9.24.04 – (LAA) – AA Announces Application for Chicago to Shanghai Route, 777 Arbitration Award Payout on Schedule, TWA Seniority Integration Agreement

Hello, this is APFA President Tommie Hutto-Blake with a hotline update for Friday, Sept. 24.

Today is day 30 of my first 100 days in office and I am pleased to report to you the progress that my team and I have made during week four. You will find a posting of our total progress so far on the APFA Web site at www.www.apfa.org.

We met with the APA national officers this week in the first of what I hope to become tradition with all of the unions on AA’s property. We strongly believe that communication between our fellow unions will be a vital component – and solidarity between the groups will only strengthen our positions with AA management. Both the leaders of APA and TWU have expressed their willingness to meet monthly and TWU will host the next meeting.

One of the first things I announced upon taking office was the “re-valuing” of our contract concessions. APFA’s financial analyst joined us in a meeting with management this week to start this process. My reason behind this investigation is simple. I want to make sure that the contractual provisions/items we gave up in our concessionary agreement were given the value they merited and the AA FAs have been properly credited with these concessions. I will keep you updated on our progress.

I would also like to announce that the parties (APFA & AA) have just reached an agreement that APFA will be given a designated and private work space for you to meet with your APFA Representatives in the Flight Service/Operations area regarding any area of Contract Administration. This is a new agreement which is a work in progress so watch for more information on this HotLine.

I will close my part of the hotline with the further announcement that effective today APFA has a new tradition. As we close our weekly message, we will add the information that currently we have 20 APFA members and AA FAs who are on military leave serving active duty. This last week I received a hand written letter from one of our members on active duty in Iraq. This member asked me if I would announce each week along side the notice of our numbers regarding furloughed FAs – the number of FAs on MLOA. Thus, I will close my portion of tonite’s hotline noting that currently APFA has 20 members on military leave serving active duty.

Thank you, Tom, for your fine letter. My return letter is headed your way and you will remain in my thoughts as you serve our country in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad. You had a fine suggestion and we all look forward to our 20 members returning home safely.

Next week I hope to announce some very exciting news concerning other APFA members. And now for the remainder of APFA’s weekly briefing,

Leslie…

This is Leslie Mayo with the APFA Hotline for Friday, September 24, 2004.

On September 22nd AA announced its application to the DOT for the Chicago to Shanghai, China route. If our application is approved, this could mean more jobs for our flight attendants and a good prospect for recalls. APFA is in full support of this and we urge each of you to assist in the process by sending in letters of support to your local government representatives and to the Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. The APFA Web site will have a link for you to take action on next week in order to urge the DOT to award this flying to American Airlines.

Jumping right in with Rumor Control, I want to thank all of you for your questions regarding the latest galley gossip this week:

First, several of you wrote asking whether the rumors were true that management will be receiving their paycuts and vacations back. After making several phone calls, I was able to confirm that this is just that – a rumor.

Second, the October 15th 777 Arbitration Award payout is still on schedule for – October 15th!

And finally, Tommie and this administration have still not changed their course on the issue of the TWA Seniority Integration Agreement, nor will you see a change to their commitment to defending the current seniority as it stands today.

Keep those rumors coming.

Following discussions with APFA, the Company will be awarding a limited number of PVDs in advance for the month of October, beginning September 27th. There will be more slots available for these advance-awarded PVD’s at particular times throughout the month – specifically between Monday and Friday of each week. Weekend requests may be granted, but more likely than not, if manning permits, they won’t be granted until the day before your trip departs. PVD requests for trips and days off for reserves will be honored in seniority order, within the base, by day of the week.

Your JFK Base Representatives are conducting a survey for all JFK Flight Attendants regarding Sao Paulo flying. Please log onto the Web site at www.www.apfa.org, click on the Sao Paulo survey link and complete the survey. Please be sure you respond to this survey no later than October 1, 2004.

Please note that although October bidsheets indicate EPT self-enrollment will begin on Sunday, September 26th, the Company has informed APFA that the enrollment period will not actually begin until the following day at 8:00 a.m. Central Time.

As reported last week on this Hotline, due to a recent hotel strike in SFO, crews were relocated to another property from the usual long layover hotel. This relocation will come to an end on Saturday, September 25. Crews arriving on or after this date will return to our normal long layover hotel.

The New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council is on strike as of September 23, 2004. All JFK short-layover crews are being relocated in order to avoid crossing a picket line. Please confirm your hotel change via HIHTL in DECS.

As the Carribean continues to get pounded with hurricanes and tropical storms hotels are more difficult to come by. Many of our short layover crews will be relocated through September 27th. Normal layover operations are scheduled to resume on that date. We will keep you updated with any new information. Until that time please check your HIHTL for layover accommodations. If you encounter any unpleasant situations at hotels due to the storms please inform the APFA Hotel Department immediately.

In industry news, the NMB ruled that the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, otherwise known as AMFA’s request for a representation election be dismissed. These American Airlines mechanics and other related workers are currently represented by TWU. The NMB determined that AMFA did not provide the necessary showing of signed cards by a majority of these employees that would result in a representational election.

US Airways proposed a 19.5 percent pay cut for its pilots claiming the airline would save $1.9 billion within the next five years. US Airways has reached a Tentative Agreement with its dispatchers union, pending ratification. US Air terminated its pilots pension plan last year during its first bankruptcy and is now seeking to terminate its pension plans covering mechanics and flight attendants.

United Airlines stated in their informational brief in bankruptcy court this week that less than half of its pilots will receive their full pension benefits if United terminates its current pension plan and replaces it with a newly designed pension program.

In a statement this week, Treasury Secretary Snow, who sits on the PBGC board expressed fear that more solvent carriers might terminate their expensive underfunded pension plans to remain competitive with their larger and restructured rivals. If this were to happen, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) could become bankrupt.

We still have more than 5500 American Airlines Flight Attendants on furlough.

Thank you for calling the APFA Hotline.