which calls for a 13-week extension for workers who use up their original 26 weeks of benefits. If they use the full 13-week extension, they would be provided an additional 13-week extension. An additional seven weeks would be provided to those in states with the highest unemployment rates. APFA President John Ward has sent a letter to members of Congress in support of this legislation.

Remember to vote on Tuesday, November 5th. If you are scheduled to fly, please register to vote absentee or vote early if that is an option. This is a critical election for airline labor. It is essential that we elect candidates that support labor and Flight Attendant issues.

In Industry News:

Third quarter results were reported by most of the major airlines this week. With the exception of a few, most recorded big losses for the reporting period.

Northwest reported a loss of $46 million. Early in the week the airline announced it would close its Atlanta maintenance facility affecting 1,450 workers and its Long Beach reservations center, which will affect 250 employees. The airline also announced it would furlough 63 additional Pilots in February.

Delta’s loss for the quarter was $326 million. As part of its earnings announcement, Delta said it would ground its entire MD-11 fleet beginning in early 2003 and defer 2003 and 2004 aircraft deliveries. On Thursday, Delta management said that it would cut an additional 7,000 to 8,000 jobs throughout the company through leaves, retirements, and furloughs. The airline previously announced the elimination of 1,500 Flight Attendant jobs.

United announced a third quarter loss of $889 million. On Wednesday, the airline reiterated its desire to avoid bankruptcy but did not rule out a Chapter 11 filing. On Friday morning, United announced it had reached concession deals with four of the Company’s five labor unions. No details of these agreements have been released.

Southwest posted yet another quarterly profit. The airline earned $74.9 million.

Please remember, there are 1,728 Flight Attendants on furlough.

That’s it for this edition of the APFA HotLine. Please visit the web site for the latest information.