4.09.09 – (LAA) – Negotiations Update, FA Union Coalition, Executive Bonuses, WINGS Golf Tournament, Spring 2009 Skyword, ORD Retirment Seminar

This is Frank Bastien, National Communications Coordinator, with the APFA weekly HotLine update for Thursday, April 9, 2009.

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

Your APFA Negotiating Team continues its drive to make May Day, Pay Day as mediated talks with the Company continued last week. Tentative Agreements on five more articles were attained. They are Articles: 11 – Language, 20 – Medical Appeals/Arbitrations, 30 – General, 32 – Health and Welfare/Safety and Security (article renamed) and 34 ñ Purser. This brings the total of articles with Tentative Agreements to 21. This week, members of the table team met at APFA Headquarters to continue preparation for mediated sessions resuming on April 14 in Dallas.

Go to the negotiations page of the APFA website for the latest information, posted after the weekly update from the Team to the APFA Board of Directors. The address is index.php?&view=category&id=351 and website login is required. The link: “Contract Talks in Mediation: where we are now, and where we are going” has a detailed explanation of what federal mediation means and the schedule of bargaining sessions.

While on the Negotiations page, click on the link “Tell Your Team What You Want” to communicate your ideas, comments and issues to your APFA Negotiators, or email the Team directly at: [email protected]. Also view the flyer for the times and places of the next visit by Team members to all Base Operations areas on Monday, April 20. The flyer is also available from the APFA main page.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNION COALITION

This week, APFA Officers met in Baltimore with their counterparts from the Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions (comprised of APFA, AFA, TWU, IAM, USW, Teamsters and ITF) to review, share and coordinate strategies and information as we work collectively to bring stability and security to the Flight Attendant profession. Though each confronting different corporate environments, we all have common goals and can learn from each other.

On the labor front: the Flight Attendants at Southwest, represented by the TWU, have a new tentative agreement, now out for review by their members with a ratification vote scheduled in May. Meanwhile, United Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the AFA-CWA, exchanged openers with the company on April 6 in their first bargaining with United under Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act in 13 years. We support and applaud the work of our sister unions and will continue to work alongside them to achieve the improvements which will ultimately benefit us all. As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

EXECUTIVE BONUSES

And the growing need for a rising tide is sorely evident this week as American announced that 19,000 non-union employees will face a pay freeze this year. They, like APFA members who last saw a paltry 1.5% increase almost one year ago when our contract became amendable, await the shared rewards promised for our years of sacrifice. The top AMR executives certainly have shared a bounty of reward amongst themselves for years, while front line employees in all work groups have sacrificed wages, benefits and work rules and continue to watch managers award themselves with bonuses. How much will it be this year? Though we have repeatedly asked them to state their intentions, the companyís execs have remained vagueóif not cageyóover the answer. Will AMR be just another AIG, shamelessly exacting a bailout – be it from the government or the workers – while stuffing the wallets of a select few? Will this be the year that AMR executives do the right thing?

After accounting for the recent additions to the list, attrition and those accepting the Voluntary Travel Separation, the number of APFA members now furloughed and awaiting recall stands at 1261. The complete list effective April 1 is now posted on the furlough page of APFA.org.

Remember that the Wings Foundation has a website with information on base contact numbers, donation forms and assistance requests. Go to: www.wingsfoundation.com.

Thank you for calling the APFA HotLine.

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OFFICE CLOSURE

APFA headquarters will be closed Friday, April 10 for the Good Friday holiday. Regular office hours will resume at 9:00am central on Monday, April 13.

ALASKA/HORIZON RECIPROCAL CABIN SEAT AGREEMENT

A Reciprocal Cabin Seat Agreement with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air becomes effective on Monday, April 13. Though similar to the other agreements in place with several mainline and regional carriers, Flight Attendants must adhere fully to the specific procedures established for each given carrier. The agreement with Alaska is found on the APFA website. After log in, go to “Members’ Resources” in the main menu, then “Reciprocal Agreements.” On the AA Flight Service website, go to “Job Resources,” then find the “Reciprocal Travel Agreements” link under the “Travel Information” heading.

SPRING 2009 SKYWORD

The Spring 2009 issue of Skyword is now in the mail. If you read your copy online through the APFA website, the link will be available through the Publications menu beginning next week. Of special note in this issue are reports on the APFA Annual Convention, the new fiscal year budget, lessons learned from our B-scale past, and the favorable outcome of the 757 crew rest seat arbitration. Beginning with the Summer 2009 issue of Skyword, the magazine will become an online-only publication, in a format optimized for reading over the web. Regular features will remain with all content, except that designated for members only, available without website login.

GOLF TOURNAMENT BENEFITING THE WINGS FOUNDATION

The Tarrant County Central Labor Council is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Honorable Jim Wright Invitational Golf Tournament on Thursday, May 28 at the Golf Club at Fossil Creek in Fort Worth, Texas (www.thegolfclubatfossilcreek.com). This yearís proceeds will benefit the Wings Foundation and the working families of Tarrant County. A flyer with schedules, process and sign-up forms is available from APFA.org at: images/PDFs/jim_wright.pdf.

ORD RETIREMENT SEMINAR

A retirement seminar is scheduled at Chicago O’Hare on Thursday, April 23. The place is the Chicago West Conference Room, outside security on the mezzanine level, above the International check-in counter. The time is 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon for all work groups and 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM for Flight Attendants only. To get the most out of these helpful seminars, print out and bring your personal pension estimate and plan calculation formulas from Jetnet. For more information, call 773.686.6689.