9.30.11 – (LAA) – Skyword Express, Flight Attendant Coalition, PLOA, S80 Qual Drop, Upcoming Elections, Benefit Enrollment, PVD, Sky Ball, ORD Retirment Briefing, Mind Your Belongings, BOD Meeting

APFA Weekly Hotline Update

for the week ending Friday September 30, 2011

SKYWORD EXPRESS

The Fall 2011 State of the Union Skyword Express was mailed to all Flight Attendants this week. This edition is packed full of information. APFA President Laura Glading updates the membership on the State of Our Union. Vice President Brett Durkin pens another installment of his popular ëYou Be the Judgeí article. Secretary Denise Pointer gives an overview of the duties of APFA’s four National Officers as the time of a new election period nears, and Treasure Steven Baumert outlines the tasks undertaken and upcoming to secure and strengthen the Union’s Treasury.

Also in this edition is an update on negotiations by Chief Negotiator Anne Loew, reports by National Coordinators as well as information provided by other departments at APFA Headquarters. And closing this edition of Skyword Express are several pages of photos and commentary on the tragedies of 9/11 and the loss of Flight 587 in November of 2001.

If you would like an advance copy of the Fall 2011 Skyword Express it can be downloaded in PDF format from APFA.org, which can be viewed on your Android, Blackberry or iPad/iPhone device. Here is the direct link to the magazine. images/skyword/2011/skyword_express_fall_2011.pdf

FLIGHT ATTENDANT COALITION

Earlier this week APFA hosted this quarterís meeting of the Flight Attendant Union Coalition. Leaders from the AFA, APFA, IAM, TWU and USW met to discuss issues that directly impact Flight Attendants.

Each union gave an update on their respective negotiations and the struggles and hurdles facing us all. Our Legislative efforts took up a great deal of discussion, as did Safety and Security issues.

APFA President Laura Glading stated, “Being a part of this coalition which represents close to 100,000 Flight Attendants is so important.† With labor under attack in this country, having all the Flight Attendant union leaders together in one room gives us the opportunity to compare notes and form strategies collectively that will better the lives of all Flight Attendants and make advancements in protecting the middle class.”

The coalition will meet again in January in Washington, DC.

PLOA

Last week’s Hotline prompted questions regarding the six-month LOA. Some Flight Attendants thought the leave offered was for 180 days. The November 2011 – April 2012 is actually a 182-day leave. 182 consecutive days of leave will result in a two-day adjustment to your Occupational (bidding) Seniority.

If you held the NOV-APR leave and are concerned about the loss of seniority, there is a way to avoid the two-day adjustment.† By bidding and flying a trip that flies two days into your 182-day leave, your leave will be reduced to 180 days.

Youíll be good to go – unless the company should offer and you are awarded a leave for May 2012 and it runs consecutively with this NOV-APR leave, which would increase the 180-day leave by the number of days awarded in any consecutive leave.

S80 QUAL DROP

“You – stay on the wing – help the people out! Send them that way!”

And if you are fortunate enough to hold this proffer you may never have to go near a S80 again.

Flight Attendants meeting the following requirements may request a S80 Qualification Drop:

• Must be an International Flight Attendant with 30+ years seniority as of 01NOV11
• Must not have served Reserve in 2010-2011
• Must not have flown the S80 in 2010-2011

The S80 Qual-Drop Proffer is available on the Flight Service Website and will close at 1000 Central Time on Friday October 14, 2011.

NATIONAL BALLOT COMMITTEE

September 28, 2011, was the deadline to submit a Willingness-to-Serve Notification for Vice Chair at RDU-I and STL.

Peggy Turley has been duly elected at RDU-I.

There will be an election at STL. The candidates for Vice Chairperson are Jacob P. Fuller and Oscar Gomez.

Ballots will be mailed to all members based in STL on October 18, 2011, and ballots must be cast by 10:00 am Central Time on November 17, 2011.

-Upcoming Elections-

The APFA National Ballot Committee will be conducting elections for National Officers and Base Officers. †Candidates will have the option of distributing their campaign literature by e-mail.† APFA will not provide any Flight Attendant’s e-mail address directly to the candidate. Instead, we will provide the e-mail addresses APFA has on file to a third-party vendor connected with BallotPoint, the company that handles APFA’s electronic balloting. Candidates will provide their literature to the vendor, who in turn will distribute it to the e-mail addresses on file. The addresses will be used by the vendor only for purposes of e-mailing campaign literature; the vendor will not disclose the e-mail addresses to the candidates or to any other person or entity.

