4.19.08 – (LAA) – AA Announces that it will Test the Sale of Retail Items on Transcon and Hawaii Flights

This is Leslie Mayo, National Communications Coordinator, with the APFA Hotline for Saturday, April 19, 2008.

AA announced this week that it will test the sale of retail items on certain transcon and Hawaii flights for one week beginning May 15. This new ‘flying-store’ concept will further increase the workload on board for Flight Attendants. Last week, upper management reported a $328 million loss for the first quarter of this year, then pocketed tens of millions of dollars in performance bonuses later that day. The week before, decisions by this same management team cost our company upwards of $30 million in flight cancellations after improper handling of an 18-month old FAA Directive.

The idea of piling more work on FAs to augment executives’ bank accounts must seem a reasonable move by this well-paid management team. Thank goodness for retention bonuses to keep such top talent and brilliant ideas in place. Management will also be sending a flight service representative (who, by the way, will need to occupy a passenger seat, thereby eliminating the possibility of a paying passenger, or at the very least a non-rev commuting to work) in order to monitor this new in-convenience store in the air.

Management has the power to change staffing or service levels; however, APFA has a contractual safeguard against management abusing this power in the form of the “unreasonable workload” language in Article 9.B.2., of our Contract. The Union’s Presidential Grievance Award issued in 2004 over the 777 Staffing levels reduced by the company resulted in a $10 million backpay award for our members. This award is evidence of APFA’s commitment to protect its members. APFA will vigorously pursue this issue to ensure that no unreasonable workload exists.

If you haven’t already turned around your ID hangtag from Decline to Resign, please do so today. If you need a replacement hangtag, contact APFA at [email protected] with your full name, address, employee number, phone and email. One will be sent to you. Please continue to wear your Solidarity disk behind your Union pin. If you need a replacement disk, contact [email protected] for this as well.

From the Contract Department: Just a reminder that if you are anticipating a schedule adjustment as a result of the MD-80 cancellations, these adjustments should be reflected in your PPROJ column of your monthly schedule by the beginning of May. Once management has rectified FAs’ schedules we will notify our members. If, at that point, you believe you have not been credited correctly, it is important that you forward your information to your Base Chair or Vice Chair for review. Meanwhile, retain all documentation in the event you are not credited properly.

In Industry News: US Airways pilots elected to change representation from Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) to the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) last week further convoluting any resolution for seniority at USAirways/America West. The current seniority list is said to favor the America West pilots, despite the fact that the US Airways pilots have more seniority. USAPA has committed to having the arbitrator’s ruling that favored AW over USAir to be thrown out. The AW pilots have hired an attorney to protect the arbitrator’s award.

Please remember we still have 1,193 furloughed members awaiting recall.

Thank you for calling the Hotline.