10.02.09 – (LAA) – OUR TURN Bag Tag Inserts, GOT UNION Yellow Discs, Virtual Picket Line, STL VC Ballots Due, Retirement Seminars, IDF Base Meeting

APFA weekly HotLine update for Friday, October 2, 2009.

QUICK ALERTS

• Get your bag tags here. New OUR TURN bag tag inserts available.
• Let’s see a GOT UNION yellow disk on every uniform! Show you support our fight.
• Gear up for the real thing! Practice your “march” on the APFA virtual picket line.
• STL Vice Chairperson ballots due 1000 Central Time, October 22. (details below)
• Retirement seminars scheduled at DFW, NYC and ORD (details below)
• IDF Base Meeting, October 20 (details below)

OCTOBER 1 EFFECTIVE DATE OF FURLOUGHS, LEAVES AND PART-TIME

Yesterday was the effective date for 228 members now added to our current furlough list, 244 members commencing a two-month, involuntary leave of absence, and several hundred Flight Attendants starting voluntary options of either overage leaves or a three-month part-time flying status. As detailed in a Special HotLine message emailed to the membership, the 228 most junior of our members are the second group furloughed by American this year, after a process of mitigation efforts begun immediately following the announcement in June of a potential Flight Attendant manning overage of 1200.

In her Special HotLine, APFA President Laura Glading expressed gratitude to those who opted for the voluntary options, which after a long process of proffering and re-proffering, minimized the number of indefinite furloughs. President Glading stated:

“We all hope that this will mark the end of this chapter as we look for signs of improvement in our nation’s economy in general and in the air travel industry in particular. Your APFA leadership will continue its task of protecting the membership from an employer bent on extracting even more sacrifice from its workforce.

“We have more work to do and must have the support of all members to realize the changes needed to secure our futures and our profession, to see us again prosper and to have all furloughed members back on the line as soon as possible.”

Click here for the complete text of the special message.

Meantime, continue to visibly support your Union and your Negotiators. Proudly wear your APFA pin and yellow, Got Union disk. Your Negotiating Team needs the support of every member to show management and the traveling public that our Flight Attendants are tired of waiting and that itís now OUR TURN.

For a replacement pin or disk, email: [email protected] or leave a message at headquarters extension 8153.

Here are other ways you can stay involved and informed:

• Add your name and picket sign slogan to APFA’s virtual picket line. Have your friends and family do the same. Go to: apfavirtualpicket.com.
• Print, use and distribute the OUR TURN inserts for your bag tags. Click on the “Get your bag tags here” link at the top of this page.
• Read the Negotiating Team’s articles in Skyword Online. Go to: index.php?&view=category&id=35

STL VICE CHAIRPERSON ELECTION

On Tuesday, September 22, the APFA National Ballot Committee mailed out ballots for the Vice Chairperson election at STL. Ballots must be received in the designated P.O. Box by 10 a.m. Central Time on Thursday, October 22, 2009.

STL base Flight Attendants needing a duplicate ballot may request one by:

• calling the National Ballot Committee at 817.540.0108 extension 8311, or
• emailing: [email protected], or
• for those with an APFA website password, using the online Duplicate Ballot Request Form from the Elections and Balloting page of APFA.org.

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.

You must be a member in good standing (dues current or on an official APFA payment plan) no later than five (5) days prior to the election in order to be deemed eligible to vote. Payment plans must be executed at least thirty (30) days prior to the balloting date for the member to be deemed eligible to vote for their Base Representatives. If you have questions about your dues status, or need to arrange a payment plan, please contact the APFA Dues Department at 817.540.0108 extension 8154, or email: [email protected].

As detailed on the Elections and Balloting page of APFA.org, the STL Vice Chair election is being conducted under the supervision of the US Department of Labor. For answers to your specific questions about the election and balloting procedures, contact the APFA National Ballot Committee via email to: [email protected] or by calling headquarters extension 8311.

RETIREMENT SEMINARS

APFA Retirement seminars for Flight Attendants are scheduled at:

• DFW on Monday, October 19 at both 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (The seminar on October 23, previously announced here, is cancelled.) The meeting place will be the Yandry Center, located across gate C2 in DFW terminal C. APFA Retirement Specialists Patrick Hancock and Jackie Philips will be present, as well as APFA reps from DFW and IDF.

Additional company-sponsored, Flight Attendant-specific seminars are scheduled for:

• LGA on Tuesday, October 27, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the 3rd floor Conference Room.
• JFK on Wednesday, October 28, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the DuPont Center, Terminal 8.
• ORD on Thursday, October 29, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Flight Service Conference Room, K19 Ops.

APFA Retirement Specialist Patrick Hancock will also be present at the New York and Chicago meetings and will be available for one-on-one Q&A.

Discussions include pension selections and retirement benefits, including insurance and travel. To get the most out of these helpful and popular seminars, print out and bring your personal pension estimate and plan calculation formulas from Jetnet. Flight Attendants from all bases are welcome to attend and no reservations are required.

IDF BASE MEETING

The IDF Chairperson and Vice Chairperson have scheduled a Base Meeting for Tuesday, October 20, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The place is the Unity Pays room at APFA Headquarters, 1004 W. Euless Blvd. in Euless, TX. (click here for map) Members in good standing are invited to attend.

– – – – –
With the latest additions, the number of members on furlough and awaiting recall now stands at 1,414.

AA Flight Attendants are a generous group, giving of their time and energies in addition to monetarily. Check out the “APFA Supports” links at the bottom of this page for some popular causes, including:

Wings Foundation
Airline Ambassadors
UNICEF/Change for Good