12.24.10 – (LAA) – Negotiations Update, Day of Action, Recall Update, WTS, Disontinuation of LTCI, Uniform Points, British Airways and Iberia Expand Code Sharing

APFA Weekly Hotline Update for the week ending December 24, 2010

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
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The APFA Negotiating Team is well prepared for its negotiation sessions with the Mediation Board (NMB) and AA on January 4-6 in Nashville. APFA will provide you with an update upon conclusion of the sessions.

DAY OF ACTION

United Flight Attendants and the Pilots of United and Continental Airlines, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), will be conducting information picketing at locations around the world on January 7, 2011 to reaffirm their commitment to securing new Contracts.

United employees made huge sacrifices eight years ago as they entered bankruptcy during which time more cuts were made to their pay, health care, and work rules. United Flight Attendants did their part to help save their company – now it’s time for management to do their part.

Please join our brothers and sisters on the picket line in solidarity in their continued fight to achieve the contracts they deserve.

Click here for times and locations.

RECALL UPDATE

Weíd like to remind our recalled members returning to the line that recall information, including a Q and A is available on the Recall page of the APFA website. In particular, weíd like to remind those Flight Attendants who returned to the line in December to review the information concerning their 420 threshold for December to ensure they accrue Vacation and Sick Time for that month as well as receive subsidized rates for their insurance in December if they will be electing benefits from American.

Welcome back and we look forward to seeing you on the line!

WTS

Willingness to Serve (WTS) Notifications for Base Chairperson, Base Vice Chairperson and Base Operational Council Representatives for all bases were mailed to all members. Anyone interested in serving your union should complete and return the form to APFA. The forms are due back in the designated P.O. Box by 10:00 a.m. CST on January 6, 2011. Ballots will be mailed on January 26, 2011 and electronic voting must be completed by 10:00 a.m. CST on February 25, 2011.

As a reminder you must be a member in good standing to both run for office and to cast your ballot.

FROM THE CONTRACT DEPARTMENT
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For the month of January, Crew Resources busted several hundred vacation relief selections in order to create more open replacement lines. APFA believes this a clear violation of the language in Article 9, Letter -III, #8. This language only permits the busting of vacation relief lines if there are insufficient Flight Attendants at the base to cover the reliefs. We are currently reviewing our options for remedy based on January bid awards as well as preventing a similar occurrence from taking place in the future.

FROM THE SCHEDULING DEPARTMENT
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Pursers will have the option of picking up open next day purser positions during the course of Open Time coverage before the 1600 make-up under the following guidelines:

• On a strictly voluntary basis.
• Utilize the N4 (I or D)base/date entry to research open trips as well as those currently assigned to Flight Attendants on the sick list for the following day.
• Request specific assignments via HISEND message: BOS-D 202, DCA-D 203, DFW-D 204, LAX-D 205, LGA-D 206, MIA-D 207, ORD-D 208, SFO-D 209, SLT-D 210, BOS-I 211, DCA-I 213, IDF 214, IMA 215, IOR 216, JFK 217, LAX-I 218, RDU-I 219, SFO-I 220.
• If awarded any sequence on the HISEND message, the purser is obligated to fly; use AVRS or HI1 to confirm your trip.

**REMEMBER WHEN USING HISEND MESSAGE FORMS, ANY TIME CONSTRAINTS REGARDING WHEN THE HISEND MUST BE RECEIVED ARE BASED ON LOCAL BASE TIME (LBT).

Last five days of the month:

Monday, December 27, begins the last five days of the contractual month of December. Flight Attendants who experience an Illegality or Cancellation during this period should review page 23 of the On-Duty Contract Guide to determine if the Last Five Days of the Month Cancellation/Illegality Protection applies in their case and, if so, the precise steps to follow.

FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
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In previous Hotlines we announced MetLife’s decision to discontinue the sale of Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI).

Originally MetLife announced it would extend the enrollment period through December 30, 2010. However, due to the fact that AA is a member of a coalition with several other large employers, MetLife has agreed to continue to accept LTCI applications from AA employees through December 30, 2012. MetLife will be sending out a letter to all current LTCI policy holders to explain that their current coverage will remain in place as long as the premiums continue to be paid. MetLife has, however, applied for a rate increase which, if approved, would affect both current and future policyholders. The proposed increase is subject to regulatory approval.

MetLife’s decision to stop writing new LTCI business will have no impact on existing insureds’ coverage. As long as premiums are paid on time, coverage cannot be canceled.

All Flight Attendants currently insured can continue to make coverage changes per the terms of their policy or certificate, including inflation protection offers and requests to increase or decrease coverage.

Members interested in applying for LTCI coverage prior to December 30, 2012 can link to the MetLife website from the Benefits page on JetNet or contact MetLife at 1-866-838-1072.

FROM THE RETIREMENT DEPARTMENT
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The APFA Retirement Department reminds Flight Attendants that are planning on retiring after January 1, 2011 that you will be offered the option to sign up for Supplemental Medical Insurance. Active employees will no longer need or have Supplemental Medical, but retirees will continue to have the option to have AA Supplemental Medical, but only if they sign up for that insurance within 30 days of retirement. Any questions should be directed to your Base Chairperson or by email to the APFA Retirement Department.

USE THEM OR LOSE THEM

Remember that your 2010 uniform points do not carry over into the new year. This includes the one-time addition of nine (9) uniform points to use on new items. All points will expire on December 31, 2010. Place your order with VF Imagewear as soon as possible so that you don’t miss the deadline. The new uniform effective date is scheduled for June 1, 2011.

INDUSTRY NEWS

On Friday December 17, American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia announced a major expansion of code sharing on routes between North American and Europe. The first sales date of the expanded codeshare cooperation was on December 20 with most travel beginning on December 28.

In total, the joint business adds up to 317 new codeshare routes and enhanced service to more than 400 destinations in over 100 countries with approximately 5,200 daily departures. It also provides dedicated support teams for customers transferring at five major airline hubs, including New York JFK, London Heathrow, Madrid, Chicago and Miami, as well as integrated online fight information on all three airlines’ websites.

HOLIDAY OFFICE CLOSURES

The APFA Headquarters office will be closed on Friday and Monday, December 24 and 27, in observance of the Christmas holiday. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, December 28. On behalf of all the APFA representatives at Headquarters and in the field, we in the Communications office wish every member a safe and happy holiday.

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Please remember there are currently 796 members on furlough and awaiting recall. This number includes all recalls as of April 2, 2011.