10.03.08 – (LAA) – APFA Leadership Met with APFA and TWU, Negotiations Continue, 2009 Benefits Enrollment, WINGS

You have reached the APFA weekly HotLine update for October 3, 2008. This is Frank Bastien, National Communications Coordinator.

On Wednesday, October 1, your APFA leadership met with officials of both the Allied Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union. The three unions have pledged to combine efforts to obtain new contracts for their members. As detailed in the joint Labor Day weekend press release, APFA, APA and TWU are developing joint plans for public activities and communication to demonstrate their resolve to restore their salaries and working conditions, as well as improve American Airlines service to air passengers. As meetings progress, we will report the specifics through our respective HotLines and websites.

Meantime, your APFA Negotiating Team continued talks with management this past week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, scheduling subcommittees discussed your concerns in regards to scheduling, reserve and open time. The two sides will meet again beginning Tuesday, October 7. The compensation subcommittees will also continue discussions at that time. In past meetings, APFA reiterated its firm position against any attempt by the Company to unilaterally implement additional On Board Sales requirements during Section Six bargaining.

Remember that your Negotiating Team is your voice at the bargaining table. As such, your continued input to the team members is invaluable. Email your thoughts and comments on issues important to you to: [email protected]. Hundreds of your fellow members expressed their views at the Mobilize to Maximize road shows. Videos of the shows along with questions and answers by President Laura Glading are available for viewing now on the Members Only portion of the APFA website. Go to www.www.apfa.org and log in. Click on the ìRoad Show Videosî link from the main page or the negotiations section and view one or all of the four available videos.

The 2009 Benefits Enrollment period is now open and runs through October 31. The APFA Health Coordinator strongly advises all Flight Attendants to carefully review information regarding their 2009 Health Benefits enrollment arriving in the mail and available on the benefits section of Jetnet. Unlike in prior years, the company has contracted with additional plan administrators. Depending on your plan and your address, you may see a change to your default administrator. Additionally, the Point-of-Service plan (POS) permits you to choose another of the three administrators at an additional cost. If you are accustomed to allowing your choices to carry-over from the previous year without going online to complete your elections, you may find yourself with a new plan administrator for 2009. Donít be caught unaware. Review the benefits information and make an informed choice. Email the Health Department Representative on Duty at: [email protected], or call headquarters extension 8301 if you have questions.

There is a change from what was announced previously regarding the procedure for those who opt out of benefits coverage. If you opted out of coverage for 2008 and fail to make an election for 2009, your opt-out status will carry over into the new year. This information supersedes what we had been advised and what was announced in earlier HotLines.

The Health Department recommends that all Flight Attendants actively make an enrollment selection this year and not depend on rolling over to the default choices. Additionally, it is always a good idea to print a copy of your completed enrollment form for your records.

Check out the online and emailed versions of this HotLine for additional news and reminders for our members. Visit the APFA website often for ongoing updates, including a handy FAA Airport Delay map and weather forecasts for major U.S. cities now right on the main page.

Also, visit the Wings Foundation website at: www.wingsfoundation.com to discover the many ways you can assist your fellow members in need.

Remember there are still 1,184 APFA members on furlough and awaiting recall.

And thank you for calling the APFA HotLine.

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Flight Attendant retirement seminars will take place during October at LGA and JFK. The LGA seminar is on Tuesday, October 21 and starts at 3pm in the 3rd floor conference room, hangar 3. The JFK seminar will be held Wednesday, October 22 in the 4th floor conference center, over by pilot operations, beginning at 1pm.

Ballots for the Vice Chair election were mailed on September 16 to members based at LGA. They must be received in the designated Post Office Box no later than 10:00 AM central time on October 15, 2008. The Chairperson of the National Ballot Committee reminds members of Article VI, Section 4.D of the APFA Constitution which reads: ìAny active member in bad standing must arrange to become an active member in good standing not later than the close of business on the fifth (5th) day prior to the time limit for the return of ballots (the Balloting Date) of any election or referendum.î Contact the Dues Department at: [email protected], or headquarters extension 8154, to make any necessary arrangements.

If you are based at LGA and have not yet received your ballot, request a duplicate by calling the National Ballot Committee at headquarters extension 8311 or by emailing: [email protected]. In accordance with the APFA Policy Manual, if both an original and duplicate ballot are received, only the duplicate will be counted. Duplicate ballots will be issued, upon request, up to five (5) days prior to the ballot due date.

The upcoming week will see deadlines pass for voter registration in many states as voting day for the U.S. National Elections nears. If you have moved since you last voted, be sure you have completed the registration necessary to participate in this election, one of utmost importance to all union members. Deadlines vary by state. Call or visit the website of your local election board, or go online to any number of informational websites. One recommended site is: www.longdistancevoter.org, linked to from our main page. This site can not only provide you with registration information but can assist you in applying for an absentee ballot in the event you may be away from your polling place on November 4.

In a resolution passed September 15 during the second quarterly meeting of 2008, the APFA Executive Committee unanimously endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama for U.S. President in the upcoming national elections. In a letter to the Senator, President Laura Glading stated: ìYour work as a community activist, Illinois State Senator and U.S. Senator has demonstrated your commitment and support of the issues that are critical to the economic prosperity of workers and working families.î In a national press release announcing the endorsement, President Glading declared ìOn every issue important to Flight Attendants Ö Senator Obama has been in our corner. From protecting health and safety in the workplace to fighting for U.S. jobs to preserving Medicare and Social Security and advocating a fair and just tax policy for working families, Senator Obama is on our side.î You will find a link to the Obama endorsement press release on the APFA website main page.