10.09.09 – (LAA) – OUR TURN Bag Inserts, Mobilization, H1N1, STL VC Ballots Due, Retirment Seminars, IDF Base Meeting

APFA weekly HotLine update for Friday, October 9, 2009.

QUICK ALERTS

• Get your bag tags here. New OUR TURN bag tag inserts available.
• Negotiating Team prepares to mobilize the membership.
• H1N1 virus continues to make the news. Read below for tips and advice.
• Extra effort needed from targeted states on the legislative front. (details below)
• 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)

APFA TEAM PREPARES NATIONAL MAILING AND RESUMPTION OF TALKS

As they get ready to resume mediated bargaining with American later this month, the APFA Negotiating Team is preparing a national mailing to all members detailing not only the current state of our talks, but their plan to mobilize the membership in the coming weeks and to move American off its game plan of a “zero sum” contract. “Zero sum” is the company’s objective to keep us at our current level overall of compensation and benefits. Their goal is to dig even deeper into our pockets for even more concessions, wrap them nicely into a few shiny morsels, and hand them right back to us disguised as improvements. Don’t fall for this ploy. Are you ready to live under today’s reduced standard of living for another five years?

Every member must actively participate in our Team’s strategy of actions aimed at showing American and the traveling public that ìzero sumî has zero chance of flying with this group of tired, overworked and underpaid employees. Our very futures are at stake. As we enter month 18 of bargaining under mediation since the start of this yearóand approach another anniversary of our 1993 strike, we must all be willing, able and ready to once again demonstrate our resolve.

Donít let your fellow crewmembers do all the work. Are you wearing your APFA pin and yellow Got Union disk? Doing so sends a loud and clear message to American that we back our Team, our Union and a restoral of what was promised us under management’s “Shared Pain, Shared Gain scheme which still extracts over one million dollars per day from our workforce.

Our Negotiating Team and fellow Flight Attendants need the support of every member to show management and the traveling public that we 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. Have an extra pin or disk? Share it with somebody needing one on your next flight. Use the same email or extension to ensure your contact information including address, phone and email is updated with our membership department.

Make your voice heard. Take advantage what your Team has set up now to get our message out. Go to the APFA virtual picket line and add your name today. Visit: apfavirtualpicket.com

Share the APFA YouTube channel with your friends and family. Our Flight Attendants tell our story in several short videos, including the latest called: “It’s OUR TURN.” Visit: youtube.com/aaflightattendants

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 at: index.php?&view=category&id=35. Print them and carry with you and make sure everyone knows the plan.

H1N1 ADVICE FROM THE CDC

In the daily news again is the continuing pandemic of H1N1 (Swine) flu virus. Flight Attendants are well familiar with the hazards of traveling on full flights and in cramped spaces with the constant threat of viruses spreading among the public under such conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a website with up-to-date information and resources. Linked to right from the AA Medical page of Jetnet, the CDC site contains tips on staying healthy including the following recommendation: “Stay home if you get sick. – [to] limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.” APFA strongly concurs with this advice. View all the information and recommendations from the CDC at: cdc.gov/h1n1flu. (More tips from the CDC at the bottom of this message.)

WORK CONTINUES ON THE LEGISLATIVE FRONT

The APFA Legislative Affairs volunteers thank the several thousand Flight Attendants who have emailed their Senators to urge support of two spotlighted bills that have been frequently mentioned in this HotLine. As our reps meet with government officials on these two very important issues, S.1422: concerning Family Leave legislation for flight crewmembers, and S.1451: the FAA Reauthorization, their task is made easier if the Senators have already heard from their constituents. Most emails are understandably sent to Senators from states in which we have bases, neighboring states, or from where we have high concentrations of commuters. But our legislative lieutenants need emails from every one of the 50 states. Our Capwiz account makes this easy, locating your target Senators through just your zip code. If you haven’t sent your emails, do so today, especially if you are from one of the following states:

AK (Alaska), AL (Alabama), AR (Arkansas), DE (Delaware), HI (Hawaii), IA (Iowa), ID (Idaho), KS (Kansas), KY (Kentucky), LA (Louisiana), ME (Maine), MS (Mississippi), MT (Montana), ND (North Dakota), NE (Nebraska), NM (New Mexico), OR (Oregon), RI (Rhode Island), SC (South Carolina), SD (South Dakota), VT (Vermont), WV (West Virginia), WY (Wyoming)

Go to: capwiz.com/apfa or use the following links:

For S.1422, click here. For S.1451, click here.

STL VICE CHAIRPERSON ELECTION – GET YOUR BALLOTS IN

Ballots for the Vice Chairperson election at STL 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. If you have questions about your dues status, 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. in 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.

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Remember that there are currently 1,415 members on furlough and awaiting recall.

Hundreds of our members are actively involved in organizations which help their fellow Flight Attendants or provide needed goods and services in disadvantaged communities around the world. Thousands more of our members provide monetary support to these same groups. Visit their sites through the links below or from the main page of APFA.org to see how you can help.

Wings Foundation // Airline Ambassadors // UNICEF/Change for Good
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More tips on confronting the H1N1 virus from the CDC:

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

• Stay informed. This website (www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu <http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu> ) will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• Take everyday actions to stay healthy.Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
  • Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
• Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.
• Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information