8.13.10 – (LAA) – Stephen Slater, JetBlue, FAA in Town, LOSA, Smoking, PAC, Retirement Briefing

Hello, this is APFA National Communications Coordinator, Jeff Pharr, with the Weekly Hotline Update for Friday, August 13, 2010

GOOD SLIDE!

Stephen Slater’s dramatic exit down the emergency slide at JetBlue this week inadvertently brought some much needed public awareness to our job. News outlets from around the world contacted APFA this week for our prospective on the story and comments on how air travel has changed.

This unfortunate incident has been an excellent opportunity to share not only details about what our job entails, but to also speak about our declining quality of work-life as well as the deteriorating lack of respect for our profession. And a few mentions of our protracted negotiations.

APFA President Laura Glading commented in an interview with Fox’s Good Day New York, “If the airline industry model continues the way it has, tempers are going to flare.”

As articles in which APFA is quoted are released online, we will post them on the www.apfa.org website as well as our Facebook page.

SAME SONG, SECOND VERSE

Once again, AA management has made the inconsiderate decision to ask you to come to operations and pick up your AIP check – a slap in the face, pittance of a bonus compared to the multi-million dollar bonuses awarded to the executives each year.

With the handful of days off we end up with after adding to our schedules the overtime needed to make ends meet since we are still, in 2010, earning pre-2003 wages, who has time to make yet another trip to the airport?

If you prefer not to be subject to an out-of-touch, upper management provoked ëkudosí from your FSM, then by all means, donít go. They will mail your check, or 401k/RothIRA stub within two weeks.

If you happen to be at the airport or do want to pick up your CE Award, then please let your manager know that a true award should come in the form of a contract. A contract that recognizes the sacrifices we’ve made and continue to make.

FAA IN TOWN

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will conduct a conference in the DFW area from August 30 through September 2, 2010. The attendees of this event will include over 700 FAA Inspectors, many of whom will be conducting inspections while traveling to and from the conference. Among the areas they are likely to be monitoring are compliance with our carry-on baggage policy and exit seat procedures. And as always, please ensure your manuals are up to date.

Should you encounter an FAA Inspector onboard, whether or not they check your manual, please complete an AMR Online Event Report. This will also generate a report to the APFA Safety and Security Department where a log is kept.

LOSA – Line Operating Safety Audits

LOSA audits should only be conducted by trained and approved AA employees that are Line Qualified Training Instructors, Training Department Managers, and Flight Service HDQ Regulatory Analysts.

Although these audits are not ëcheck ridesí and service is not to be evaluated, APFA is monitoring to ensure the audits are focused on safety policies and procedures only and wants to ensure that unauthorized and unqualified Flight Service Managers are not conducting these audits.

If a LOSA audit is conduced on one of your flights, do not complete the AMR Online Event Report, but rather record the name of the auditor and report the flight to the Safety and Security Department at the end of your sequence by calling (817) 540-0108 or email: [email protected].

For more information regarding the LOSA program, please go to the Safety and Security Departmentís page on the www.apfa.org website.

NO SMOKING

The Hotel Department wants to remind everyone that the majority of our layover hotels are non-smoking throughout their property. These hotels will charge a cleaning fee between $250-$500 assessed directly to the Flight Attendant should they smoke in a non-smoking room.

Please check with the hotel about their smoking policy.

PAC – Political Action Committee

APFA’s Government Affairs Department oversees our Political Action Committee (PAC). The committee manages a bank account funded by voluntary donations from Flight Attendants. This account allows us to contribute to both Democrat and Republican candidates who support issues that are important to APFA. Large corporations, including American, have significant influence in Washington, D.C. because they have far more financial resources than APFA. We rely on voluntary contributions and never use union dues to support political activities. By contributing even a small amount through a payroll deduction to our PAC, we will have an opportunity to influence decision makers in Washington.

Over the years, safety, security, pay and improved working conditions have been achieved, not only through negotiations, but also through legislation. For instance, Congress passed the Family Medical Leave Technical Correction Bill last year to correctly recognize the unique calculation used to determine crewmembers” eligibility for Family Leave. Legislative action also helped ban smoking from the airplane. In addition, PAC funds are instrumental as we press Congress to recognize the aircraft as a workplace and ensure that it is governed by OSHA’s occupational safety regulations in the FAA Reauthorization Bill.

And for everything achieved through legislature, that’s one less item needing attention at the bargaining table. If each Flight Attendant contributed $1.00 per month, just $.50 per pay period, the PAC fund would increase by over $15,000 per month.

For a Q&A regarding the PAC, including how to contribute, click here.

APFA.ORG HIGHLIGHT

The Government Affairs page on the www.apfa.org website contains information about their activities as well as an entertaining and informative Weekly Brief authored by our Government Affairs representative, DFW based Flight Attendant, Julie Frederick Tandy.

Log-on to the www.apfa.org website home page and click the “Government Affairs” link on the left menu.

RETIREMENT BRIEFING

The next APFA Retirement Briefings will be presented on August 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and August 17 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Yandry Center in DFW Terminal C.

These lively and informative briefings are conducted by APFA Retirement Specialist, Patrick Hancock (IDF) and Jackie Phillips (DFW). These seminars are open and useful to all Flight Attendants from all bases, but particularly important to Flight Attendants planning to retire in the next 10 years.

To make the most of these briefings, print and bring your personal pension estimate and plan calculation formulas from JetNet.

The AA Credit Union Investment & Retirement Advisors will be on hand to help explain more about retirement planning, and to schedule one-on-one interviews.

IN MEMORIAM

On a final and very sad note, earlier this week APFA lost a long-time dedicated union advocate, IDF based Nancy Archer. Since 1991, Nancy held various positions within APFA. She served in the DFW Base Office representing Flight Attendants in disputes with the company, in the Health, Contract and Scheduling Departments, was the APFA National Contract Coordinator from 2002-2004, a member of the APFA Policy Manual Committee, and assistant to APFA Secretary, Greg Hildreth from 2004-2008. Nancy worked tirelessly to help better the Flight Attendant career and will be sorely missed. Nancy is survived by her husband, two children, mother and two sisters.

Condolences for Nancy’s family can be sent to:

Bobby, Jessica and Dylan Archer
2225 West Southlake Blvd
Suite 423PMB10
Southlake, TX 76092

Nancy’s funeral services will be held on Monday, August 16, 2010 at:

First United Methodist Church
1025 Johnson Road
Keller, TX 76248

Visitation 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Funeral 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

A memorial fund has been set up at the AA Credit Union for Nancy’s children. You may make a donation by visiting any AAFCU Branch, by calling (800) 533-0035 and referencing the Nancy Archer Memorial Fund or by mailing a check made payable to The Nancy Archer Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 155489, Ft. Worth, TX 76155.

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Please remember there are 1,343 members on furlough and awaiting recall.
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