To be sure that you receive all information that candidates may send by e-mail, if your current email address is not on file with APFA, please send it to [email protected] along with your name and employee number.

If you have any questions, please contact the National Ballot Committee at [email protected].

2012 BENEFIT ENROLLMENT

Open enrollment for 2012 benefits is available on JetNet beginning October 1, 2011 through midnight central time on October 31, 2011. Please carefully read the Enrollment Guide – which is available in the Benefits section of JetNet – in order to make the best decisions for you and you family.

This year American will not mail paper copies of the Enrollment Guide to each employee’s home. The Enrollment Guide will only be available online through JetNet’s Benefits Page or www.AAHealthBenefits.com.

Deadline for open enrollment is midnight central time on Monday, October 31, 2011.

PVD

Thanks to all who participated in the PVD Survey earlier this year.†At the time the survey was online, details as to why it was being conducted could not be provided so as not to skew or bias the answers. These results were used in a Presidential Grievance filled against the company and their procedures for awarding PVDs.

APFA Vice President Brett Durkin was able to obtain a Settlement Agreement that will give APFA full access to monitoring the company’s compliance with Article 6.0 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement during a trial period that will run through November 2011.† The APFA Scheduling Department will monitor compliance during this period.

For Flight Attendants that had all but given up on being awarded a PVD and stopped requesting them altogether should now begin requesting PVDs when desired.

The full Settlement Agreement can be read on the Presidential Grievances page on APFA.org.

SKY BALL

It’s that time of year again when we roll up our sleeves and open our hearts to help our brave men and women in uniform. Sky Ball is just around the corner and preparations are in full swing. This will mark the 9th annual event and this year is shaping up to be the best ever as we celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Medal of Honor and the 100th Anniversary of Marine & Naval Aviation.

For those that are not familiar with Sky Ball, it’s an annual fundraiser to support a number of military/veterans organizations.

Over the past four years Sky Ball has raised more than $1.5 million dollars.This has allowed the Fort Worth Airpower Foundation (FWAPF) to contribute to projects that directly support members of all branches of U.S. military and their families through various contingency funds at the Naval Air Station, Fort Worth, Joint Reserve Base and other programs.
Sky Ball IX proceeds also go to:

• Heroes on the Water, helping veterans heal through fellowship and fishing
• Freedom Flight, taking heroes of the Greatest Generation, our WWII Veterans, to visit their Memorial in Washington D.C.
• Wounded Warriors Veteran’s Day Weekend in Las Vegas
• Snowball Express, helping children of our fallen military heal and make new memories.
• Many other programs and causes in direct support of military families

For more information on the event, please visit the website at:†skyballinfo.com†

If you or someone you know is, interested in volunteering for this worthwhile event, there are many volunteer opportunities available from Wednesday, 10/19/11 through Sunday 10/23/11, so please keep these dates open on your calendar and sign up at: skyballvolunteer.com – family and friends are welcome to participate too!

Regardless of the time you have available, there is a place where you can help make a difference.

ORD RETIREMENT BRIEFING

APFA Retirement Specialist Patrick Hancock will be hosting two retirement briefing in ORD on Wednesday October 26 from 1000-1200 and again from 1300-1500 in the Flight Service Conference room at K19.

The 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.

MIND YOUR BELONGINGS

Reports have come in to APFA regarding Flight Attendant’s personal items being stolen. Please keep an eye on your belongings and keep them locked in the crew compartments when available. Do not leave items out in open areas, or under seats – anywhere in public view.

If you notice an item missing please report it to the Captain immediately to determine if the Police needs to be called and a report filed. Also follow up with an AMR Event Report.

APFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS FALL MEETING

The APFA Board of Directors will hold their fall board meeting in the DFW area at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Grapevine, TX. The meeting will begin on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 0900 CT. All members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Embassy Suites
2401 Bass Pro Drive
Grapevine, TX, 76051
(972) 724-2600

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Please remember there are currently 218 members on the furlough and awaiting recall.
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